UNH Today

Concord Monitor: Pandemic baby bust taking hold in New Hampshire

In December of 2020, nine months after New Hampshire's first stay-at-home order was announced, there were about 180 fewer births than the same period in 2019 and at least 100 fewer than any year since 2015, according to data from the NH Vital Records Information Network.ÌýKenneth Johnson, senior demographer with the Carsey School, said this the decline in births is only expected to grow. According to Johnson,Ìý“I think a lot of women who might have been thinking about having children have simply decided that this is not the time to have a baby."

Top in Their Fields

Researchers from around the world are turning to the findings of scientists with the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture as they work to solve some of the most critical agricultural and environmental issues facing the planet.Ìý

Preserving Vernal Pools

Dr. Jessica Veysey Powell, a post-doctoral fellow in wildlife ecology and human dimensions of environmental management, says landowners have many options for participating in vernal pool conservation.

Assessment and Land Management
As a first step, landowners can assess whether they have vernal pools on their own property. Landowners can ask their state department of fish and wildlife or their local conservation commission for assistance, or hire an environmental consultant.