Community Science with the Harris Center for Conservation Education

09/27/2026

An interesting study outlining how your everyday observations are used in biodiversity research!

09/18/2026

🦅 Come along for a visit to the Hawk Watch!

Raptor migration is in full swing at the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory, where 6,207 migrating raptors have already been counted this season!

🍁 In this video, bird conservation director Phil Brown gives us a tour of the spectacular scenery, accessible trail, and the all-important tallying process.

❓ Why count raptors? The Hawk Watch is part of a network of more than 300 migration monitoring sites across the U.S., Canada, and Central America. Long-term data collected here helps scientists better understand raptor populations, migration patterns, and the potential impacts of climate change.

🥾 Hike to the summit or 🚗 drive up the Auto Road. Day-use reservations are recommended. Learn more and plan your visit at harriscenter.org/hawkwatch, and make your day-use reservation for Miller State Park at nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/miller-state-park/.

See you on the mountain!

📸 Phil Brown

09/03/2026

🍄 The Harris Center's SuperSanctuary of protected lands spans more than 27,000 acres, and it’s brimming with biodiversity — from slime molds to swifts, moss to minks. We're using iNaturalist to document as many of these species as possible, and sharing one particularly interesting observation for each month.

👀 From August, we bring you a fungi capable of MIND CONTROL. (Seriously!) Insect-destroying fungi can take control of their hosts, manipulating zombified insects and causing them to climb to elevated locations, where they become affixed to leaves, pine needles, or blades of grass. From there, the fungi forcibly shoot spores into the air, which helps them reach new hosts and continue the infection cycle.

🐝 Naturalist Kate McKay () found this sci-fi fungus during last month's Mini BioBlitz at Partridge Woods in Nelson, where a small team of community scientists identified more than 200 species of plants, animals, and fungi in just three hours.

🔍 What will YOU discover? To learn more and add your own observations, visit harriscenter.org/inaturalist.

📸: Kate McKay

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08/31/2026

📱 A jaw-dropping new technology now enables you to help track migrating monarchs from Canada to Mexico — and to see the paths of individual butterflies in precision detail — simply by downloading an app!

🦋 When this project was piloted last year, Monarch Joint Venture called it "the most comprehensive tracking study of monarch butterfly migration ever conducted" — and it's expanding to even more sites this migration season. Our friends at New Hampshire Audubon and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies have recently outfitted several monarchs with these tiny, ultralight trackers (with more to come!), so you could even encounter a local butterfly at the start of their epic journey. If you'd like to be part of this groundbreaking network, simply download the Project Monarch app (links in the comments), then start scanning for tagged butterflies.

Thanks to tiny new trackers and Bluetooth, scientists—and you—can now follow the epic journeys of individual butterflies.

08/28/2026

🌙 Look up: it's nighthawk migration season!

🦟 Thousands of these long-winged, mysterious birds are winding their way south between their Canadian breeding grounds and wintering habitat in South America, feeding on flying insects as they go.

👀 Look for them on warm evenings in late August and early September, especially along the Contoocook, Ashuelot, and Connecticut river valleys. Their erratic, floppy flights bring the late summer skies to life!

📸 Harris Center bird conservation director Phil Brown captured these beautiful images while counting nighthawks at Powder Mill Pond as part of an ongoing migration monitoring initiative.

📖 You can read more about nighthawks in this Northern Woodlands's article by science director Brett Amy Thelen: https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/summers-last-exhale

08/21/2026

📬 Over the past week, the Harris Center has receiving anonymous love letters addressed to the "Salamander Squadron" from a group calling themselves the Postcard Underground! Six cards have arrived so far, with most postmarked in the Midwest. A few excerpts:

🐸 "I was just reading about the Salamander Squadron and your incredible efforts to safeguard these little critters. Bravo! Several years ago, in a state park near Pescadero, CA, I came across a "Newt Crossing" sign, which we thought was hilarious. Reading about your work gave new meaning to the sign. A heartfelt THANK YOU for what you are doing. The world needs more people like you!!"

🔦 "I want you to know your efforts are noticed and appreciated!"

🦺 "You are saving critical wildlife and showing others that if we, as humans, change our patterns, we can live together where we can all thrive."

