Calendar of Events
Outings
Events
Beginner Birding at the Dillant-Hopkins Airport
Join avid birders Wendy Gibbons and Jane Wing for an introduction to birding at the Dillant-Hopkins Airport, a local birding hot spot with great views of wetlands, woods, and fields.
The Kestrels Young Birders Club: Snowy Owl Search on Plum Island
Are you a teenager or tween with an interest in birds and birding? Build community with other young birders as part of The Kestrels Young Birders Club! Visit the marshes and dunes at Plum Island in search of Snowy Owls. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your skills and connect with other wildlife fans.
42nd Annual Connecticut River Waterfowl Safari
Join Harris Center bird brains Eric Masterson, Phil Brown, and Nate Marchessault for a morning of waterfowl watching and welcoming spring arrivals back to the fields and waterways of the Connecticut River Valley.
Birding Plum Island
Join avid birders Kim Snyder and Nate Marchessault to search for seabirds, shorebirds, and maybe even Snowy Owls along the 8-mile barrier beach and adjacent marshes of Plum Island — a prime spot for winter birding.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at the Fremont Field in Peterborough
Fremont Field 100 Old Jaffrey Road, Peterborough, NH, United StatesJoin Harris Center naturalists Susie Spikol and Nikko Gagnon for a morning ramble at Fremont Field in Peterborough. These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps.
Easygoing Hike to Sip Pond
Join Phil Brown and avid hiker Jessie James for a 1.6-mile round-trip hike through the Chamberlain Conservation Area on the Sip Pond peninsula, where we’ll look for early signs of spring and the birds that make this scenic trail a local favorite.
ESI Course: MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary — Mindful Meanders & Nature-based Practices
local field sitesJoin Phil Brown and Ignacio Oreamuno for a series of spring-season wanderings in tucked-away places close to the Harris Center. Each exploration will focus on a different natural history theme related to the conditions that present themselves that day.
Easygoing Hike on the Jonathan Daniels Trail
Join naturalist Nikko Gagnon and woodland wanderer Mary Verrilli for a leisurely meander through Ashuelot River Park on the Jonathan Daniels Trail, where we’ll watch for spring birds, look for animal tracks and signs, and explore the river’s edge.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow in Harrisville
Harrisville Harrisville, NHJoin Harris Center naturalists Susie Spikol and Nikko Gagnon to explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature on a Rail Trail in Harrisville. These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps.
The Kestrels Young Birders Club: Harris Center Big Day
Are you a teenager or tween with an interest in birds and birding? Join a growing movement of young adults who are honing their wildlife observation skills, learning to recognize birds and their calls, and spending time outside building community with other young birders.
Vernal Pool Hike at the Horatio Colony Nature Preserve
Join Harris Center ecologists Brett Amy Thelen and Nate Marchessault for a 1.2-mile roundtrip hike to a hilltop vernal pool, where we'll explore the exquisite, ephemeral world of spring-breeding amphibians.
Earth Day Hike for Families
Join Hooper Institute and Harris Center naturalists for a fun and informative Earth Day hike for families. The earth will be waking from the long winter, and we’ll see what flowers, plants, bugs, reptiles, birds, and more are waiting to be discovered.
ESI Course: Intro to Spring Wildflowers
Harris Center & local field sites 83 King's Highway, HancockThis four-session workshop with wildflower enthusiast Wendy Ward combines classroom instruction and field trips to build your skills in identifying spring ephemeral wildflowers and deepen your appreciation for the science, and joy, of botanizing.
Spring Wildflowers at Distant Hill Gardens
Join spring wildflower enthusiasts Michael Nerrie and Nate Marchessault for a leisurely walk at Distant Hill to admire cultivated spring ephemerals and search nearby trails for early-season wild blooms and other signs of spring.
Exploring Vernal Pools at the Follansbee Preserve
Join vernal pool enthusiast Brett Amy Thelen for an exploration of a vernal pool complex at the Piscataquog Land Conservancy’s Follansbee Preserve, where we’ll search for salamander eggs and other springtime wonders.
Monadnock Region City Nature Challenge
Join iNaturalist enthusiasts Steven Lamonde and Nate Marchessault for the Monadnock Region’s first annual participation in the City Nature Challenge — a fun celebration of biodiversity that also contributes valuable observations to the iNaturalist database.
