NH Audubon

Digging into Native New Hampshire
2023-07-18 19:00 - 20:15 (America/New_York) | Red Barn, 41 North Shore Road, Hebron, NH, United States
2023 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Dr. Robert Goodby, Professor of Anthropology, Franklin Pierce University
Abenaki history has been reduced to near-invisibility as a result of conquest, a conquering culture that placed little value on the Indian experience, and a strategy of self-preservation that required many Abenaki to go “underground,” concealing their true identities for generations to avoid discrimination and persecution. Robert Goodby reveals archaeological evidence that shows their deep presence here, inches below the earth’s surface.
This event is made possible by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Special thanks to our 2023 Red Barn Series sponsors, John S. Jordan Design PLLC, the Hebron Conservation Commission; and to our co-host, the Newfound Lake Region Association.

Local History as Told Through the Story of Ash Cottage
2023-07-25 19:00 - 20:15
2023 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Mae Williams, Historic Preservationist
“I will relate the story of Ash Cottage through my own journey of discovery, and place the farmhouse in the larger context of the history of Hebron and surrounding area. The talk will explore my own experiences researching the history of the property (and the families that lived within its walls), and deciphering the clues within the structure and what they can tell us about the physical evolution of the farmhouse from a very simple and quite early two-room farmhouse, to a turn of the 20th century summer home, and to the current rehabilitation project by NH Audubon.”
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Special thanks to our 2023 Red Barn Series sponsors, John S. Jordan Design PLLC, the Hebron Conservation Commission; and to our co-host, the Newfound Lake Region Association.

Summer Sky Gazing
2023-08-01 19:00 - 20:15
2023 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speakers: Amanda Leith, Wallis Boram, and Christine Lightsey, McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
Summer nights provide the opportunity to view the changing sky when there’s no need to huddle under a blanket. This August, skywatchers in New Hampshire will be treated to the Perseid Shower peaking just before a new moon, the occultation of the star Antares, and a Blue Supermoon! How can you find those events above you and what else does the August sky hold? Amanda Leith, Wallis Boram, and Christine Lightsey of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH will walk you through the summer sky, pointing out seasonal features and prominent constellations. Weather-permitting, viewing through telescopes will take place at Ash Cottage.
Amanda Leith has a Bachelor’s in Astronomy from UMASS- Amherst and a Master’s in Museum Studies from Tufts University. Her childhood interest in the sky has now evolved into helping people of all ages learn about and interact with astronomy. Wallis Boram holds a Bachelor’s in Ecology & Biology from Bard College. An ASTC Dialogue & Deliberation Fellow, Wallis works to make science accessible to all, from high school students creating museum exhibits to recent arrivals in the United States adjusting to a new place. Christine Lightsey, M.Ed, worked in elementary school systems in the Northeast before joining the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center as a STEM educator.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Special thanks to our 2023 Red Barn Series sponsors, John S. Jordan Design PLLC, the Hebron Conservation Commission; and to our co-host, the Newfound Lake Region Association.

Why Ice Storms Aren’t Cool: Forest Response to Catastrophic Events
2023-08-08 19:00 - 20:15
2023 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Dr. Lindsey Rustad, USDA Northeast Climate Hub
Ice storms are a common disturbance in north temperate and boreal forests worldwide. In the United States, they account for roughly 60% of winter storm losses with damage to property; closures of roads, schools and businesses; and accidents and loss of life. Current models suggest that ice storms may become more frequent and more severe as a result of climate change, but studying their impact is difficult since the storms are so hard to predict. To better understand ice storms, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest created controlled ice storm experiments during the winters of 2016 and 2017. The experimental ‘storms’ changed the forest canopy and soil conditions giving the scientific community, land managers and community members greater insight on the impacts of these powerful, frightening, and curiously aesthetic extreme winter weather events in northern hardwood forests.
Dr. Lindsey Rustad is the Director of the USDA Northeast Climate Hub, providing expertise on the impacts of global change on northeastern forests. She is also a Research Ecologist for the USDA Forest Service Center for Research on Ecosystem Change in Durham, NH. Her areas of expertise include biogeochemistry, global change impacts, and advanced environmental sensor systems. Her current interests include implementation of cybertechnology in forests across the northeastern United States and integration of Arts and Science at long term ecological field stations.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Special thanks to our 2023 Red Barn Series sponsors, John S. Jordan Design PLLC, the Hebron Conservation Commission; and to our co-host, the Newfound Lake Region Association.

The Iconic Common Loon
2023-08-15 19:00 - 20:15
2023 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Caroline Hughes, Loon Preservation Committee
For many, the haunting call of the loon is an important part of the New Hampshire lake experience. Often seen as a symbol of the northern wilderness, loons are a beloved fixture on New Hampshire lakes, and many lake goers enjoy watching them as they raise their young. However, the breeding season can be a vulnerable time for loons—they face many threats, both natural and human-caused, while on our lakes. This presentation by Caroline Hughes of the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) will focus on the biology and life history of loons, the threats that loons face, and the work that the LPC and their volunteers have performed since 1975 to help recover New Hampshire’s threatened loon population.
Caroline Hughes has a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from the College of the Holy Cross. After interning and working for a number of conservation organizations, including the Squam Lakes Association and Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, she joined the Loon Preservation Committee where she is now the Volunteer & Outreach Biologist.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Special thanks to our 2023 Red Barn Series sponsors, John S. Jordan Design PLLC, the Hebron Conservation Commission; and to our co-host, the Newfound Lake Region Association.

