Popular annual series resumes at Fox Forest
Botanist Ted Elliman from New England Wildflower Society opened the 2018 lecture series on March 20.
We kicked off the 2018 Cottrell-Baldwin Lecture Series on March 20 with Botanist Ted Elliman continuing his slide-illustrated presentation on the Wildflowers of New England. We had a really great turnout. Thanks for coming everyone. If you missed the opening night, plan to join us on Tuesday evenings from now through April 10th at 7 pm at Fox Forest in Hillsborough.
Wildflowers, Song Dogs, Log Driving & Bogs
Join us for the 2018 Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture Series at the Henry I. Baldwin Environmental Center at Fox Forest in Hillsborough. This year’s series explores topics ranging from New England wildflowers and eastern coyotes to the history of Connecticut River log drives and the special ecology of New England bogs and fens.
Wildflowers of New England (continued)
Tuesday March 20, 7 pm
Speaker Ted Elliman, New England Wildflower Society botanist and author.
On the last day of winter, look ahead to the spring blossoms of native New Hampshire wildflowers. What is that plant? Wildflowers of New England by Ted Elliman and The New England Wildflower Society covers the six New England states. It describes and illustrates nearly 1,100 of the common and rare wildflowers that occur in the region's forests, meadows, mountains, wetlands, and coastal areas. Returning for a second talk, this year Ted will cover species that make their home in wetlands, alpine-subalpine communities, and pitch pine habitats.
The Real Eastern Coyote
Tuesday March 27, 7 pm
Speaker Chris Schadler, wildlife biologist specializing in wild canids
Our native song dog, the eastern coyote (a descendant of the smaller western coyote) is a relative new-comer in the northeast. Since 1944 it has proved to be smart and resilient, and is now a top predator in the northeast. Despite filling an important ecological function, the coyote is among the most misunderstood carnivores in North America. Yet it thrives and rapidly evolves in response to heavy hunting. Learn about life within a pack of eastern coyotes, and how wolf DNA invigorates and possibly propels our coyote into the niche of the wolf. A canid biologist and passionate advocate for greater understanding and appreciation for coyotes Chris also farmed sheep for 20 years, where local coyotes taught her how to coexist with them.
Log Drives of the Connecticut River Valley
Tuesday April 3, 7 pm
Speaker Helen Pike, journalist and author
Long before there was modern logging equipment, there was an ax. Men went into the woods in winter to cut trees by hand and stack them by a river bank to wait for spring. When the ice went out, the logs began their journey downstream to saw mills. Helen Pike will trace the most famous logging route of all, the Connecticut River. Her talk will include images collected by her father, Robert E. Pike, author of “Spiked Boots”, “Tall Trees, Tough Men” and “Drama on the Connecticut”. As a child the accounts found in these books were Helen’s bedtime stories told by her father who, at the age of ten, watched the last long-log drive down the Connecticut in 1915.
Bogs & Fens of the Northeast
Tuesday April 10, 7 pm
Speaker Dr. Ronald B. Davis, photographer and author
Author Dr. Ron Davis will showcase the unique features and plants found in the beautiful peatlands of New England in this slide illustrated talk. Dr. Davis is author of Bogs & Fens: A Guide to the Peatland Plants of Northeastern US and Adjacent Canada. Boardwalks have facilitated increased public visitation to these fascinating ecosystems. Dr. Davis produced his informative guide to 155 species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers found in the Northeast along with a primer on peatlands ecology and a guide to 78 bogs or fens with boardwalk access – including Mud Pond Bog at Fox Forest.