Kingston NH Conservation Commission

05/05/2026

A walk on our newest conserved property!

04/29/2026

Though we’re a little after Earth Day because of other commitments, we’ll be hiking the new Kingston acquisition at Magnusson Farm. Come and join us! The 3 hike leaders are all familiar with the property and its wildlife and botany. Let’s look together for what blooms in early May for pollinat...

04/28/2026

Inaugural paddle of the year - I can't tell you where - because I was delighted to see 4 spotted turtles there! (a state threatened species)
It's still very early on, but the leatherleaf bogs are all blooming and turtles in general are out in numbers. It seems to be a bumper turtle year!

04/16/2026

04/16/2026

An area beside a Town Forest where we really need some roadside clean up! You never know what you'll find.

04/14/2026

Look who we found monitoring a conserved property today! (State endangered Blandings turtle!)

04/03/2026

March set the table. April is when the guests arrive.

The next four weeks bring more new species to your yard than any other month. Warblers pass through, hummingbirds return, fox kits start exploring, and the dawn chorus hits its peak. Here's what to watch for — week by week.

🐦 Week 1 (April 1–6)
- Ospreys are busy repairing their nest.
- Watch for playful fox kits at dawn and dusk.
- Listen for Brown Thrasher and Eastern Towhee songs.
- Hang your hummingbird feeder (4:1 sugar water, no dye) by April 1.
- Check nest boxes; clear House Sparrow materials for native birds.

🌿 Week 2 (April 7–13)
- The warbler wave begins! Look for Yellow-rumped, Palm, Pine, and Black-and-white warblers before 8 AM.
- Offer orange halves and grape jelly for orioles.
- Delay lawn chemicals until June to protect firefly larvae and ground-nesting bees.

☀️ Week 3 (April 14–20)
- Peak warbler week! Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will arrive at feeders, and Baltimore Orioles will visit jelly stations.
- Listen for the beautiful song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

🌱 Week 4 (April 21–27)
- The canopy closes, making it harder to spot warblers. Fledgling robins will start appearing on the ground—leave them be!
- Celebrate Earth Day on April 22 by counting species in your yard.

By month's end, Catbird, House Wren, and Indigo Bunting fill in the last gaps. The dawn chorus is the loudest it will be all year. The wave fades, the canopy closes, and the yard you prepared in March is producing 🌿

03/27/2026

Interesting information. Did you know about spring fish kills?

CONTACT:John Magee: 603-271-2744Inland Fisheries Division: 603-271-2501March 13, 2026 Concord, NH – Fish kills, where large numbers of fish die in a short period of time, are not an uncommon occurr…

03/20/2026

It was wonderful to hear a 9 year old read this impassioned comment at last Tuesday's Planning Board meeting, concerning the paving over oi 10,000 + square feet of wetland for truck parking. (25 Rt. 125 Map R3 Lot 2B) You go Jack!

Hello, I’m Jack Doggett, I’m 9 ½, and I live on four hillside Road, Kingston NH. Right across the street from where this parking lot is planned to be built, actually.
Wetlands are one of nature’s quiet miracles. They’re the places where water and land hold hands—marshes, ponds, and soggy forests that might look muddy or messy, but are actually full of life.

To a frog, a wetland is a singing stage in spring. To a salamander, it’s a safe place to grow up. To a turtle, it’s home—and also the place it returns to year after year, slowly and bravely, to find food and lay eggs. To dragonflies, wetlands are a nursery: they begin life in the water and later fly like tiny guardians, eating mosquitoes. And at night, bats sweep over the water catching insects, helping keep the balance.

Wetlands help people, too. They act like a sponge that soaks up heavy rain to reduce flooding. They filter water, helping keep streams and groundwater cleaner. When wetlands are healthy, the whole neighborhood—animals and people—benefit. It also helps ensure that nearby wells have good, clean water to use.

Protecting wetlands means protecting stories we can’t always see. It means giving wildlife safe places to live and safe paths to travel.
When we care for wetlands, we’re helping everyone. We’re saying that humans and animals are connected, small lives matter, and that future kids of Kingston deserve to hear spring peepers calling, see dragonflies sparkle over the water, and hear owls hooting after dark. Thank you.

03/18/2026

A snapshot of Evy at the election... it turned out such a warm day that we shed our jackets and got sunburns! (Warmth, come back) Of course article 26 won handily!

01/15/2026

Many native butterflies overwinter in gardens as adults, chrysalises, or eggs. Small winter choices protect next year's flutter.

🦋 Leave hollow plant stems; mourning cloaks shelter inside through cold.
🌳 Keep loose bark on trees; question marks tuck beneath for insulation.
🍃 Preserve evergreen shrubs; red admirals rest in protected microclimates.
🌿 Delay fall pruning; some chrysalises hang on dried perennial stems.
🪵 Maintain small brush piles; migrating monarchs pause under cover.
🌻 Let seed heads stand; early bloomers feed spring's first butterflies.

Butterflies that survive winter often emerge weeks before migrating populations arrive.