Celebrating Conservation and Community at Our 56th Annual Meeting

A Record-Breaking Day

On September 19, staff, trustees, volunteers, and friends gathered for the Harris Center’s 56th Annual Meeting — the first held in the new Eleanor Briggs Open Lodge. Together, we reflected on another year of education, land conservation, community science, and research across the Monadnock Region.

The afternoon began with a surprise: Bird Conservation Director Phil Brown released a young Broad-winged Hawk back into the wild. The bird had been found abandoned in Jaffrey during nest monitoring associated with our Broad-winged Hawk tracking project, and taken to Maria Colby at Wings of the Dawn for rehabilitation.

The timing couldn’t have been better. That same day, just 15 miles away at the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory, staff and volunteers counted an astonishing 6,477 Broad-winged Hawks — the highest single-day tally in the Observatory’s 22-year history, shattering the previous record of 5,208 set in 2011. More than 4,400 Broad-wings passed overhead in the noon hour alone. Our young hawk took flight just as thousands of its kin were winging their way south.

This Year’s Award Recipients

Three awards celebrated the amazing people and partnerships that make our work possible.

Michael Nerrie, founder of Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail in Alstead, received the Laurie Bryan Partnership Award. For more than a decade, Michael has partnered with us on dozens of programs, including plant identification workshops, Birding for All outings, and Babies in Backpacks adventures. He and his wife, Kathy, have also created an accessible trail network at Distant Hill that welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. Staff Ecologist Nate Marchessault described Michael as someone who “truly embodies our ‘Nature for All’ ethos.”

In accepting the award, Michael offered a lovely image of the Harris Center’s reach: “I think of the Harris Center as a giant oak — a healthy, mature tree that is spreading its acorns throughout the region. And one of those acorns happened to fall at Distant Hill.”

Valerie Germain, a fourth-grade teacher at Pierce Elementary School in Bennington, was honored as our 2026 Educator of the Year. Introducing Valerie, Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol reflected on more than a decade of adventures together, from building forest forts and brewing wintergreen tea over campfires to following wildlife tracks and keeping nature journals.

Volunteer Extraordinaire Austin Gelinas joined the owl-banding team on 25 of its 26 nights in the field. (photo © Ben Conant)

Susie called Val “the truest expression of a place-based educator,” adding, “She reminds us that loving a place, a home, this wild world is an invitation to do the work and do it with your heart and soul.” Valerie accepted the award with a heartfelt poem, “Sharing the Gifts of Nature,” reflecting on her own childhood explorations and the joy of passing that love of nature on to her children and students.

Science Director Brett Amy Thelen presented the Volunteer Extraordinaire Award to Austin Gelinas for his work on our Northern Saw-whet Owl banding project and other conservation research efforts. In introducing Austin, Brett highlighted his remarkable commitment to wildlife science: last year alone, he joined our owl-banding team on 25 of their 26 nights in the field, contributing 127 volunteer hours — not counting his drive of more than an hour each way from Massachusetts!

Brett noted that he even volunteers for tasks with “a zero-percent chance of seeing owls, like data entry.” She closed with, “I truly think we at the Harris Center are the lucky ones to be part of his story. Austin’s going places, and we get to say we knew him when!”

New Ventures and Notable Achievements

Before our review of the past year, teacher-naturalists Susie Spikol and Karen Rent announced the launch of Wild at Home, a new nature podcast for curious kids and young-at-heart adventurers, produced in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio. The pair celebrated with a dance to the show’s catchy theme song and a sneak peek at the first episode.

Executive Director Jeremy Wilson then shared highlights from another busy year of education, land conservation, community programs, and wildlife research. Our teacher-naturalists worked with more than 3,000 students in 40 schools; we made progress toward protecting nearly 1,000 acres in the Nelson Highlands; and our American Kestrel Project celebrated a record 38 chicks, with nine nest boxes successfully producing fledglings. From outdoor adventures for families to butterfly monitoring and the Pack Monadnock Hawk Watch, much of this work was made possible by dedicated volunteers, landowners, and community partners.

Julia Pakradooni of Harrisville (right) won the handcrafted wooden canoe donated by Hunt Dowse (left). (Photo © Ben Conant)

Board Chair Tara Kessler thanked outgoing trustees Daniel Henderson and Denise Zimmer for their years of dedicated service, and welcomed two new board members: Beate Becker of Harrisville, a longtime nonprofit leader with experience in community development, environmental advocacy, and education; and Catherine Owen Koning of Keene, a retired Franklin Pierce University professor and expert in wetland ecology and conservation. We’re grateful to Daniel and Denise for their many contributions and look forward to the perspectives and expertise Beate and Catherine will bring to the Harris Center.

We also recognized three longtime staff members: Brett Amy Thelen and Eric Masterson, each celebrating 15 years at the Harris Center, and John Benjamin, marking 10 years.

And congratulations to Julia Pakradooni of Harrisville, who won the handcrafted wooden canoe generously donated by Hunt Dowse. The summer raffle raised nearly $7,000 for Harris Center camp scholarships, helping more kids explore and connect with the natural world. Thank you to Hunt and everyone who purchased tickets!

Twenty Years of Making Roads Safer for Amphibians

The afternoon’s featured speaker, Brett Amy Thelen, took us on a journey through 20 years of the Salamander Crossing Brigades, our community science effort to help frogs and salamanders safely cross roads during their spring migrations. The program began with several pilot seasons starting in 2004, coordinated by Brett’s mentor, David Moon. Brett joined in 2007, when the Brigades became a more formal program.

Today, 300 to 400 volunteers in reflective vests cover about 40 crossing sites on rainy spring nights every year — and collectively, more than 2,500 volunteers have spent 180 rainy nights helping more than 107,000 amphibians safely cross roads since 2007. We’ve also shared guidance and materials that have helped launch at least 15 other amphibian crossing efforts in five states.

Science Director Brett Amy Thelen, who was honored for 15 years at the Harris Center, shared stories about her 20 years with the Salamander Crossing Brigades (photo © Ben Conant)

All those years of data are starting to change how communities handle wildlife on their roads. In Keene, volunteer data helped make the case for closing North Lincoln Street and Jordan Road on major migration nights, where thousands of amphibians cross each spring. As one volunteer put it, “It gives me hope for this world to hear that Keene closes a street for this.”

The project also achieved a major milestone this year, with the announcement that the Harris Center and New Hampshire Fish and Game are working with the City of Keene to build the state’s very first amphibian tunnels at the Jordan Road crossing — so frogs and salamanders will be able to travel under the road rather than needing to migrate across it. Funding is in place, and we hope to break ground in 2027.

Thank You

To our staff, volunteers, partners, supporters, and friends: thank you for the time, skills, and curiosity you bring to this work. We’re looking forward to another year in the field with you!