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February 18, 6:30 p.m.
Care and Feeding of a
Conservation Easement |
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For more than 30 years, conservation easements have worked as a critical tool for protecting lands, keeping those lands in private ownership while safeguarding a myriad of public benefits.
With an ever-growing number of easement-protected lands moving from the original grantor's hands to the next generation of owners (or out of the family), questions arise about those easements:
- What does an easement mean for landowners?
- How might an easement affect an owner's plans?
- What are the responsibilities of a land trust that holds the easement?
Hear from landowners and representatives of the Monadnock Conservancy, Harris Center, and the UNH Cooperative Extension. Share your own perspective and questions. 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Harris Center; refreshments provided. Please RSVP to UNH Cooperative Extension: 352-4550.
This program is part of the Monadnock Winter Conservation Series, a collaboration of the Harris Center for Conservation Education, the Monadnock Conservancy, and the UNH Cooperative Extension Service. |
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| The Nature of February |
Bobcats are starting to prowl for mates. They'll have a litter of one to four kittens in late spring or summer.
Northern flying squirrels are foraging at night for seeds, nuts, acorns, buds, insects ... even carrion. They'll have a litter in March. | |
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Feb. 7, March 7, April 11 Families Hike: A Winter Hiking Series |
Did you know that families that hike together, can develop in their children a lifelong love of the outdoors and help children develop a healthy life style? The Harris Center wants to help families get outside together and hike their way into health and enjoyment of the out of doors. Join the Harris Center this winter for a hike or snowshoe each month with your family. Come to one, or all!
Each hike/snowshoe will be a gentle amble to some of the Harris Center's favorite locations. Come discover new trails, meet other families, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors together, with a naturalist guide for each hike.
All hikes meet at the Harris Center. We have ample snowshoes of all sizes to loan. Hikes start at 2 p.m. and conclude by 4 p.m.
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Feb. 7: Juggernaut Pond. Follow an old road to the Hancock Reservoir, discover a porcupine village, and look for mink and otter slides on the edge of the ice. A gentle uphill walk on a wide trail with a short meander through the woods to Thacher Rock!
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March 7: Big Boulders and Back. Down through the 100 acre woods, we'll go in search of signs of spring. We'll spend time exploring the giant boulder deposit at the end of the trail and think about how this pile of granite got there. A woodland trail through mixed forests and incredible glacial erratics.
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April 11: Jack's Pond. Discover a beautiful small pond tucked into the base of Thumb Mountain. We'll keep our ears open for the songs of birds, frogs and even an early insect or two. A steep beginning followed by a curvy trail to an old woods road. |
| April 24, 1 p.m.
Matt Patterson: Freshwater Fish of the Northeast |
 Here's another reason to celebrate the traditional start of trout-fishing season (the fourth Saturday in April): an opening reception at the Harris Center for Nashua artist Matt Patterson.
Matt is the illustrator of a remarkable book that will be in print just in time for the event, Freshwater Fish of the Northeast. It's a collaboration with his father, David Patterson, who wrote the text.
The new book is being published by University Press of New England and is handsomely illustrated with 60 fish species, from the big, exciting game species to the small fish, like sculpins and darters, that play essential roles in aquatic ecosystems.
To research the book, Matt and his father, a recently retired high school biology teacher, spent countless hours fishing in New Hampshire and throughout the Northeast.
See the art and hear Matt's story on April 24, 1 p.m., at the Harris Center.
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| Winter Conservation Series
Unraveling the Riddles of Winter Tree ID |
 Trees and shrubs can be hard to identify any time of the year, but in winter, you can face some serious riddles.
Steve Roberge, extension forester for Cheshire County, helped unravel those riddles with a presentation at the Harris Center on Jan. 24. Steve showed the finer points of identifying trees in winter with all sorts of memory aids.
Here's how to tell a sugar from a red maple: Look at the buds. A sugar maple has sharp buds (sugar/sharp); a red maple has round buds (red/round). Now you'll always know!
Others in the series include:
- Feb. 2: Backyard Maple Sugaring, 6 to 8 p.m., Keene Public Library;
- Feb. 18: Land in Trust: Care and Feeding of a Conservation Easement, 6:30 p.m., Harris Center;
- Feb. 20: Where the Wild Things Are: Robb Reservoir (tracking), 9 a.m., Harris Center; and
- March 20: Prepare for Ticks, 10 a.m. Harris Center.
