One of the benefits of being a member of the Harris Center is the privilege of camping at one of our campsites on beautiful Spoonwood Pond. The Harris Center has three campsites that are available by reservation for members at the sponsor level.

 

Until recently, if you had to go, you dug a hole, did your thing, and covered it up discreetly.

 

Thanks to generous help from a number of folks, the camping at Spoonwood just got a lot more comfortable and sanitary. The campsites now have chum boxes.

 

What's a chum box? It's like an outhouse, only with a better view, an outhouse without walls. You find them along the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail, the Appalachian Trail and other remote places where an outhouse is impractical or out of place.

 

Kudos go to many individuals and partners for making this project a reality.

 

Carl von Mertens of Peterborough generously gave his time and woodworking skills to build the 4-by-4-foot bases and 2-by-2-foot boxes, both out of cedar.

 

David Robinson and Blair Hardwick offered their boats to haul the heavy boxes and bases out to the Nuby/Spoonwood portage.

 

Wildwood, a Massachusetts Audubon camp for kids who like the outdoors, did the real heavy lifting. Led by counselors Naomi Caywood and Wesley Gay, three teams of high school-age youths dug the holes, set the boxes into place, and cleared paths to the spot. The work was dirty and time-consuming, but they did it in good cheer. Two of the three groups combined their project with an overnight stay at Spoonwood.

 

To all who helped make Spoonwood more comfortable and sanitary, thank you!

Join first-rate birder Julie Tilden on a workshop designed to help you identify the hawks and other raptors. Julie's session is well-timed for the big hawk migration ahead. Sept. 8, 7 p.m., at the Harris Center.

Hard to believe, but July is now a fog of happy memories as the Harris Center wraps up another round of summer programs for youths.

 

Nearly 200 kids attended the Harris Center's 34th offering of summer programs, including Wol's Nest, Wee Wols, Voyagers, and Spoonwood Adventure.

 

They put on skits (like the one in the photo, the Wol's Nest version of a PowerPoint presentation!), dissected rotten logs, played endless rounds of Bobcat, paddled 'round Spoonwood, ran through sprinklers, and went ponding in rain and sun, among hundreds of other activities.

 

This summer offered a particular challenge, especially the rainy first half of July. Clothes may have been a bit wet and muddy, but campers were all smiles as they left the Harris Center each day.

 

Special thanks go to this year's terrific team of counselors, led by Summer Program Director, teacher extraordinnaire, and all-around great person, Jenn Sutton: Barbara Beblowski, Kim Bylancik, Maria Chambers, Peter Davenport, Myles Dechert, Mary Desrosiers,  Allison DeStefano, Hannah Ellingwood, Susan Ellingwood, Britton Kennedy, Kecia Kofoed, Cheri Landi, Jan Lyndes, Allyson Maynard, Savannah Patten, Jack Rodolico, and Nancy Utter.

 

Now, announcements, announcements, announcements!

 

Central to the mission of the Harris Center is to promote understanding and respect for our natural environment.

 

So when the Harris Center learned about a recent project involving a documentary about the region's icon -- Mount Monadnock -- we got excited.

 

The project involves a newly organized nonprofit organization, Rabbit Ear Films, which is producing a documentary film about Mount Monadnock. It's a community-driven effort that aims to show in a compelling way, this mountain of stories. There are stories about its protection, its people, and its place in people's hearts.

 

Producers of "Monadnock: A Mountain that Stands Alone" recently gathered at the Harris Center to share the project with more than 100 interested people. They described the project ahead and heard just a handful of stories about the mountain. Some even brought old photos from their grandparents' collections.

 

The project will be taped in high-definition video and should be completed by 2011.

 

Learn more about the film in the Bobcat's Tail, the monthly column in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript by the Harris Center's Eric Aldrich.

The Harris Center's Environmental Studies Institute is pleased to announce a unique opportunity this fall.

 

Join local artists Kim Webster Cunningham, Sue Callihan, Heidi Chester & photographer Eric Aldrich for weekly presentations of their art and methods. Explore nature's role in art, while trying some techniques for inspiration through creative exercises and discover the natural artist in yourself!

 

Cost: $25 members / $35 non-members.

 

Space is limited.

