Events

2022 Events

Migratory Bird Day Walk

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 David Govatski

May 19, 2022  7:00 - 12:00

Join us for a Migratory Bird Day Walk at Weeks State Park. We will meet at the parking lot of the scenic auto road at 7 AM. We will slowly walk up the auto road looking and listening for a variety of migratory birds that are settling in on territories. We expect to see a variety of warblers and flycatchers at this birding hotspot.

Spring Wildflower Walk

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Brett Engstrom

June 5, 2022  1:00 - 4:00

Spring has sprung and it is time to get outdoors to enjoy the signs of spring. Please join us for this free wildflower walk led by field ecologist and naturalist, Brett Engstrom, who has over a dozen years of experience studying the flora, fauna, geology and soils of Weeks State Park. Brett has led nature walks at the park for many years.

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Meet at the parking lot at the start of the scenic auto road up Mount Prospect at 1 PM. Bring a hand lens and flower guide if you like and dress for the weather. The free program ends at 4 pm.

Nansen Ski Club

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Scott Halvorson & Shawn Costello

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June 30, 2022  7pm

Nansen: Past, Present, & Future - A Short Version of a Long Story

Join us! The oldest ski club in the country is celebrating its heritage and continuing to grow its traditions.

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The Nansen Ski Jump (aka Big Nansen), built in 1937, hosted every meaningful ski jumping event in the country before being shut down in 1985, and coming, oh so close, to being gone forever. It’s being resurrected!

The Real Eastern Coyote

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Chris Schadler

July 7, 2022  7pm

Myths surround the coyote and cloud our understanding of it. Learn the true story of the eastern coyote – how and when it arrived in New England, how it lives among us but is rarely seen and how it contributes toward keeping our forests and fields healthy. Learn why it is a creature of our own making – an animal different from the western coyote in genetics and behavior but with the same superior resilience and adaptability. It is smart, beneficial and by its presence, gives “wild” back to our wild lands. This new wild also requires that livestock and pet owners step up and steward creatures with greater care.

Bear Behavior

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 Ben Kilham

July 14, 2022  7pm

Renowned wildlife biologist, Ben Kilham, returns to our Park to talk about his firsthand experience studying black bear behavior. For more than 25 years Ben has been raising and rehabbing orphaned, injured and abandoned cubs with the goal of reintroducing them to the wild. He has successfully accomplished this with over 300 bear cubs from the KIlham Bear Center in Lyme, NH.

Nature Journaling

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 Doreen Bolnick

July 16, 2022   9am - 12pm

Here's an easy technique to learn natural history, deepen your connection to nature and, with no extra effort, get the benefit of mindfulness meditation. We'll use words, numbers, arrows, diagrams and doodles or sketches to record: What we see; What we wonder; What our research shows. We begin by focusing on individual organisms in nature. Eventually our pages show how they're all connected. As Rachel Carson said, "In nature, nothing exists alone."  Art skills are not required since doodles and diagrams will do the job. The program includes a slide show, demos indoors and out, time to practice field journaling, a return indoors to research what we found and have a chance to try several types of media to add color to our pages.

Exemplary Country Estates of New Hampshire

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Cristina Ashjian

July 21, 2022  7pm

In the early 20th century, the New Hampshire Board of Agriculture launched a program to boost the rural economy and promote tourism through the sale of abandoned farms and estates to summer residents.

After describing the country house movement, Cristina Ashjian will focus attention on some of the great country estates featured in the New Hampshire program between 1902 and 1913. Which private estates were recognized as exemplary, and who were their owners? Using historic images and texts, Ashjian discusses well-known estates now open to the public such as The Fells on Lake Sunapee, The Rocks in Bethlehem, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, and she includes local examples when possible.

The Common Loon – a New Hampshire Icon

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Caroline Hughes

July 28, 2022  7pm

For many, the haunting call of the loon is an important part of the New Hampshire lake experience. Often seen as a symbol of the northern wilderness, loons are a beloved fixture on New Hampshire lakes, and many lake goers enjoy watching them as they raise their young. However, the breeding season can be a vulnerable time for loons—they face many threats, both natural and anthropogenic, while on our lakes. This presentation will focus on the biology and life history of loons, the threats that loons face while on our lakes, and the work that the Loon Preservation Committee’s staff and volunteers have performed since 1975 to help recover New Hampshire's threatened loon population.

Loon Field Trip

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Caroline Hughes

July 29, 2022  8:00 - 10:00am

Join us on Friday July 29th at 8:00 AM for a paddle at Martin Meadow Pond in Lancaster to visit with a pair of New Hampshire’s breeding loons. In a small group setting, we will observe and interpret loon behaviors and vocalizations, learn the fascinating history of Martin Meadow Pond’s loon pair, and discuss the conservation concerns that have affected the loons on the pond and the management work being done to help them successfully reproduce each year.

Big Trees of Northern New England

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Kevin Martin

August 4, 2022  7pm

Do you know New Hampshire is home to five national champion “Big Trees?” These are the largest examples of their species discovered nationwide.  New Hampshire hosts the largest tamarack, Carolina silverbell, pitch pine, red pine, and pin cherry in the entire USA.

Wooden boatbuilder and outdoorsman Kevin Martin, will be showing and discussing these trees as described in his new book Big Trees Northern New England. You will hear how he got involved with finding the trees, how lumber from similar trees is used in his boat building work, and how wildlife will use these impressive parts of our landscape. The discussion will cover trees on public land in all parts of the state and where they are located so you can go see them for yourself.

Nature Photography of the White Mountains

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Shaun Terhune

August 11, 2022  7pm

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Venture with Shaun Terhune on a visual journey through his world of nature photography. Experience hiking in the pre-dawn to remote forests off the beaten path to search for wildlife, or to the mountain’s edge for a magical panoramic sunrise. Feel the wonderment in that particular moment when the light is perfect, a subject appears in the lens, and that magical shot is captured.

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Shaun will share about his work in the White Mountains, key strategies, and useful tips for those interested in nature photography, as well as the essential gear and how he has simplified it over time. You’ll also see a number of exhibits of how he has transformed his photos into art, both visually and poetically.

on with a link to the original. You can also add a video for extra engagement!

The Cohos Trail

Kim Nilsen

August 14, 2022  7pm

The origin of the 170-mile Cohos Trail in New Hampshire’s Great North Woods and White Mountains has its roots in a disaster. In 1969, a log crib and stone dam high in the Nash Stream Forest failed after several days of heavy rain. The floodwaters from big Nash Bog utterly destroyed the valley below, flooded the Groveton Paper mill and streets of Groveton, and dissipated among the broad intervals of the Connecticut River at Lancaster and south.

Several years later, Kim Nilsen, the founder of the Cohos Trail, scrambled up the Nash Stream Valley to visit the site of the destroyed dam. Wandering about in the Nash Stream Forest, he was struck by the rugged beauty of the environment and began to explore the remote backcountry of central and northern Coos County.

WSPA Annual Meeting -  6:30 pm

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The Canadian Lynx - 7:00 pm

Jill Kilborn

Jillian Kilborn is a wildlife biologist for NH Fish and Game in the Lancaster office. Much of Jill’s time is spent managing the Department’s largest property, the Connecticut Lakes Natural Area, in Pittsburg and Clarksville. She also works with a variety of wildlife and landowners throughout Coos County but has a focus on non-game species found in the northern part of the state including American marten and Canada lynx. Jill grew up in Coos County and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including hunting, hiking, camping and canoeing.

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Prior to the program, the Weeks State Park Association will hold its annual meeting at 6:30 pm. All Association members are encouraged to attend.