(by Claire Adams)

NH Audubon and NH Fish and Game are again partnering for another year of the Urban Wildlife education program. This four-part program series is available for free to all third-grade public school classrooms in Manchester and has been a success with environmental educators, teachers, and students this fall.

This is the busiest year of programming NH Audubon has had with the Urban Wildlife program series since pre-COVID, with 84 in-person programs scheduled for the 2024-2025 school year. As of December 13th, 2024, 42 of those programs have already been delivered in 13 classrooms all over Manchester. With the expansion of teacher interest in this program, NH Audubon has increased the number of facilitators from one to three: Claire Adams (Camp Administrator & Environmental Educator), Devin Guilfoyle (Paradise Point Center Coordinator & Environmental Educator), and Bella Giancola (Education Assistant). This allows us to increase the number of programs delivered throughout this year and into the future. All three are looking forward to having twice as many memories and meaningful encounters with students while delivering the second half of these programs by April 2025.

Throughout the program series, the third graders receive hands-on learning about habitats, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians through the lens of wildlife being right outside their doors in Manchester. The goals and impact of these programs tie directly into NH Audubon’s mission: to protect NH’s natural environment for wildlife and for people. It is incredible to see the students’ curiosity sparked while learning about the unique features of beaver and fox fur or the amazing adaptations of turtles and frogs. Since these programs are taught by NH Audubon environmental educators, the students are able to directly interact with biological artifacts such as bones and pelts as well as some of the live ambassador animals from the Massabesic Center. Below are several photos of the meaningful experiences the students received right in their classrooms this fall.

There is still availability for more Manchester third-grade teachers to register for this program series in the winter and spring of 2025. If you are interested or have questions about registering, please contact Claire Adams.