Calendar of Events
Wildlife
Events
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.
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.
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: 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.
LAB GIRLS+ Experiments From the Wild & In the Field: Wildlife Painting
Harris Center for Conservation Education 83 Kings Hwy, Hancock, NH, United StatesMeet wildlife artist Rosemary Conroy for an afternoon of wildlife painting. See Rosemary’s art, hear her tips on painting wild animals, and practice your skills using the Harris Center’s taxidermied animals as models. For middle schoolers and up.
The Rat Poison Problem: How Rodenticides Are Harming Wildlife, Pets, and People
Join environmental writer and advocate Laura Kiesel to learn how rising rat populations and widespread rodenticide use are impacting wildlife, pets, and human health — and explore practical, safer solutions New Hampshire communities can use to address rodent problems without harmful poisons.
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.
Making Your Turtle Sightings Count
Spot a turtle in the wild? Your encounter could help conservation efforts. Join NH Fish and Game turtle biologist Josh Megysey and Harris Center ecologist Nate Marchessault to learn how to turn your turtle sightings into valuable data.
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.
Lunch & Learn: The True Life and Times of New Hampshire’s Fisher
Join fisher fan Susie Spikol to learn about the fascinating natural history of this notorious member of the weasel family.
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.
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!
LAB GIRLS+ Experiments From the Wild & In the Field: Salamander Coverboard Survey
Harris Center for Conservation Education 83 Kings Hwy, Hancock, NH, United StatesJoin ecologist and salamander lover Brett Amy Thelen for a hands-on survey of red-backed salamanders and other amphibians at the Harris Center’s long-term monitoring plots.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Insects in the Schoolyard: A Workshop for Teachers
Gain the skills and confidence to teach insect studies in your classroom through this hands-on workshop. Explore insect anatomy, life cycles, and identification, and leave with ready-to-use, NGSS-aligned lessons and practical strategies for outdoor learning.


















