Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture Series
Cottrell-Baldwin Series 2023
The Forest Society, along with the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, has announced this year’s lineup for the annual Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture series, with topics that touch on historic preservation, wildlife, and land conservation. The series takes place Tuesdays, March 21-April 11, from 7-8:30 p.m., at Fox Forest’s Henry I. Baldwin Environmental Center in Hillsborough.
- Tues, March 21 at 7 PM: Covered Bridges of NH with Researcher & Photographer Kim Varney Chandler
- Tues, March 28 at 7 PM: Black Bears: Understanding and Controlling Human-Bear Conflicts with Andy Timmins, NH Fish & Game Biologist
- Tues, April 4 at 7 PM: Ten Years and a Dozen Porcupines – An Informal Study with speakers Ann Eldridge & Bill Duffy
- Tues, April 11 at 7 PM: This Land Was Saved for You and Me with Author Jeffrey Ryan
Please register in advance for each program on our events page to save your seat! Detailed descriptions can be found on each lecture's page.
About the Cottrell-Baldwin Series
The annual Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture Series takes place at the Caroline A. Fox Research & Demonstration Forest in Hillsborough, featuring a variety of experts on topics ranging from foraging for edible plants to restoring wildlife habitat. The lecture series honors the environmental and scholarly legacies of Hillsborough residents Annette and William Cottrell, as well as that of New Hampshire’s first research forester, Henry Ives Baldwin. The annual series is co-sponsored by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the NH Division of Forests & Lands Caroline A. Fox Research & Demonstration Forest.
2021 PROGRAMS
April 6: Fresh Water Connections with Jim Rousmaniere
In this pre-recorded presentation, journalist and historian Jim Rousmaniere explores the many relationships between inland waters and surrounding lands. As was expressed in the constitutional logic behind the Weeks Act that led to the protection of the White Mountains, land and water are connected. This presentation is based partly on research that went into Rousmaniere's "Water Connections" (a non-fiction book published in 2019 about what inland waters mean to us and what we mean to water). The talk explores recent experiences involving contamination, floods, stream crossings and citizen action, among other topics.
Learn more:
- Learn more about Jim's work, how to take action on clean water, and order the book here;
- Soak Up the Rain NH;
- Watch The Merrimack: River at Risk about the Merrimack River watershed.
March 30: Edible Wild Plants of the Granite State with Russ Cohen, author of "Wild Plants I Have Known... and Eaten."
In this virtual education program, Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of, "Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten," shares his knowledge of #ediblewildplants. The Granite State is home to over 100 species, some of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Connect with over 40 of the tastiest species the region has to offer — ranging from plants everyone knows, like Daisies and Dandelions, to plants you may never have even heard of, like Calamus and Carrion Flower. The presentation covers identification tips, edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, along with general guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Learn about native edible plants raised from seed and partnerships with conservation groups to add edible native plants to the landscape.
Learn more:
- Purchase a copy of Russ' book to support his work: https://scythesupply.com/wild-plants-i-have-known-and-eaten… or https://www.bstreetbooks.com/…/wild-plants-i-have-known-and….
- Read Russ Cohen's full biography here.
March 23: New England Cottontail Restoration with Heidi Holman, NH Fish and Game Department Wildlife Diversity Biologist
In this pre-recorded presentation, Heidi Holman, Wildlife Diversity Biologist at NH Fish & Game, will look at 10 years of hard work to restore the native cottontail. Until recently, the New England cottontail was a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. For years, shrubby thickets and young forests, primary habitat for the species, has declined due to changes in human land use. Since 2008, hundreds of partners from state and federal agencies, municipalities, conservation organizations, zoos and private land owners have been working together across the historical NE cottontail range on a recovery effort to reverse the decline and bring back our native rabbit while providing benefits to over 60 other species that live in these habitats. (Photo: NH Fish & Game)
Learn more:
- NH Rabit Reports: become a community scientist and share your rabbit sighting!
- Working together for the New England Cottontail.
March 16, 2021: Trout Stream Restoration with John Magee, Fish Habitat Biologist, NH Fish and Game Department
Streams and riparian forests are dynamic, changing dramatically over decades. Research in the last 30 years sheds light on the interconnections of streams and riparian areas as integral parts of stream ecosystems. Research demonstrates the importance of wood in streams to fish habitat and nutrient cycling and emerging information on the role of light on the productivity of stream ecosystems. Learn about research in NH and beyond on fish habitat, instream wood and what we may expect in the coming decades as our forests age. John will share stream restoration projects that use knowledge of stream and riparian processes to restore health to formerly degraded ecosystems.
Learn more:
- John recommended the children's book, Trout are Made of Trees.
- Learn about NH Fish & Game's NH Fish Habitat Program.
- Read "Go Fish, Improving Brook Trout Habitat, One Log at a Time," by Carrie Deegan, in the 2018-19 issue of Forest Notes on page 14.
- Watch Carrie Deegan's virtual field trip to fish for tiny trout with her family on Facebook.