All programs are open to the public. Please pre-register by clicking here, emailing info@bear-paw.org, or calling 603-463-9400, unless noted otherwise, so that Bear-Paw can provide adequate materials for everyone and notify participants in case of any last minute changes.

Biothon Foraging Walk
June 15 • 10am–12
Clay Pond Conservation Area, Hooksett

Teams of Bear-Paw naturalist volunteers and Board members will take to the woods and wetlands of one of Bear-Paw’s largest conservation areas, the 700-acre Clay Pond Conservation Area owned by the Town of Hooksett. This annual treasure hunt to identify and catalogue as many plant and animal species as possible on a property helps us discover and promote the biodiversity of the lands Bear-Paw works to protect and to raise money to support our Land Protection program.

Contributors to this year’s Biothon are invited on a special foraging walk on the Clay Pond Conservation Area with  professional environmentalist and wild foods enthusiast, Russ Cohen from Massachusetts, author of Wild Plants I Have Known…And Eaten. Russ will help us identify and harvest edible plants and also give us cooking tips. Following the walk participants will join the Bear-Paw naturalist teams at the home of former Board member Judi Lindsey for a potluck lunch. Bring food or drink to share and join the party!

Moonlight Moth and Firefly Walk
July 20 • 8–10:30pm
Strafford School District Conservation Property, Strafford

Join naturalists Scott Young and Siobhan Basile for the first evening of National Moth Week on a walk along the old Johnsonboro Road at dusk to observe fire-flies, moths, and other critters that come out after dark. When participants reach the Hill Pond, they will observe and identify moths and other insects attracted to a light placed there earlier in the evening.

Family Geocaching on the Isinglass
August 3 • 10am–12
Isinglass River Conservation Reserve, Strafford

Beth Heckman, Assistant Education Coordinator with Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, will lead everyone on a hunt for hidden treasures! Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants will navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. This event will be fun for all ages so pack up your kids and bring your GPS device or smart phone, or just follow along and learn how it’s done! Cold drinks and snacks will be provided.

Casting on the Suncook (and we don’t mean fishing!)
September 8 • 2–4:30pm
Suncook River, Epsom

Popular demand brings a repeat of Bear-Paw’s trip to the Suncook River searching for animal tracks and making plaster casts of the prints. Spotting the tracks of wild animals is almost as much fun as spotting the animals themselves! And creating plaster casts of animal tracks gives you a whole new way to appreciate and learn about wild animals. Plaster casting is a fun, easy, and inexpensive technique. Bear-Paw Board Member Lisa Clark will provide hands-on training in how to preserve animal tracks using plaster casts. We will walk the banks of the Suncook River to search for tracks and will make some of our own to cast. You may become hooked on this humane and ecologically-friendly way to ‘hunt’ for wildlife trophies! Eric Orff, recently retired from NH Fish and Game, will also be there to lead a walk along the river while we’re waiting to “harvest” our casts. Materials will be provided.

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