COVID-19 UPDATE: The Harris Center building will be closed to visitors until further notice. Our trails and grounds remain open.
Calendar of Events
Outings
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July 2020
Big Boulders or Bust
Join naturalists Karen Rent and Susie Spikol for an adventure-filled hike to one of our favorite places: the Big Boulders! Along the way, we'll play games, search for animals, and maybe even become animals ourselves.
Learn more »First Day of StoryWalk: “Flight School” by Lita Judge
Walk along the path behind the Hancock Meeting House, where pages from the whimsical picture book "Flight School" will be laid out for you to read on your own. Follow along with this whimsical story about a little bird who never gives up on a dream and the friends that help make it come true.
Learn more »Pond Exploration at Robin Hood Park
Have you ever wondered what insects, amphibians, and crustaceans might live in Robin Hood Pond? Join Harris Center teacher-naturalists Jenna Spear and Susie Spikol for a fun exploration of the aquatic animals that call this pond home.
Learn more »Monitoring for Monarchs
Join Harris Center ecologists Brett Amy Thelen and Karen Seaver to survey for monarch eggs and caterpillars in a Harris Center-conserved milkweed patch. This morning of citizen science is offered in conjunction with the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz, an annual research effort aimed at understanding and protecting monarch butterflies.
Learn more »Last Day of StoryWalk: “Flight School” by Lita Judge
Walk along the path behind the Hancock Meeting House, where pages from the whimsical picture book "Flight School" will be laid out for you to read on your own. Follow along with this whimsical story about a little bird who never gives up on a dream and the friends that help make it come true.
Learn more »Family Frog Fest
Have you ever wanted to catch a frog, touch a toad, or peek at a pollywog? Join Harris Center naturalist and frog fan Susie Spikol for a visit to a Hancock frog pond in search of these amazing amphibians.
Learn more »August 2020
First Day of StoryWalk: “Swirl by Swirl”
Walk along the path behind the Hancock Meeting House, where pages from the picture book "Swirl by Swirl" will be laid out for you to read on your own. Joyce Sidman's lyrical writing and Peterborough illustrator Beth Krommes' vivid scratchboard artwork will inspire you to look for spirals in your own backyard, and beyond...
Learn more »Shining a Light on Light Pollution
How we light our homes, towns, and cities impacts everything from fireflies and luna moths to songbirds, owls, mammals, and even our own health. Join Susan Harder of the International Dark Sky Association for a presentation on the ecological and human health impacts of light pollution -- including ways you can make a difference.
Learn more »POP-UP PROGRAM: Birding the Nighthawk Migration in Keene
The fall nighthawk migration is now underway! Join Cliff Seifer and Brett Amy Thelen to search for the spectacle from a great vantage point in Keene. If we're lucky, we just might see hundreds of these special birds feeding in giant flocks above the Ashuelot River Valley.
Learn more »Last Day of StoryWalk: “Swirl by Swirl”
Walk along the path behind the Hancock Meeting House, where pages from the picture book "Swirl by Swirl" will be laid out for you to read on your own. Joyce Sidman's lyrical writing and Peterborough illustrator Beth Krommes' vivid scratchboard artwork will inspire you to look for spirals in your own backyard, and beyond...
Learn more »Family Mushroom & Fungi Hike
Join Harris Center teacher-naturalists John Benjamin and Susie Spikol for a family-friendly woodland hike in search of mushrooms and other amazing fungi.
Learn more »POP-UP PROGRAM: Birding the Nighthawk Migration in Hancock
The fall nighthawk migration is now underway! Join expert birder Phil Brown and nighthawk enthusiast Brett Amy Thelen to search for the spectacle in the skies above Hancock. If we're lucky, we just might see hundreds of these special birds feeding in giant flocks above the Contoocook River.
Learn more »September 2020
A Hawkwatching Primer
Join Harris Center Hawk Watch Coordinator and avid birdwatcher Phil Brown for a virtual primer on viewing the greatest show above the earth -- the annual fall hawk migration.