To sign up for any of the above, click here and fill out the form OR call 603-352-4550. |
| Back-Tracking ... a look back at the Harris Center's 40 years
A Bear of a Tree |
 The late John Kulish was a memorable presence with Harris Center outings and educational work with Conval Regional High School. But he was most at home in the woods.
In the late 1970s, former Harris Center director Meade Cadot, took this shot of John beside a beech tree that had been scratched up by a black bear. This was a time when there weren't nearly as many bears in the Monadnock Region as there are now, so a tree like this was an unusual sight.
The tree was in northwestern Stoddard, on land now protected and owned by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the Peirce Wildlife and Forest Reservation.
As the Harris Center celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, we'll take a look back at the places, people and events that shape our organization. If you have old photos you'd like to share, please let us know! |
Feb. 22, 23, 24 & 25 Winter Wol's Nest Coming for February Vacation |
 Looking for a way to keep your kids active during February break? This winter, the Harris Center will conduct another session of Winter Wol's Nest!
Children from 5 through 12 years of age are invited to come to the Harris Center and have fun during the best part of winter. We'll go snowshoeing, build snow forts, make crafts, play games, sing songs, and much more! We'd love to see your kids at hte Harris Center in the deepest part of winter. Don't forget your mittens!
Runs from Feb. 22, 23, 24 & 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $35 per day for members / $45 per day for nonmembers. $120 for all four days for members / $130 for nonmembers.
To register, contact Sara Lefebvre at the Harris Center, 603-525-3394. |
| Famous Naturalists Come to School |
The Conval Regional School District's Arts Enrichment Program has teamed up with the Harris Center to offer an exciting new program called, "Famous Naturalists Come To School."
The program will be similar to the "Famous Artists Come To School" program and will introduce kids to remarkable naturalists who changed the way we see the world.
Our list includes Jane Goodall, Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, Thomas Moran, Rachel Carson, and the husband and wife team of Olaus and Mardy Murie. Other naturalists will be added to the list as time goes on.The program is designed to awaken the student's sense of wonder, introduce biographies and provide inspiration for close observation of the natural world.
For more information, contact Janet Altobello at the Harris Center: 603-525-3394. |
A Keene Eye on Bird Signs |
Keighly Urban, a student in Andy Dube's third grade class at Benjamin Franklin School in Keene, drew this bird-tracking map. With the Harris Center's teacher/naturalist Polly Pattison, students have been studying winter birds. This map was part of a lesson on winter bird signs. |
| Out and About with the Harris Center |
February 2 (Tues.) - Backyard Maple Sugaring: How to Make Your Own Maple Syrup. The sap will be running soon! Have you thought about making your own maple syrup? Do you want to know what's needed? Attend this workshop to learn the steps, from the tree to the table plus the equipment needed. This special workshop is geared to first-timers and beginner maplers with less than 75 taps. All aspects of maple sugaring will be covered, including tree identification and tapping, collecting and boiling sap, finishing, filtering and packing syrup. Equipment and supplies needed, especially sizing and operating small evaporators, homemade and commercial, will also be discussed. The workshop is FREE, but registration is required. Please call Cheshire County Cooperative Extension office before January 29th at (603) 352-4550 to register and be guaranteed a seat. 6 to 8 p.m., Keene Public Library. Part of the Monadnock Winter Conservation Series.
February 6 (Sat.) - Snowshoe into Kensan-Devan Sanctuary at Meeting House Pond in Marlborough. Join skilled naturalist and Audubon Sanctuaries Manager Phil Brown for a moderately easy ~ 3-mile winter nature excursion through some of Marlborough's most significant conservation land. Come learn about the ecology and settlement of this historic site; see how it is being managed now and search for mammal sign around the pond and in the deep woods on the flanks of Monadnock. Meet Phil at 9 a.m. at the junction of Route 124 and Underwood Road in Marlborough. Don't forget to bring snowshoes and water; binoculars are a good idea, too. Back about 1 p.m. Co-sponsored by NH Audubon, and Phil asks that you pre- register pbrown@NHaudubon.org, 224-9909 ext. 334.
February 7 (Sun.) - Discover the Town of Francestown's Success at Dinsmoor Brook Conservation Area. This is a 3- to 4-mile moderate cross-country ski trip with less than 100-feet elevation change. Meet Ben and Robin Haubrich at 1 p.m. at the Francestown town sheds at the intersection of Routes 136 and 47. For up-to-date information on equipment and outing, please contact Ben, 547-2075 or bph03043@gmail.com.
