Calendar of Events
Outings
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club in Walpole
Join Harris Center naturalist John Benjamin and mushroom enthusiast George Caughey to search for the fantastic fungi of summer. From russulas and waxy caps to puffballs and wolf’s milk slime, come get your ‘shroom on!
The Kestrels Young Birders Club: Hawkwatching at Blueberry Ridge
Are you a teenager 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.
Birding for All: An Accessible, Inclusive Birding Outing at Dillant-Hopkins Airport
Join avid birder Phil Brown and naturalist Susie Spikol on a search for migrating birds of all feathers. We’ll slowly make our way up a wide, paved road out to a large wetland in hopes of encountering hawks, waterfowl, warblers, and other songbirds. Beginning birders and all ages welcome!
Easygoing Hike at Cathedral of the Pines
Join Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol, longtime outing leader Ben Haubrich, and Cathedral of the Pines Executive Director Michelle Lowe for an easygoing amble along the trails at Cathedral of the Pines.
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at the Harris Center
Join fungi fanatics John Benjamin and George Caughey to search for early fall mushrooms. Discover your inner fungiphile as we look for polypores, boletes, amanitas, russulas, slime molds, and more!
Field Trip: Fall Tree Identification
Join Mike Gagnon and Matt Tarr of UNH Extension for a relaxed ramble focused on fall tree identification. Together, we'll examine branching patterns, leaf shape and structure, foliage, fruit, and how each species functions as habitat for wildlife.
Source to Sea Cleanup
Monadnock Region NH, United StatesMake a difference for our local rivers during the Connecticut River Conservancy's 27th Annual Source to Sea Cleanup! In the Monadnock Region, we’ll focus our efforts on the Ashuelot River in Keene, Swanzey, and Winchester.
Source to Sea Cleanup
Monadnock Region NH, United StatesMake a difference for our local rivers during the Connecticut River Conservancy's 27th Annual Source to Sea Cleanup! In the Monadnock Region, we’ll focus our efforts on the Ashuelot River in Keene, Swanzey, and Winchester.
All About Jack’s Pond: A History Hike
Join Hancock writer Eric Aldrich, Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol, and Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire Director JerriAnne Boggis for a 2.5-mile roundtrip hike to Jack’s Pond, where we'll hear about Jack's life, the families he was connected with, and how Black history — so long in the shadows — is now coming to light.
Nature Photography 101
Have you ever wondered how professional photographers are able to capture such stunning images of nature? Join award-winning photographer Ben Conant for a “behind the lens” look at nature photography.
Birding for All: World Migratory Bird Day Big Sit at Pack Monadnock
Join Harris Center raptor biologists Levi Burford and Katrina Fenton as we tally all bird species observed during a single day from a single location: the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory in Peterborough. Beginning birders and all ages welcome!
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at Goose Pond
Let boletes and amanitas capture your imagination as we search for mid-autumn mushrooms with fungi fans John Benjamin and George Caughey!
Hiking the Wapack Trail: Windblown to Barrett Mountain
Join Friends of the Wapack Board member Gail Coffey and trail steward Gerry Coffey for a 3.5-mile roundtrip hike along the Wapack Trail from Windblown to Barrett Mountain.
LGBTQ+ Community Hike on Skatutakee and Thumb Mountains
Join Dee Denehy (she, her), Richard Doherty (he, him), and Hunter Kirschner (he, they) for an LGBTQ+ community hike on the Harris Center’s West Side Trails to Skatutakee and Thumb Mountains.
Hiking the West Side Trails
Join Harris Center trustees and local hiking enthusiasts Denise Zimmer and Tara Kessler for an autumn hike of the Harris Center’s West Side Trails to Skatutakee and Thumb Mountains.
Easygoing Hike at the Zophar Willard Woods
Join Harris Center ecologist Brett Amy Thelen, longtime outing leader Ben Haubrich, and Historic Harrisville Director Erin Hammerstadt for a 1.75-mile loop hike from Harrisville's historic mill village through the Zophar Willard Woods – once a woodlot for a 19th-century clothespin and wooden box factory, now conservation land protected by Historic Harrisville.
