Monadnock Ecological Research and Education

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Monadnock Ecological Research and Education

MERE also conducts social science research on Mount Monadnock in order to study its cultural significance.

Created in 2007, the MERE Project ultimately seeks to promote informed use and foster appreciation of Mount Monadnock through ecological research, monitoring, and educational outreach. MERE supports Monadnock State Park by training summit stewards to work on the mountain, conducting ecological and sociological research, and providing education and outreach programs in the local community. The MERE

Project is working to develop an in-depth understanding of Mount Monadnock’s current ecological patterns and processes through several long-term ecological research projects. Information collected through MERE’s research is available to the public through our website and well as educational programs on Mount Monadnock, curricular programs at schools, scientific and popular articles, and other appropriate venues.

11/17/2021

Catch stunning, uncrowded views from the newly blazed trail connecting White Dot (just below the upper junction with White Cross) and Red Spot. The view surrounding your feet is also quite spectacular--intricate towers of red-knobbed, antler-spiked and trumpet-horned lichens that may have taken 50 years to reach their present size. To avoid the devastating crunch of lichen demolition, just follow the yellow dots closely, walk the rocks and enjoy the microscenery.

10/28/2021

A little magic broke through the rain on the Red Dot! By our estimation, the pot of gold should be somewhere in the vicinity of Thorndike Pond...

10/21/2021

Climbing the mountain can be like traveling forward or backwards in time--while the leaves of lower-elevation maples are now among the autumn carpet, you can still dabble in peak color halfway up the White Dot Trail.

10/19/2021

Who's that, poking up from a rock crevice near the summit? Just some late bloomers, showing off their super-ability to flourish in a cold, blustery place and still keep their petals fresh well into October. Talking about you, , , and .

Next time you're on , take a look at your toes so you don't miss these tundra friends (and to keep them safe and un-smushed :)).

10/05/2021

Fall came into full color as we climbed higher in elevation on Monadnock this past Sunday for Meet the Mountain Day 2021. Even the the alpine pools were adorned in autumn foliage.

Photo credit: Hannah Kelling

Antioch University New England
Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England

10/04/2021

Yesterday we celebrated Meet the Mountain Day with a hike of Antioch University New England students, faculty and friends. As we climbed, we learned about the rocks beneath our feet and the plant communities that change with the elevation of the mountain. Thanks to all the participants who made it a fantastic day!

Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England

09/29/2021

How are the alpine crevice communities on the summit of Monadnock changing over time? Last week, Mt. Monadnock became Lab Monadnock as Dublin School students participated in MERE's Adopt a Crevice Community program. In a day on the mountain, they learned to collect data about plant species, height and soil depth to find out how these pockets of alpine plants are impacted by factors like trampling and climate change.

Our hope is that if students have the opportunity to connect with plant communities, develop their scientific skills and become aware of stewardship issues, that they will emerge as engaged environmental citizens and problem-solvers who can tackle the major environmental issues of their time.

The Dublin crevice community is one of five crevice communities on the summit that Monadnock Ecological Research and Education has been monitoring since 2008. Preliminary findings suggest that crevice communities located farther from human footpaths are revegetating at a much faster rate than those frequently trampled.

09/20/2021

This past week, we noticed monarch after monarch flitting over the Amphitheater Trail, all headed south. Turns out, Mount Monadnock is on the fall migration route for many of these butterflies! Monarchs you see now are part of the "super generation" that hatches in late summer, flies all the way to Mexico to overwinter, and then back up to northern Mexico and the southern U.S. to lay eggs in March.

Fall-migrating monarchs live up to eight times longer than the other generations of monarchs, who usually live just 2-5 weeks as adults. These "regular" monarchs take up to four generations to complete the return flight back to New Hampshire each spring and summer.

While monarch larvae eat only milkweed, adults sip on nectar from many kinds of flowers. Fortunately, Monadnock has many goldenrod and asters in bloom to fuel their journey.

04/05/2021

A mountain awakes.

Address

40 Avon Street
Keene, NH
03431

Website

https://mereproject.weebly.com/

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