Rockingham County Conservation District

06/02/2026

Did you know New Hampshire is home to native carnivorous plants?

Meet the sundew (Drosera spp.), a remarkable species found in bogs, fens, and other nutrient-poor wetlands. The sparkling droplets on its leaves may look like morning dew, but they’re actually a sticky trap for small insects. Once an insect is caught, the leaf slowly curls around its prey and digests it, allowing the plant to obtain nutrients that are scarce in the wetland soils where it grows.

Despite their tiny size, sundews are among the most fascinating plants found in New Hampshire’s wetlands.

05/29/2026

>From The Field Friday<
-A few images from the RCCD staff while working out in the field this week!
-Share some of your adventures in the comments below!

05/28/2026

https://www.straffordccd.org/events/april-public-sccd-board-meeting-equipment-rental-program-mgj34

Our June public board meeting will be focused on our equipment rental program.
Come to one or both parts:
9-10am: Business meeting
10-11am: See and demo the walk-behind tractor and discuss our other pieces of equipment with us.

05/22/2026

Meet miss Harriet, an eastern box turtle ambassador at NH Turtle Rescue - she has been enjoying outside time these past warm days, and she loves a good soak. ☀️

More big news - tomorrow, Saturday May 23rd, is WORLD TURTLE DAY! 💚🐢

To shellabrate such a special day, we are hosting a virtual Turtles of New Hampshire presentation to discuss our native turtle species in NH and the ways you can help them. We hope you’ll join us!

Event details:
🗓️ Saturday, May 23rd at 11am
📍Zoom meeting (registration link in comments)

Check the link in the comments (or on our website > Events page) for the registration page - you will receive an immediate follow up email with the Zoom link - save this email to access tomorrow’s meeting.

We hope to see you there turtle friends!

05/21/2026

>Invasive Thursday<
-Week twelve of our invasive species highlight!!
-Common reed (Phragmites australis) is an invasive water plant in the grass family that is native to Europe.
-Phrag is found in wet sites and can tolerate brackish water. and even standing water up to 3 feet deep.
-It is capable of spreading rapidly by rhizomes forming large stands from 1/2 to 1 mile square.
- It can grow up to 12'-20' tall with bluish-green leaves 7"-24" long.
-The cane-like stems produce a 5-16 inch plume of gray to purple inflorescence from mid-summer through fall.
-There is also a native species of phragmites (Phragmites americanus) in New Hampshire.

For more information check out our website https://www.rockinghamccd.org/invasive-plant

Images by-
Flowers in July
Natalia Ionina
CC BY-NC 4.0
Stem and leaf juncture
NY State IPM Program at Cornell U.
CC-BY-SA 2.0
Winter form
Ana Julia Pereira
CC BY-NC 4.0

05/19/2026

05/17/2026

On this beautiful spring day, we want to share a reminder to be on the lookout for turtles on the roads. It was a bit chilly the last week, but today is very warm day and turtles are out and about, traveling and crossing roads - we even helped the beautiful snapping turtle in this picture cross one of our local roads this morning.

Up until yesterday we have been primarily admitting male turtles due to car hits, which we commonly see early in the season, but we’re getting to the time where we will begin to see more and more of the mama turtles traveling and looking for a suitable place to nest and lay their eggs. Nesting season is May through July, so we are in the primary time of year where turtles really need all of our help keeping them safe while they make their migrations.

✅ Some advice if you find a turtle in the road:

⚠️ Please be super cautious! Many people are distracted on the roads, so please be safe and diligent anytime you’re near the road and prioritize your safety no matter the situation 👀

🚸 Always help a turtle cross the road in the direction they were already headed. They know where they are going and will just turn around and try again if moved back to the same side they came from. Call/text us anytime when in doubt about a situation, we are here to help: (603) 417-4944.

📝 Special note: snapping turtles will commonly nest on the side of the road, so if they are not actively crossing and you are able to safely do so, observe them before moving them across, in case they are just nesting and didn’t plan to travel across the road.

❤️‍🩹 If you do come across an injured turtle in the road, please give us a call or text at (603) 417-4944. We always greatly appreciate if you’re able to transport the turtle to us, or we can reach out to our wonderful network of Turtle Transporters to arrange for someone to meet you instead.

For resources on how to hold turtles for when helping them cross the road, check the comments for links to our website articles - snapping turtles require special handling, you only hold want to hold the back 1/3rd of the body but NEVER by the tail. If you have a snow shovel you can keep in the car and/or a blanket, this can help a lot with helping them cross with minimal handling.

Our last note is you can contribute to conservation research by reporting sightings of turtles to NH Fish and Game’s Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP) where you can send a photo and specific details about where you found the turtle, which helps NHFG monitor populations and know where they are crossing roads. We will link to the RAARP program where you can report turtle sightings in the comments.

Thank you for caring about our shelled neighbors 💚🐢

05/14/2026

Beginning May 26th 2026, a portion of the trail nearest the boat launch at Odiorne Point State Park will be permanently closed.

If you’ve visited this area recently, you may have noticed frequent flooding, muddy conditions, or sections of trail underwater. These changes are the result of sea level rise and marsh migration—a natural process where coastal salt marshes move inland over time.

To protect sensitive coastal habitat and improve visitor safety, this section of trail will be closed and access will be redirected to a newly developed upland route. The new path will maintain access to the beach and connections to the broader trail system.

Read our latest restoration update and view the updated trail closure map on our website:
https://www.rockinghamccd.org/marshes-on-the-move-understanding-the-upcoming-trail-closure-at-odiorne-point-state-park-in-rye-nh

05/14/2026

>Invasive Thursday<
-Week eleven of our invasive species highlight!!
-Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) is a biennial member of the sunflower family and is native to Eurasia.
-The rosette leaves are deeply lobed once or twice on both sides. Lobes are wider towards the tip.
-Pink to purple flowers are aster like and bloom June through October.
-Spreads through seed dispersion via the wind and wildlife.
Spreads rapidly through fields and meadows, displacing native species via toxins from it's root system.
-Smaller areas can be controlled through hand pulling or digging up. A continues mowing cycle as part of a Vegetation Management Practice, can prevent grow back and seed production.

For more information check out our website https://www.rockinghamccd.org/invasive-plant

05/13/2026

Special news! For World Turtle Day on Saturday, May 23rd we will be holding a virtual Turtles of New Hampshire presentation, and we would love if you would join us!

Event details:
🗓️ Saturday, May 23rd at 11am
📍Zoom meeting (registration link in comments)

Register at the link in the comments (or on our website > Events page) and you will receive an immediate follow up email with the Zoom link. Save the follow up email to access the meeting on May 23rd!

We look forward to spending World Turtle Day celebrating our incredible native species in New Hampshire - hope to see you there! 💚🐢