Join the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper,CLF, the Forest Society, SELT, TNC, Acton Wakefield Watershed Alliance, Phillips Exeter and the Exeter Planning Department and Kittery Land Trust for for a series of Wednesday walks. Visit new preserves and learn how each property helps protect the health of our region’s waterways. The series includes walk at the Forest Society's Creek Farm on September 27 (see details at bottom).
• All events are from 4-6pm.
• All walks are weather-dependent - cancellations will be announced by 10am on the day of the walk.
• Please RSVP to Melissa Paly, mpaly@clf.org, and/or to the host contact.
July 12 - Union Meadows, Union
Hosted by Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance
Contact - Jon Balanof, jbalanoff@awwatersheds.org
Location – Harmony Drive off Route 16, Union NH
Join a unique 2-mile walk in the scenic Union Meadows wetland area downstream of Lovell Lake and Kingswood Lake along the Branch River. Water from Union Meadows flows into Milton Three Ponds, then to the Salmon Falls River and the Piscataqua River beyond. Learn about the waterways and issues of concern at the far northern end of the Great Bay-Piscataqua watershed.
July 19 – Pawtuckaway Forest, Epping
Hosted by SELT
Contact – Lizzy Franceschini, lizzy@seltnh.org
Location – 36 Old Cart Path, Epping NH
The Pawtuckaway is one of the Lamprey River’s cleanest tributaries, beginning at Pawtuckaway Lake and connecting with the Lamprey in west Epping. The Pawtuckaway River is located within a core focus area of the Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire’s Coastal Watershed, a publicly-created blueprint that identified large blocks of land throughout the region as top priorities for land conservation due to water quality, wildlife, and ecological benefits. Join local conservationist and writer Phil Primack for a guided tour of a portion of the reservation with gorgeous views of this important tributary. Expect to walk between 1-2 miles.
Registration required at www.tinyurl.com/seltoutreach
July 26 – Jeff’s Hill Loop Trail at Lubberland Creek, Newmarket
Hosted by The Nature Conservancy NH
Contact – Joanne Glode, jglode@tnc.org
Location - 112 Bay Road, Newmarket
Capacity – 6 cars at the trailhead, an additional 10 cars at TNCs Great Bay Project Office
We’ll take a 1.5 mile hike of moderate difficulty due to uneven footing and slopes on Jeff’s Hill. Sights include beaver ponds, heron rookery, oak-hickory forest, vernal pools, cellar holes, salt marsh, and views of Great Bay. Learn about the land protection work of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership, the diverse habitats and wildlife on the Lubberland Creek Preserve, and how the land protection work in the watershed connects with the health of the estuary.
August 9 – Leighton Forest, Barrington/Strafford
Hosted by SELT
Contact – Lizzy Franceschini, lizzy@seltnh.org
Location – 30 Stagecoach Road, Strafford NH
Leighton Forest is a tranquil property located by the Stonehouse Brook in Barrington. Join SELT Board Member and Barrington conservationist John Wallace for a guided walk through the woods and down to this beautiful section of river. Expect to walk between 1-2 miles, with some of the walk off trail to allow for best river views.
Registration required at www.tinyurl.com/seltoutreach
August 23 - Exeter River, Exeter
Hosted by Phillips Exeter Academy & Exeter Planning Department
Contact – Warren Biggins (PEA) and Kristen Murphy (Town of Exeter), wbiggins@exeter.edu
Location – 3 Chadwick Lane, Exeter
We’ll take a 3-mile out-and-back walk along the Exeter River. Learn about the Academy’s Natural Resource Management Plan and some of the work completed to date. We will also touch on the value of river front buffers, challenges and opportunities created by beaver activities, invasive plant management and more.
September 13 – Nooney Farm, Kittery
Hosted by Kittery Land Trust
Contact – Dot Avery, dot@kitterylandtrust.org
Location – 17 Stevenson Road, Kittery
Visit Kittery Land Trust’s newest conservation property where we’ll take a 1-mile walk through working farmland, cross a boardwalk spanning a headwater marsh of Spruce Creek, and explore a lovely mixed-hardwood upland. Learn how KLT is protecting water, running a community farm where thousands of pounds of food are grown each year for area food banks, and creating new educational programs for Kittery students.
September 27 - Little Harbor Loop Trail
Hosted by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Contact – Sarah Kern, skern@forestsociety.org
Location – 400 Little Harbor Road, Portsmouth
Join our final walk on the 1.9 mile Little Harbor Loop Trail along the shores of Sagamore Creek and the Forest Society’s Creek Farm woodlands, with a narrow forest trail that neighbors the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. In this sheltered coastal inlet where the Piscataqua River meets the Atlantic Ocean you'll find freshwater wetlands, tidal pools, and at low tide, access to tiny Goose Island.]