Learn more »Special Event: VINS Raptor Encounter
In this virtual encounter with naturalists from the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS), we'll meet three rehabilitated birds of prey and explore their adaptations for life on the wing. This is a special invitation-only event for current Harris Center supporters.
Learn more »2nd Annual Monadnock Region Birding Cup
Modeled on New Jersey’s famed World Series of Birding, the Monadnock Region Birding Cup will see teams fan out across the Monadnock Region to tally as many bird species as possible in a single day.
Learn more »POP-UP PROGRAM: Hawkwatching at Pitcher Mountain
Join Harris Center raptor education specialist Kim Snyder on the summit of Pitcher Mountain to scan the skies for migrating raptors.
Learn more »Soar with the Hawks: A Program for Homeschoolers and Remote Learners
Join Harris Center raptor education specialist Kim Snyder to learn everything you always wanted to know about New England’s raptors! This in-person, outdoor learning experience is for homeschoolers and remote learners in Grades 2 through 6.
Learn more »“H is for Hawk” Reading & Discussion Group
Join poet, playwright, falconer, and naturalist Henry Walters to read and discuss the award-winning memoir by Helen Macdonald, "H is for Hawk."
Learn more »Go Wild for At-Home Learners: Insects of Field & Forest
Join Harris Center naturalists to explore the diverse and fascinating world of insects! This in-person, outdoor learning experience is for homeschoolers and remote learners in Grades 1 through 5.
Learn more »Hawkwatching for Families
Families, get ready to learn about the greatest show above the earth -- the annual fall hawk migration! Join Harris Center hawk education specialist Kim Snyder to for an introduction to the basics of hawkwatching, then head outside to experience this incredible natural phenomenon on your own.
Learn more »POP-UP PROGRAM: Hawkwatching at Pitcher Mountain
Join Harris Center raptor education specialist Kim Snyder on the summit of Pitcher Mountain to scan the skies for migrating raptors.
Learn more »Lunch & Learn: Celebrating International Hawk Migration Week
Join Julie Brown of the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) for a virtual "Lunch & Learn" event celebrating International Hawk Migration Week! Through videos and photos, we'll "migrate" to various raptor monitoring sites throughout the continent and learn what hawk watchers have been seeing this year.
Learn more »“Meet a Raptor” Night
Join NH Audubon educator Shelby Morelli for an up-close virtual visit with some of NH Audubon's resident raptors. Look into an owl’s eyes, check out a Red-tailed Hawk's talons, and learn about the lives of these charismatic birds of prey.
Learn more »POP-UP PROGRAM: Hawkwatching at Pitcher Mountain
Join Harris Center raptor education specialist Kim Snyder on the summit of Pitcher Mountain to scan the skies for migrating raptors.
Learn more »Soar with the Hawks: A Program for Homeschoolers and Remote Learners
Join Harris Center raptor education specialist Kim Snyder to learn everything you always wanted to know about New England’s raptors! This in-person, outdoor learning experience is for homeschoolers and remote learners in Grades 2 through 6.
Learn more »“H is for Hawk” Reading & Discussion Group
Join poet, playwright, falconer, and naturalist Henry Walters to read and discuss the award-winning memoir by Helen Macdonald, "H is for Hawk."
Learn more »Fall Fungi Hike
Join Harris Center teacher-naturalists John Benjamin and Susie Spikol for a woodland hike in search of mushrooms and other amazing fungi.
Learn more »Surveying for Salamanders
Join Brett Amy Thelen and Karen Seaver for an afternoon of monitoring our redbacked salamander research plots. We’ll start with a brief introduction to redbacked salamander ecology and to our study methods, then head into the woods to survey for salamanders. No experience necessary!
Learn more »Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow
Join naturalist Susie Spikol for a morning ramble with your little ones along a winding trail in a magical corner of Peterborough.
Learn more »Source to Sea Cleanup
Make a difference for our local rivers during the Connecticut River Conservancy’s annual Source to Sea Cleanup! In the Monadnock Region, we’ll focus on Beaver Brook and the Ashuelot River in Keene and Swanzey.
Learn more »