February 7 (Sun.) - Family Hike to Juggernaut Pond. Follow an old road to the Hancock reservoir, discover a porcupine village, and look for mink and otter slides on the edge of the ice. A gentle uphill walk on a wide trail with a short meander through the woods to Thacher Rock! Meet Susie Spikol at the Harris Center at 2 p.m. Back by 4 p.m.
February 13 (Sat.) - Snowshoe Hills Where Shagbark Hickory Thrives: in western Westmoreland with views of Vermont's Green Mountains and more. For this moderately strenuous outing meet our leader and consulting forester Swift Corwin at 10 a.m. at the northbound rest area on Route 12 in Walpole. Back about 2 p.m.
February 14 (Sun.) - Ski Over a Favorite Swimmin' Hole: Willard Pond, with Sanctuary stewards Andrew Alling and Rachael Johnson. This easy 1½-mile circumnavigation of a pristine 100-acre lake will skirt newly protected and newly acquired shore land. Skiing starts at 10 a.m. Co-sponsored by N H Audubon, which asks that participants pre-register asrachael@yahoo.com 525-4096, and be sure to bring water and a snack/lunch.
February 18 (Thurs.) - Land in Trust: Care and Feeding of a Conservation Easement. For more than 30 years, conservation easements have worked as a critical tool for protecting lands, keeping those lands in private ownership while safeguarding a myriad of public benefits. With an ever-growing number of easement-protected lands moving from the original grantor's hands to the next generation of owners (or out of the family), questions arise about those easements. What does an easement mean for landowners? How might an easement affect an owner's plans? What are the responsibilities of a land trust that holds the easement? Come hear from landowners and representatives of the Monadnock Conservancy, Harris Center and UNH Cooperative Extension and share your own perspective and questions. 6:30 p.m. at the Harris Center; refreshments provided. Please register by calling 352-4550. Part of the Monadnock Winter Conservation Series.
February 20 (Sat.) - Where the Wild Things Are: Robb Reservoir. Join Harris Center Senior Naturalist Meade Cadot for a not-too-difficult wildlife tracking excursion in this remote corner of Cheshire County. Protected in 2007 and now owned by the Harris Center, the 1,667-acre Robb Reservoir tract is a "forest legacy" for black bear, moose, bobcat and other wide-ranging species. We'll venture out for 2½ hours or so on moderate pace and terrain to seek sign of the likely suspects: river otter, mink, weasel, bobcat, moose, fisher, and who knows what else. Meet at the Harris Center at 9 a.m. to carpool the 10-minute ride to the Robb Reservoir entrance off Route 123 in Stoddard. Part of the Monadnock Winter Conservation Series.
February 25 (Thurs.) - 4th Annual Owl Prowl at TNC's Sheldrick Forest Preserve. Join The Nature Conservancy along with the Harris Center's Susie Spikol and Eric Aldrich at The Nature Conservancy's Sheldrick Forest Preserve in Wilton as we listen for our denizens of the forest... whoooo else?
Bring warm clothes and good boots for walking through the snowy forest at night, as well as a headlamp or flashlight. Snowshoes are optional. This hike is free; reservations are requested. To RSVP, please contact Megan Lepage at mlepage@tnc.org or 603.224.5853, x23.
February 27 (Sat.) - Tracking Wildlife at the Willard Pond Sanctuary. For this moderately strenuous 4-hour outing with lunch break up on ledges overlooking the lake, meet naturalist and wilderness expert Ken Wright at 10 a.m. at the sanctuary parking lot at the end of Willard Pond Road. Co-sponsored by NH Audubon. Please pre-register with asrachael@yahoo.com or 603-525-4096. February 28 (Sun.) - Night Hike on an Amazing New Trail. Wake up your nighttime senses through a guided walk with Susie Spikol, Harris Center naturalist, and Molly Hajjar, Crotched Mountain Foundation's recreational specialist. Experience the new stunning universally accessible Dutton Brook Trail at Crotched Mountain Foundation in the full moon glow of February's Baby Bear Moon. Step out into the night and discover how bright the moon glows in February. Snowshoes available for family members of all sizes. Call 525-3394 to reserve snowshoes for the evening. No experience snowshoeing necessary. FREE. 6:30 to 7:30 at Crotched Mountain Foundation, Greenfield. | |
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