ESI Course: Intro to Spring Wildflowers
Harris Center & local field sites 83 King's Highway, HancockThis four-session workshop with wildflower enthusiast Wendy Ward combines classroom instruction and field trips to build your skills in identifying spring ephemeral wildflowers and deepen your appreciation for the science, and joy, of botanizing.
Book Launch: MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary by Phil Brown and Ignacio Oreamuno
Celebrate the launch of MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary with Phil Brown and Ignacio Oreamuno, and discover how a simple shift in perspective can help you find adventure, awe, and connection in the wild places close to home.
ESI Course: Intro to Spring Wildflowers
Harris Center & local field sites 83 King's Highway, HancockThis four-session workshop with wildflower enthusiast Wendy Ward combines classroom instruction and field trips to build your skills in identifying spring ephemeral wildflowers and deepen your appreciation for the science, and joy, of botanizing.
Family Ponding Safari at Robin Hood Park
Join the Harris Center, Cheshire 4-H, and The Caterpillar Lab for a free pond-life party, where families can get their hands wet discovering bullfrogs, dragonflies, caterpillars, mayflies, and other wild inhabitants in Robin Hood Pond.
Nature for All: Vernal Pooling at Distant Hill
Join Harris Center ecologist Brett Amy Thelen and Michael Nerrie of Distant Hill to search for salamander eggs, fairy shrimp, and other wonders in the beautiful vernal pools along the Distant Hill Nature Trail, an accessible trail with gentle slopes and a hard-packed gravel surface.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at Beech Hill in Dublin
Beech Hill Beech Hill Road, Dublin, NH, United StatesJoin Harris Center naturalists Susie Spikol and Nikko Gagnon to explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature at Beech Hill in Dublin. These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps.
ESI Course: Intro to Spring Wildflowers
Harris Center & local field sites 83 King's Highway, HancockThis four-session workshop with wildflower enthusiast Wendy Ward combines classroom instruction and field trips to build your skills in identifying spring ephemeral wildflowers and deepen your appreciation for the science, and joy, of botanizing.
Spring Beauties of Partridge Woods
Join avid hikers Kathy Schillemat and Rick Church to hike the Town of Nelson’s Partridge Woods, where we’ll search for ephemeral wildflowers and other signs of spring along the Ridge Trail.
Exploring Stream Restoration at Great Brook
Join Michael Nerrie to learn how Strategic Wood Addition is helping restore two miles of Great Brook in Walpole — improving habitat for native fish, enhancing stream health, and reducing flood impacts — and hike to the site for a firsthand look at this innovative restoration project.
Easygoing Hike in Francestown
Join avid hikers Ben Haubrich and Mary Verrilli for a gentle 2.5-mile roundtrip walk on conserved land in Francestown, where you’ll follow a meandering brook, visit beaver ponds, and climb a short, steep esker formed by ancient glacial deposits.
Nature for All: An Accessible, Inclusive Outing at MacDowell Lake
Join naturalists Phil Brown and Susie Spikol for a leisurely, less-than-two-mile exploration of MacDowell Lake’s flat, hard-packed trails, where we’ll look and listen for birds and other wetland wildlife during this inclusive Nature for All outing designed to welcome participants of all abilities.
Small Mammals of Field & Forest
Join naturalist Susie Spikol for an afternoon meander through the Harris Center’s fields and forest edges in search of small mammals and the signs they leave behind. You’ll leave with a whole new appreciation for these tiny, but ecologically important creatures!
Garden Conservancy Garden Tour
Dublin, Peterborough, & Hancock Hancock, New Hampshire, United StatesTour four stunning private Monadnock Region gardens — from intimate terraces to Japanese-inspired landscapes and off-the-grid plant paradises — during this self-guided day of inspiration, culminating in a Digging Deeper talk with Bill and Eileen Elliott on growing food and cultivating plants from around the world.
Land Management Practices for New Hampshire Turtles: A Wildlife Workshop
Join NRCS biologists for a walking tour at Reservoir Woods, where we’ll learn about the habitat management practices they’ve put in place to support local turtle populations — and discuss ways you can help turtles on your own property.
