Calendar of Events
Outings
Events
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!
5th Annual Bird ID, Ecology & Habitat Management Workshop at Stone Fence Farm
Join Phil Brown, Matt Tarr, and others for a morning of birding and learning at Stone Fence Farm, a property owned and managed for a diversity of native species by professional foresters Jeremy Turner and Laura French.
Amphibian Excursion for Families at Robin Hood Park
Hop, scoot, and dive at Robin Hood Pond with Harris Center naturalist Nikko Gagnon! Together, we'll search the pond and nearby woods for bullfrogs, green frogs, salamanders, and more.
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. This self-guided day of inspiration, culminates in a Digging Deeper talk and tour with Bill and Eileen Elliott, who will discuss growing food and cultivating plants from around the world. $10 per garden for non-members / $30-$40 for Digging Deeper.
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.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at Tenant Swamp Boardwalk in Keene
Tenant Swamp Boardwalk 167 Maple Avenue, Keene, United StatesJoin Harris Center naturalists Susie Spikol and Nikko Gagnon to explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature at Tenant Swamp in Keene, a unique wetland and mixed forest ecosystem accessible via a scenic boardwalk. These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps.
Field Foray with the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Club
Join Mark Ellingwood and the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Club to search meadows and woodlands for crescents, blues, sulfurs, and more while sharpening your butterfly identification skills for the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Count in July.
Nature for All: An Accessible, Inclusive Nature Outing at Beech Hill
Join naturalists Phil Brown and Susie Spikol for a morning of nature pondering at Beech Hill, where a hard-packed gravel path along the ridge provides ample opportunity to enjoy all kinds of wild finds, from birds and flowers to mammal sign and butterflies.
Easygoing Hike on Road Number One
Laid out in 1773, Road Number One to Dublin — which actually leads to Harrisville — is the oldest documented road in Nelson. Join ecologist Brett Amy Thelen and Nelson historian Rick Church to discover the natural and cultural history of this hidden gem.
Wild Paddlers at Cunningham Pond
Join the Harris Center and Peterborough Rec for a morning meander on Cunningham Pond, where we’ll look for turtles, frogs, herons, and other wildlife. This pond offers the perfect flatwater experience for new paddlers, and an enjoyable exploration for more experienced paddlers as well.
Field Foray with the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Club
Join Mark Ellingwood and the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Club as we search for swallowtails, satyrs, skippers, and other butterflies — and learn to identify them by their field marks, flight patterns, and behavior.
Beginner Birding in Surry
Join lifelong birders Wendy Gibbons and Jane Wing for an introduction to birding at one of the Keene area's best birding spots. Our 1.5-mile roundtrip route along a hard-packed gravel trail will take us through habitats ideal for raptors, songbirds, and more.
Family Nature Walk at Beech Hill
Spend the morning uncovering nature’s secrets through scavenger hunts, color searches, and sound counts along the high ridge of Beech Hill. Wake up your senses and get to know the wild world!
Wild Paddlers at Willard Pond
Join the Harris Center and Peterborough Rec for a morning paddle on the quiet waters of Willard Pond, a secluded pond surrounded by conservation land — searching for turtles, herons, loons, and other wildlife as we go.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at Ashuelot River Park
Ashuelot River Park West Street, Keene, NH, United StatesJoin Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol to explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature! These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps.
Easygoing Hike to MacDowell Lake
Join Jeremy Wilson and Susie Spikol for a 1-mile roundtrip hike along a sandy, rolling path, with a stop at a turtle habitat restoration site. If we’re lucky, we’ll also spot some basking turtles at the lake!
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at the Harris Center
Harris Center for Conservation Education 83 Kings Hwy, Hancock, NH, United StatesJoin mushroom mavens John Benjamin and George Caughey for a fungtastic foray at the Harris Center. From boletes to amanitas, explore the fascinating world of fungi!
SuperSanctuary Butterfly Count
Join the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Club to survey for coppers, crescents, skippers, swallowtails, monarchs, and more! The data we collect will be submitted to both the North American Butterfly Association and the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network.
Monitoring for Monarchs
Take part in the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz by joining Harris Center ecologists Brett Amy Thelen and Nate Marchessault to survey for monarch eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies in a local milkweed patch. No experience necessary!
Fern Identification 201: Common Ferns of the Monadnock Region
Join fern experts Michael Nerrie and Nate Marchessault for a primer on identifying local ferns, featuring a presentation, live specimens, and a short field walk.
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at Goose Pond
Goose Pond 183 East Surry Road, Keene, United StatesJoin mushroom mavens John Benjamin and George Caughey for a fungtastic foray at Goose Pond in Keene. From boletes to amanitas, explore the fascinating world of fungi!
Monitoring for Monarchs
Join Harris Center ecologists Brett Amy Thelen and Nate Marchessault to survey for monarch eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies in a local milkweed patch. No experience necessary!
