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Nelson & Harrisville
Harris Center and Silver Lake Land
Trust Protect Historic Camp Marienfeld |
In one of four recent land-protection projects, the Harris Center has protected nearly 200 acres on the western shore of Silver Lake in Harrisville and Nelson.
The project is made possible by generous funding from the Silver Lake Land Trust that enabled the Harris Center to purchase a conservation easement from the landowner, Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N), a private school based in Cambridge, Mass. BB&N has used the camp each fall since 1975 to provide incoming ninth-graders with outdoor education and team-building, a 12-day experience known as the school's "bivouac."
"Preservation of Camp Marienfeld has been a major priority of the Silver Lake Land Trust and its leaders David Putnam, Duke Powell, Bill Walker and Wally Francis for nearly 20 years," said Rosamond Delori, a summer resident of the lake and an active board member of the Silver Lake Land Trust. "Thanks to the excellent work of Amy Smagula of the N.H. Department of Environmental Services a decade ago, we learned that the more than 60 percent of Silver Lake's tributaries flow under, through and over Camp Marienfeld.
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| The Nature of March |
This is a hard time for bobcats, white-tailed deer and other species that struggle to find food in the deep, late-winter snow. Ken and Heidi Chester photographed this one near their Hancock chicken coop.
Eastern chipmunks are waking up, foraging for acorns they stashed in the fall. Black bears are stirring and will soon be out and about. | |
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| Nonprofits Strengthen New Hampshire
Harris Center Featured on NHPR's Giving Matters |
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The Harris Center is in good company among many nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of life here in the Monadnock Region and beyond.
The Harris Center was recently featured as one of those nonprofits on its Giving Matters series, a collaboration with the N.H. Charitable Foundation.
Giving Matters features a broad range of nonprofit organizations throughout the state and show the collective strength that nonprofits contribute to New Hampshire's well-being.
The 1-minute segment was produced this past fall at Dublin Consolidated School while Susie Spikol was leading a lesson on watersheds. You can hear Susie and the kids in the background, while teaching principal May Clark describes the value that the Harris Center brings to her classroom.
Photo of Susie Spikol at Dublin Consolidated School by Cheryl Senter for NHPR.
Hear the segment on the Harris Center. |
| March 20, 10 a.m.
Be Ready for Ticks: The Tick Talk by Alan Eaton |
Nobody likes these pesky little arachnids, but knowledge and preparedness are the keys to avoiding tick bites.
On March 20, at 10 a.m. at the Harris Center, Dr. Alan Eaton, a UNH Cooperative Extension expert on ticks and other pests will give a 1-hour presentation on New Hampshire ticks and the diseases they carry.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, New Hampshire has the highest incidence of Lyme Disease in the nation, and other tick-spread diseases are on the rise here. Now is the time to think about ticks and preventing Lyme and other diseases. Wouldn't you like to avoid being a victim?
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.
Please RSVP by calling the UNH Cooperative Extension at 352-4550.
Photo above: A Black-legged tick by Alan Eaton. |
March 7, 2 to 4 p.m. Family Hike Series Continues to Boulder Train Trail |
 Last month's family hike to Juggernaut Pond drew an enthusiastic bunch of children and grownups who explored a pristine pond surrounded by conservation land. Among the highlights were porcupine paths and a glistening scenic outlook.
Join us again on Sunday, March 7, 2 to 4 p.m., as we amble to the BIG rocks on the Harris Center's Boulder Train Trail.
No snowshoes? No worries. We've got them and we'll set you up and get you started. The pace will be easy and we'll stop to check out a few sure signs of spring.
After that, the next hike is: April 11: Jack's Pond, 2 to 4 p.m. 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. |
| Back-Tracking ... a look back at the Harris Center's 40 years
Big Hikes, Big Terrain |
 While outdoor equipment and trends have changed a lot since the 1970s, one thing remains steady: the Harris Center's wide offering of outings.
Since the start of the Harris Center in 1970, our gracious volunteers and staff have led hikes far and near, easy and challenging, and for young and old. We'll continue the fun traditions, and explore a few new and interesting options over the next 40 years.
Starting in the mid-1970s, Harris Center educator/outdoorsman John Kulish led many a memorable hike, including some that avoided trails, topped mountains, and lasted the entire evening and early-daylight hours. In the photo above, a few hardy hikers review a topo map near Mount Skatutakee's summit as they pick the next part of the route.
This spring, as the Harris Center celebrates 40 years, we're planning a few easy ambles, along with at least one adventure that aims to relive the legendary John Kulish's "compass hikes." Stay tuned! |
Next up: Summer Wol's Nest! Winter Wol's Nest Filled with Discovery |
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Despite a few days of challenging weather, the Harris Center's Winter Wol's Nest was a big hit for more than 30 children who attended during February vacation.
Under sunny and not-so-sunny skies, kids went snowshoeing, explored tracks, played wild games and discovered the great outdoors. Inside there were plenty of other treats, especially afternoon cookies!
