Annual Meeting Field Trips

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Morning field trips and educational programs run from 9 AM to 11:30 AM. Trips begin at field locations. Detailed information about location and parking will be sent with confirmation of your Annual Meeting registration.

There are five optional field trip choices:

1. Merrimack River Paddle Trip with North Country Kayak: 9-11:30 am

Father and son paddling a kayak on the Merrimack.

This gentle paddling trip explores the channel around the Concord Island Reserve, the banks of the Forest Society’s Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area, and some of the more urban landscapes around Concord.

Total paddle time: 2 hours. Total distance: 4 miles.

Cost: $50/person additional; includes kayak rental. Limit of 15 people.

Note: Waivers must signed online beforehand or we will provide paper copies in-person. Sign here.

Leaders: Carrie Deegan and Cameron Larnerd of the Forest Society, and North Country Kayak staff

2. FULL - Stillhouse Forest Hike, Canterbury: 9-11:30 am

A bend in the Merrimack river lined with green trees from Stillhouse Forest.

This field trip is full. We're no longer accepting reservations.

Join Forest Society Field Forester Steve Junkin and Stillhouse Forest Volunteer Land Steward Craig Mabie for a tour of the Forest Society's Stillhouse Forest. The two-hour hike is approximately 2 miles round trip and will include hiking along informal trails, old logging roads, and perhaps some mild bushwhacking. This outing provides access to views of secluded parts of the Merrimack River and undeveloped forest habitat.

Total hiking time: 2 hours. Total distance: 2 miles

Leaders: Forest Society staff Steve Junkin and Stillhouse Forest Volunteer Land Steward Craig Mabie

Location: Stillhouse Forest, Canterbury

3. Merrimack River Floodplain Natural History Walk: 9-11:30 am

On this natural and cultural history tour of the Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area, Forest Society educators Dave Anderson and Sarah Kern will guide participants through stands of hite pine, mowed fields, and a silver maple floodplain forest and explain the relevance of these important habitats and the wildlife that rely on them.

Total hiking time: 2 hours. Total distance: 1.5-mile loop on mainly flat and level trails.

Leaders: Forest Society staff Dave Anderson and Sarah Kern

Location: Merrimack River Outdoor Education & Conservation Area

4. Tour of the Forest Society's Conservation Center: 9-10 am OR 10:30-11:30 am

Energy efficiency and green building technologies have been hallmarks of the Conservation Center in Concord since its original construction in 1980. The 1990 addition of the Weeks Wing and 2000 addition of the French Wing offer a showcase for evolving technologies of energy efficiency. Join Forest Society staff Carl Murphy and Matt Scaccia for a behind-the-scenes tour of our headquarters. Two tours, starting at 9 am and 10:30 am, will be given.

Leaders: Forest Society staff Carl Murphy and Matt Scaccia

Location: The Conservation Center, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord

5. Humans and Nature in the Monadnock Region: the First 13,000 Years: 10-11:30 am

The mountain from a distance covered partially by fog.

Native Americans have lived in the Monadnock Region for 13,000 years. Archaeological evidence from sites in Swanzey, Peterborough, Hinsdale, and Keene reflect their use of a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic animals, ranging from caribou at the end of the Pleistocene to anadromous fish and timber rattlesnakes during the Late Archaic and Woodland periods, c. 5,000- 700 years before present. Site settings show that major rivers, tributary streams, and wetlands were all integral to Native American economies. Archaeological data reveals Native use of the landscape and natural resources, highlighting settlement patterns, seasonal movements, technology, site settings, and responses to climate change. Archaeological data also contributes to an understanding of long-term patterns and changes in species range that has potential utility for modern conservation and wildlife management.

Location: Conference room, The Conservation Center, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord

Speaker: Professor Robert Goodby

Robert Goodby is Professor of Anthropology at Franklin Pierce University. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Brown University and has over thirty years of experience excavating Native American archaeological sites in New England. He is a past president of the New Hampshire Archaeological Society, a former Trustee of the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum, and served on the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs. He has directed over four hundred archaeological studies authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act and his work has appeared in anthropological journals and in anthologies published by the Smithsonian Institution Press and University Press of New England. He is a long-time presenter for the New Hampshire Humanities “Humanities to Go” program and the author of A Deep Presence: 13,000 Years of Native American History, published by Peter E. Randall Publisher in 2021.