💚 "Is there a creature more endearing than a salamander?! Thank you for all you do to protect them, one by one. It adds up!"

Many thanks to the Postcard Underground — whoever you are — for this sweet surprise, and to our many dedicated Salamander Crossing Brigade volunteers for their inspiring efforts, rainy night after rainy night.

08/10/2026

🦋 How do you track a butterfly that flies thousands of miles?

The answer is surprisingly high-tech.

Join New Hampshire Audubon biologist Lindsay Herlihy to discover how scientists are using tiny radio transmitters to follow monarch butterflies on one of the world's most remarkable migrations. Learn what this cutting-edge research is revealing about monarch travel routes, why these iconic butterflies have declined so dramatically, and how you can help support monarch conservation here in New Hampshire.

This fascinating Zoom program will also highlight NH Audubon's groundbreaking tagging work, which is helping identify the critical habitats monarchs need to rest and refuel on their journey to Mexico.

📅 Wednesday, August 5
🕖 7–8:15 p.m.
💻 Via Zoom
🔗 Register today at https://tinyurl.com/monarch-zoom

Can't join live? Register anyway, and you'll receive access to the recording a few days after the program! Thanks to New Hampshire Audubon for co-sponsoring this event!

📸: Ben Conant & BlackBox

Calendar of Events List Month Category Online Events Lectures Film Showings Local History Women in Science Community Science Kids Count Art Books Workshops Outings Botanizing Nature for All Accessible Outings Hikes Easygoing Hikes Birding Paddles Mushroom Walks Nocturnal Nature Youth & Family Progra...

08/06/2026

FIELD REPORT from the 2026 SUPERSANCTUARY BUTTERFLY COUNT!

🔍 Last month, 22 butterfly lovers searched meadows, gardens, and wetland edges for butterflies big and small during our fifth annual SuperSanctuary Butterfly Count through the .

📋 Collectively, they documented 549 individual butterflies and 24 species at 14 sites in Hancock, Antrim, and Peterborough, including two species that have only been documented on one other occasion during the five years of the SuperSanctuary Count: Question Mark (pictured) and Long Dash.

🦋 Our community scientists have now recorded 3,567 individual butterflies and 46 species since 2022 during our July count days, and a whopping 75 species throughout the year via our iNaturalist project. In addition, our annual July count data has been submitted to both NH Fish and Game and the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), where — together with data from other count circles — they're providing valuable information on long-term trends in Granite State butterfly populations.

👉 To see who is fluttering by the SuperSanctuary — and to add your own sightings — explore our iNaturalist project at www.inaturalist.org/projects/supersanctuary-butterfly-count

📸: Ben Conant, Mark Ellingwood, Nate Marchessault & Brett Amy Thelen

08/06/2026

Salamander season may be in the rear-view mirror for this year, but we're still making headlines! Good news travels far. 💚

NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S. — It’s a mild March night in Keene, New Hampshire, and the salamander brigade is out in full force. A constellation of flashlight beams wink and flash along a dark street, as rain falls onto the jackets and reflective vests of the assembled crew. Tonight, a veritable army of ...

08/04/2026

🍄‍🟫 The Harris Center's SuperSanctuary of protected lands spans more than 27,000 acres, and it’s brimming with biodiversity — from sedges to sparrows, mushrooms to moose. We're using iNaturalist to document as many of these species as possible, and sharing one particularly interesting observation for each month.

🌿 From July, we bring you an exciting find, hiding in plain sight! Though somewhat unassuming, thin-leaved sedge is considered "Threatened" in the state of New Hampshire, and there are fewer than 20 known populations statewide. The scarcity of this species is likely due to its affinity for calcium-rich deciduous woodlands, which are relatively uncommon in the Granite State. This is not only the first known occurrence of *this* species in Hancock, but also the first record of *any* Threatened or Endangered plant species in Hancock. Harris Center trustee Steven Lamonde discovered this sedge near the Harris Center meadow, and ecologist Nate Marchessault counted at least six plants during a return visit.

🔍 What will YOU discover? To learn more and add your own observations, visit harriscenter.org/inaturalist.

📸: Nate Marchessault