Harris Center for Conservation Education

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Harris Center for Conservation Education Celebrating 56 years and counting of connecting people and nature in the Monadnock Region.

🌊 They glide through the ocean like enormous underwater birds — but how much do we really know about manta rays?Dive int...
10/19/2026

🌊 They glide through the ocean like enormous underwater birds — but how much do we really know about manta rays?

Dive into the ocean off Ecuador with award-winning author Sy Montgomery and wildlife photographer Patrick Joyce as they share the remarkable story behind their new book, Oceanic Manta Adventure: Saving the Angels of the Sea (from Clarion Books).

From breathtaking encounters with enormous manta rays to the challenges of studying and protecting these mysterious creatures, this is a story of scientific discovery, underwater adventure, and the wonders of the natural world.

📖 School Library Journal calls it “a fascinating peek into an underwater research expedition,” while The Horn Book praises “Joyce’s dramatic photographs.”

🐟 Meet Sy and Patrick at the Harris Center on Friday, October 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Perfect for curious kids, families, and ocean enthusiasts! The Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough will also be on site with books for sale.

Space is limited. Learn more and register now at https://tinyurl.com/manta-adventure.

Thanks to our co-sponsors The Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough and the Hancock Town Library, Hancock, NH.

📸 Deb Joyce Photography & Patrick Joyce

🐦‍⬛ The Harris Center's SuperSanctuary of protected lands spans more than 27,000 acres, and it’s brimming with biodivers...
10/08/2026

🐦‍⬛ The Harris Center's SuperSanctuary of protected lands spans more than 27,000 acres, and it’s brimming with biodiversity — from hawks to hemlocks, frogs to ferns. We're using iNaturalist to document as many of these species as possible, and sharing one particularly interesting observation for each month.

🏵 From September, we bring you a late-blooming orchid! Yellow nodding ladies’ tresses are diminutive orchids that have a short season, from late August to early October. In addition to pollination by insects, these native orchids are also capable of agamospermy, which is the process of producing viable seeds without pollination. Because this is an asexual form of reproduction, the resulting plants are genetically identical to their parents. iNatter found this lovely bloom at Partridge Woods in Nelson.

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

📸: on iNaturalist

🍎 Teachers: bring more nature into your classroom this school year!The Harris Center’s professional development workshop...
10/07/2026

🍎 Teachers: bring more nature into your classroom this school year!

The Harris Center’s professional development workshops with Jenna Spear & Jaime Hutchinson give educators practical, hands-on ways to incorporate nature into their teaching — from tree studies and winter birding to children’s literature and outdoor learning with young children.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
🌳 Oct. 23 — Branching Out: Tree Studies for Every Classroom
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | $120 | All grade levels (Please register by Oct. 14!)
🍂 Nov. 7 — Exploring Nature with Young Children
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | $70 | Pre-K–2nd grade teachers
🐦 Dec. 4 — A Gentle Pathway into Winter Birding
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | $120 | All grade levels
📚 Apr. 9 — Connecting Children’s Literature to Nature Studies
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | $120 | Pre-K–2nd grade teachers

Come away with new ideas, practical resources, and inspiration for bringing nature-based learning into your school day.

👉🏻 Space is limited. LEARN MORE & REGISTER at https://harriscenter.org/events/category/professional-development/workshops-professional-development.

⭐ Here is feedback from one workshop participant: “Because we have routines for weekly learning outdoors my students are slowing down and noticing so much more. They now meander, rather than rush.”

📸: Ben Conant

10/05/2026

🛶 And the winner is… Julia Pakradooni of Harrisville! 🎉

A huge thank-you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets for the hand-built wooden canoe. Together, you helped raise nearly $7,000 for Harris Center camp scholarships, giving more kids the chance to learn, explore, and connect with the natural world.

And a special thank-you to Hunt Dowse, who handcrafted and generously donated this beautiful wooden boat. 💚

🎈Congratulations, Julia — happy paddling!

📸: Miles Stahmann, Ben Conant, PBS, Brett Amy Thelen, & Hunt Dowse

🍄 Be sure to tune in to the latest episode of WILD AT HOME, our new podcast with New Hampshire Public Radio! 🎧 Listen l...
10/03/2026

🍄 Be sure to tune in to the latest episode of WILD AT HOME, our new podcast with New Hampshire Public Radio! 🎧 Listen live Sunday at 9:35 a.m. during Weekend Edition Sunday or anytime at https://www.nhpr.org/show/wild-at-home or on your favorite podcast app. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Help us spread the word by sharing the show or giving us a rating.

📕 Harris Center teacher-naturalists Susie Spikol and Karen Rent have also compiled a fabulous list of resources on each podcast topic. 🖌 These books, art projects, videos, etc. are perfect for parents and teachers who want to dig deeper after listening to an episode.

🔍 You'll find the resources listed on each individual podcast episode page on the NHPR site. (🦅 For example, check out our episode and resources on raptors at https://www.nhpr.org/show/wild-at-home/2026-09-20/wild-at-home-raptors-and-their-survival-superpowers and 🍄 our new show on mushrooms at https://www.nhpr.org/show/wild-at-home/2026-10-04/wild-at-home-fascinating-fungi )

Photo: Ben Conant | Art: Michelle Aldredge

🦇 What can we learn by listening to bats?Quite a lot, it turns out! Join UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture re...
09/29/2026

🦇 What can we learn by listening to bats?

Quite a lot, it turns out! Join UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture researcher Megan Graham for a fascinating look at how scientists are using passive acoustic monitoring — recording the high-frequency calls bats make as they fly through the night — to track changes in New Hampshire’s bat populations.

Megan has spent years working with bats and is now exploring how acoustic research can help scientists better understand and conserve these small-but-mighty mammals.

📅 Thursday, October 8 from 7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom
🔗 Register to get the Zoom link at https://tinyurl.com/bat-research
💻 Can’t make it live? Register even if you can’t attend. We'll send a follow-up email with a link to the recording several days after the program airs.

🐻 From black bears at the edge of the woods to sweeping mountain vistas, wildflowers, birds, bobcats, and more — see Ame...
09/27/2026

🐻 From black bears at the edge of the woods to sweeping mountain vistas, wildflowers, birds, bobcats, and more — see America through the eyes of two local nature photographers.

Join Keene photographers Andy and Beth Greenwood for Wild America, a coast-to-coast photographic journey celebrating the wildlife and wild places they’ve encountered in their travels across the United States.

📷 Along the way, Andy and Beth will share some of their favorite images — and the stories behind the shots, including the patience, travel, and hours spent in the field that go into respectfully photographing wildlife in its natural habitat. (Andy has a particular fondness for photographing bears, while Beth has a soft spot for foxes and baby animals. 🦊)

📅 Tuesday, September 29
⏰ 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Harris Center
🔗 Registration is encouraged at https://harriscenter.org/events/wild-america-the-nature-photography-of-andy-beth-greenwood

🍁 Spend a fall evening traveling through some of America’s wildest places — no hiking boots required!

Address

83 Kings Highway
Hancock, NH
03449

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+16035253394

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