And don't forget, help us celebrate 35 successful years of summer Wol's Nest with a grand reunion, August 1, at the Harris Center. Bring photos and memories and be prepared to relive some of the places and events that made Wol's Nest a special summer treat.]
Want to sign up your child for summer Wol's Nest? Click here. |
Working with the Sullivan Elementary School |
Shelby Snide, a second-grader at the Sullivan Elementary School, created this colorful tracking book as part of a unit with Harris Center teacher/naturalist Jaime Hutchinson.
With help from a generous donation from the Sullivan Conservation Commission, students have participated in a program on Animals in the Winter.
Children have learned about tracks and scat and other characteristics that animals leave behind in winter. They made these neat tracking boooks and hiked on snowshoes through the woods near the school to explore wildlife tracks.
The unit was a great way to supplement the school's science curriculum. |
| Out and About with the Harris Center |
March 7 (Sun.) - Big Boulders and Back. Join us for an easy family hike down through the Harris Center's 100-acre woods. 2 p.m. at the Harris Center. Back by 4 p.m.
March 14 (Sun.) - Late-Winter Trail Work. Right now, we can't say where folks will be needed, but Harris Center Trail Chief Jim Orr assures that by the time mid-March rolls around, a sturdy crew will be needed for a morning of modest work. Meet Jim at 9 a.m. at the Harris Center, where tools and jokes will be provided. Done by noon.
March 20 (Sat.) - Be Ready for Ticks. Nobody likes these pesky little arachnids, but knowledge and preparedness are the keys to avoiding tick bites. Dr. Alan Eaton, a UNH Cooperative Extension expert on ticks and other pests will give this 1-hour presentation on New Hampshire ticks and the diseases they carry. According to the Centers for Disease Control, New Hampshire has the highest incidence of Lyme Disease in the nation, and other tick-spread diseases are on the rise here. Now is the time to think about ticks and preventing Lyme and other diseases. Wouldn't you like to avoid being a victim? 10 a.m. at the Harris Center. Part of the Monadnock Winter Conservation Series, a collaboration with the Monadnock Conservancy and UNH Cooperative Extension.
March 21 (Sun.) - A Buffer for Artists, Wildlife and Water. Join us for an easy-going celebratory saunter though newly protected wildlife habitat and forest land between Peterborough's town water supply land along the Contoocook and the MacDowell Colony, which is co-sponsoring the outing. We will meet at 2 p.m. at the MacDowell Colony on High Street. Happy Spring! Done by 4 p.m.
March 27 (Sat.) - Spring onto Temple Mountain for a 2-mile round-trip, moderately strenuous hike into this new state reservation. Meet leaders Ben Haubrich and Brian Bishoff at 10 a.m. at Temple Mountain Reservation parking area, across Route 101 from Miller State Park. Bring a lunch. Back by 2:30 p.m. For up-to-date information on equipment and outing, please contact Ben, 603-547-2075 or bph03043@gmail.com.
March 28 (Sun.) - The 28th Annual Spring Waterfowl Safari on the Connecticut River. By caravan and a little walking, we're likely to see lots of northbound ducks and other species headed upriver in early spring. Caravan departs from the Charlestown Library at 8 a.m. We'll stop for lunch (byo), then continue south to Hinsdale. Helping us spot and ID what we see will be a veritable flock of leaders, including Phil Brown, Meade Cadot, Jim Ells and Francie Von Mertens. Co-sponsored by NH Audubon. Please pre-register with pbrown@nhaudubon.org, or 603-224-9909, ext. 334.
March 31 (Weds.) - Yearlings Hoot for Owls, a program for preschoolers. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Bring your curious preschooler to the Harris Center for an early evening of an owly good time. We'll hoot it up together searching the night for owl calls and owl nests. Perfect for young, curious preschoolers and their grownups. Cost $5. Register by March 2nd by calling 525-3394 or by e-mail lefebvre@harriscenter.org.
April 3 (Sat.) - "Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape." This is a great new book by ecologist Tom Wessels, founding director of the master's degree program in conservation biology at Antioch University New England. We are honored and thrilled to have Tom debut yet another of his remarkable natural history books here at the Harris Center. Thousands of readers have had their experience of being in a forest changed forever by reading Tom's earlier book, "Reading the Forested Landscape." Now Tom has taken that wonderful ability to discern much of the history of the forest from visual clues and boil it all down to a manageable field guide you can take into the woods - and start playing forest detective yourself! It includes a key composed of a fascinating series of either/or questions to help you analyze what you see. You'll feel like a woodland Sherlock Holmes! So come join us for a woods walk and talk with Tom and his new guide beginning at 9:30 at the Harris Center. Signed books will be available for purchase. Ends about 11 a.m.
April 4 (Sun.) - Nothing Like Newfoundland. Join adventure travelers Ollie Mutch and Jan Miller for a slide show on their recent trip to beautiful Newfoundland. They'll show their encounters with quaint fishing villages, resilient people, diverse flora, rugged coastline, and many hiking trails. 2 p.m. at the Harris Center. |
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Contact Info:
Eric Aldrich
Harris Center for Conservation Education
603-525-3394
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