Following in the Footsteps of John Kulish to White Swamp and Spoonwood Pond
Join Stan Smith and Vic Starzynski for a 5-mile roundtrip hike through the wilds of the SuperSanctuary. We’ll start at the end of King’s Highway along Nubanusit Lake and then take a bearing by compass to White Swamp and Spoonwood Pond.
Hiking the Mason Rail Trail
Join avid hiker and amateur historian Miki Clements and trail builder extraordinaire Curt Spacht for a 1.75-mile roundtrip hike on a newly developed loop off the Mason Rail Trail, through the woodland behind the quarry.
Mushroom Meander with Morel Quandary Club at the Horatio Colony Nature Preserve
Join mushroom mavens John Benjamin and George Caughey for an afternoon ramble in search of late-season fungi. From polypores and slime molds to waxy caps and honey mushrooms, you never know what we’ll find on one of these fungtastical forays!
Easygoing Hike on Monadnock’s Old Toll Road to Little Mountain
Join Phil Brown and Ben Haubrich for a leisurely hike on the Old Toll Road to “Little Mountain” for some stellar views of the southern Monadnock Region.
Winter Tree Identification Workshop
Join Mike Gagnon and Matt Tarr of UNH Cooperative Extension for a relaxed ramble focused on winter tree identification. We’ll examine branching, buds, and bark while the leaves are off the trees, and discuss how each species functions as habitat for wildlife.
50th Annual Peterborough-Hancock Christmas Bird Count
Every winter for 50 consecutive years, volunteers have scoured a 15-mile diameter circle in the Peterborough-Hancock area for birds as part of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) – the largest and longest-running community science project in the world. In addition to the teams who fan out in the field, birds are also tallied at backyard feeders.
Easygoing Hike at the Shattuck Golf Course
Join Harris Center naturalist Nikko Gagnon and longtime trip leader Ben Haubrich for a leisurely, 3-mile meander along the paths of The Shattuck. We’ll explore both edges and open landscapes, searching for animal tracks and signs as we go.
Environmental Studies Institute: Coffee with the Birds
local field sitesJoin Phil Brown and Ignacio Oreamuno for a series of winter 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.
Unraveling the Mysteries of a Murder: The Roosting Crows of Lawrence, Massachusetts
Join fellow Corvid enthusiasts Phil Brown and Dan Gardoqui in the urban wilds of downtown Lawrence, Massachusetts, where we’ll watch, enjoy, and learn more about the annual winter roost of American Crows that approaches 20,000 birds nightly.
Hiking Cathedral of the Pines & Emerson Pond
Join skilled hike leaders Brian Bishoff and Denny Wheeler for an exploration of two beautiful properties in Rindge. We’ll cover about 3 miles roundtrip and gain 150 feet of elevation as we hike along well-kept trails featuring lovely views of Emerson Pond.
Easygoing Hike at Loverens Mill Cedar Swamp
Join Harris Center naturalist Phil Brown and longtime trip leader Ben Haubrich for a 2-mile hike along gently rolling terrain at The Nature Conservancy’s Loverens Mill Cedar Swamp Preserve, where we’ll search for signs of winter wildlife on our way to a view of the cedars.
Exploring the Hiroshi Loop Trail
Join Harris Center teacher-naturalists Nikko Gagnon and Kara Reynolds to hike the 1.9-mile Hiroshi Loop Trail, which winds gently through field and forest and along Nubanusit Brook to gorgeous views of Dinsmore Pond.
Environmental Studies Institute: Coffee with the Birds
local field sitesJoin Phil Brown and Ignacio Oreamuno for a series of winter 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.
Field Trip: Identifying Trees by Bark
Join Michael Wojtech, author of "Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast," for this bark-inspired field trip, where we’ll explore bark patterns and characteristics for some of our more common New Hampshire trees.