To sign up, call the Harris Center at 603-525-3394, or email jacobs@harriscenter.org. 

 

August 16 (Sun) - Elmwood Junction: From Bustling Depot to Quiet Woods. As the connection between two railroad lines, Elmwood Junction in Hancock was a busy place between the 1880s and the 1930s, with passengers, freight and produce coming and going. Now, only a few traces remain as the woods have replaced the tracks at this quiet and now-protected place along Powdermill Pond. As part of Hancock's Old Home Days, we'll revisit the junction with Eric Aldrich, Dick Amidon, and other members of the co-sponsoring Hancock Historical Society. Meet at 1 p.m. on South Elmwood Road, just east of its intersection with Route 202. Done by 3 p.m.

August 29 (Sat) - Marlborough Country by Rail and Foot. This is a moderately strenuous hike (including short bushwhack) to Marlborough's Buffler lot. We'll stop at an old granite quarry and Babbidge Reservoir. Meet leaders Denny Wheeler, Oliver Mutch and Jan Miller at 9 a.m. at the Old Homestead Press, Route 101, Marlborough, N.H., USA. Done by 2 p.m.

September 6 (Sun) - Leisurely Stroll for Wildflowers along the Rindge Rail Trail - from Perkins Road to the state line. Lots of late summer species will be blooming, including bottle gentians. Meet leaders Brian Bishoff and wildflower expert Betsy Marshall at 1 p.m. at Hannaford in Rindge. Back about 4 p.m. Naturalist on board.

 

September 8 (Wed) - Get Ready, Set; Hawks are on the Go! Learn identification hints, haunts, habits and status of migrating hawks and related raptors. Julie Tilden returns to provide the tips and tell us about NH Audubon's Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory, where in 2006 she was its first official hawk counter and instructor. Julie is now the observatory's program coordinator, as well as monitor coordinator for the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Harris Center; co-sponsored with NH Audubon.

 

September 11 (Fri) - Hawking on Crotched Mountain in Greenfield, an outing suitable for seniors. With intrepid leaders Ben Haubrich and Lee Baker, we'll take the short hike to Blueberry Ridge and look for passing raptors. Those interested can continue on to the Crotched summit, a 3.5-mile round-trip. Carpool departs at 10 a.m. from the SE corner of Ocean State Job Lot in Peterborough. Back by 3 p.m. Trip proceeds in fair weather only; please call Ben or Lee if the weather looks uncertain.

 

September 12 (Sat) - The American Chestnut: Once and Future King of the Forest. The American chestnut, once a dominant eastern hardwood, was devastated by the introduction of an exotic pathogen in the early 1900s. By the early 1950s, chestnut blight had killed some 4 billion of these magnificent trees in the eastern US. The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the American chestnut to US Forests. Come hear Kendra Gurney, TACF's New England Regional Science Coordinator, discuss efforts to restore the chestnut in New Hampshire and throughout its former range. Topics will include the TACF chestnut breeding program and what is being done locally. Kendra will conclude by leading a tour of the Shieling Forest breeding orchard, the first in New Hampshire. 10:30 a.m. to noon at Shieling Forest, program co-sponsor, along with the Harris Center and the NH Division of Forests and Lands.

 

September 12 (Sat) - Biochar's Potential for Forestry and Carbon Storage. Biochar (charcoal created specifically to enhance the fertility of soil for agriculture and silviculture) also has the potential to increase carbon storage in forest soils and serve as a unique carbon-negative way of combating climate change. As interest in biochar grows locally and worldwide, a program at The Lodge at Pony Farm in Temple, will feature expert presentations and deliberative dialogue on the future of our forests and the role biochar might play. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lunch provided. An initial demonstration of producing biochar and introductory talk will be followed by several brief statements, responsive small group discussions and reports, then a facilitated dialogue on creative directions and next steps to be taken locally. A donation of $25 is asked to help cover costs of the day. To register, contact Doug Williams at 924-7008 or douglaswilliams28@comcast.net. The Lodge is located 1 ½ miles north of 101 on Webster Highway, directly opposite route 45 to Temple Village. Follow the signs all the way from the 101 intersection to the Pony Farm on Putnam Road. The Lodge at 19 Putnam Road is a clearly visible two story log building. This event is co-sponsored by the Harris Center.