Red Barn Speaker Series - Entomology for the Masses: Introducing the Insects
2024-07-16 19:00 - 20:15
2024 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Dr. Pam Hunt, NH Audubon
This talk is a celebration of everything with six legs. Insects are by far the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on earth, with by some estimates well over a million species – or slightly over half of ALL species known to live on our planet. And yet what do we REALLY know about these critters? Some of the things insects do are stranger than fiction, but rest assured that they are doing it all the time right under our noses. For example, did you know that male dragonflies can scoop sperm from a previous male out of females’ reproductive organs? Or that some wasps lay eggs inside living caterpillars, and the wasp larvae eat the caterpillar alive from the inside out? And then there are the more familiar stories involving metamorphosis, pollination, and mimicry. Join us to learn some of the basics of insect biology, including an overview of the major groups.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: John S. Jordan Design PLLC and the Hebron Conservation Committee.
Photo: Six-spotted Tiger Beetle by Pam Hunt.

Red Barn Speaker Series - State of the Lake: Summer Update
2024-07-23 19:00 - 20:15
2024 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Paul Pellissier, Newfound Lake Region Association
Since 1986, Newfound Lake Region Association (NLRA) volunteers have been monitoring the health of Newfound Lake. Join NLRA Conservation Program Manager, Paul Pellissier as he unpacks this trove of data to discuss Newfound Lake’s current water quality and how it has changed over time. Understanding how these trends give us valuable insights into threats to lake health. The presentation also explores how water moves through Newfound’s landscapes, how what it picks along the way impacts the lake, and the new initiatives NLRA is rolling out to ensure Newfound remains a vibrant ecosystem into the future.
The Summer update builds off of NLRA’s annual State of the Lake presentation, given each year in February, and includes important topics and observations that have happened over the course of the summer.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: John S. Jordan Design PLLC and the Hebron Conservation Committee.
Photo: Wellington State Park by Paul Pellissier.

Red Barn Speaker Series - Resurgence of Bald Eagles in New Hampshire
2024-07-30 19:00 - 20:15
2024 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Chris Martin, NH Audubon
This program examines the dramatic Bald Eagle population recovery in New Hampshire and describes management efforts and partnerships that have helped eagles. Chris Martin has been a raptor biologist for NH Audubon for more than 30 years. His work focuses on recovery of the state’s endangered and threatened raptors in close collaboration with NH Fish & Game. He recruits, trains, and supervises an enthusiastic corps of NH Audubon volunteer field observers who monitor these species throughout the state.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: John S. Jordan Design PLLC and the Hebron Conservation Committee.
Photo: Bald Eagle by Chris Roberts.

Red Barn Speaker Series - Story Cores: Tales Trees Tell in a Changing New England Landscape
2024-08-06 19:00 - 20:15
2024 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Dr. Shelly Rayback, University of Vermont
In their rings, trees record and store information that reveal to us important details about their environment and our landscapes over decades to centuries. In New England, trees such as eastern hemlock and red spruce have recorded information about changing temperature and rainfall since the 1500s. Tree rings also tell us how trees and forests have responded to and recovered from problems like acid rain and will respond to rising greenhouse gases. Come learn more about these story cores which includes trees that were sampled at Paradise Point!
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: John S. Jordan Design PLLC and the Hebron Conservation Committee.
Photo: Dr. Rayback coring an Eastern Hemlock at Paradise Point, 2022.

Red Barn Speaker Series - A New Revolution in Migration Research: The Motus Wildlife Tracking System
2024-08-13 19:00 - 20:15
2024 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Dr. Carol Foss, NH Audubon
Learn how automated radio telemetry has transformed the way biologists study bird migration and how New Hampshire plays a role in this global network. Explore the travels of birds that travel New Hampshire skies in spring and fall and follow the paths of Monarchs and Rusty Blackbirds tagged by NH Audubon biologists.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: John S. Jordan Design PLLC and the Hebron Conservation Committee.
Photo: Male Rusty Blackbird by Anna Peel.

Red Barn Speaker Series - Nature In Focus: Images of Flora, Fauna and Landscapes of New England
2024-08-20 19:00 - 20:15
2024 Red Barn Series, Newfound Audubon
No registration necessary – just come and join us!
Speaker: Bob Fleck, Author/Photographer
“In all things of Nature, there is something of the marvelous.” ~ Aristotle
The selection of photographic images to be presented in this lecture portray the artist’s interpretation of Aristotle’s ancient words. Curated from photographs taken by Bob Fleck over the past decade, the overarching theme of the lecture is “finding the marvelous” available to us to witness in the natural world and bringing it into focus via photography and patience (plus a little luck!). We need not travel beyond New Hampshire and New England to be in awe.
As we ponder the images presented, we will search for the details, the “marvelous”, the overall beauty that abounds in nature. Many instances presented by the photographer were but a moment in time, yet a memory forever. The presentation represents such a small fraction of what is discoverable, if we only take the time to look and see (and sometimes lucky enough to capture) “something of the marvelous”. Bob will also discuss some of his equipment and how some of the images were captured. Questions are encouraged throughout the session.
Many of the images from his book, “Seasons At A New England Bog – A Photographic Essay”, as well as many other examples of the “marvels” of nature will be shared during the lecture/discussion.
A musical montage of pages from the book will start shortly prior to the main presentation as people are arriving. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and inscribing by Bob.
Please park across the street at Ash Cottage. Download a map here. Note that this is now a private residence and there is no bathroom access.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: John S. Jordan Design PLLC and the Hebron Conservation Committee.
Photo: Pink Lady’s Slippers by Bob Fleck.
