SQUAM LAKES NATURAL SCIENCE CENTER YEAR IN REVIEW 2008

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is a non-profit environmental education organization founded in 1966. The Science Center’s mission is to advance understanding of ecology by exploring New Hampshire’s natural world. Using the outdoors as a classroom and live native New Hampshire animals as teaching ambassadors, Science Center programs and exhibits teach the ecological concepts of adaptations, populations, interrelationships, and habitats in meaningful and memorable ways.

At the Science Center’s 200-acre natural site in Holderness, visitors tour three miles of self-guided trails from May 1 to November 1 featuring:  1) the 3/4-mile Gephart Exhibit Trail displaying native wildlife in woodland enclosures and buildings with hands-on interactive exhibits; 2) the Ecotone Trail, a 2/3-mile track along a forest and field edge; 3) the Mt. Fayal Trail, a 1-mile loop to the top of a small mountain with a view of Squam Lake; and 4) the Forest Trail, a 2/3-mile trail demonstrating forest management and ecology. Kirkwood Gardens, showing how plants attract birds and butterflies, is free to the public. Staff naturalists present natural history programs year-round ranging from lake ecology cruises, to outdoor activities, to indoor live animal presentations.   

The Science Center’s educational philosophy is that “ecological understanding” is fully as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic to the development of an educated citizenry. Thus, there are many and varied educational offerings year round, which provide unparalleled points of entry to the natural world for both school children and the general public, regardless of economic level or geographic region. Science Center programs provide quality educational opportunities, which combine the excitement of experiencing live, native animals first-hand with the expert natural history awareness, appreciation, and understanding that can best be fostered by skilled professional naturalists.

The Science Center’s active volunteer program provides opportunities for individuals to become involved in every aspect of operations, with 366 volunteers contributing more than 7355 hours in 2008. Groups from preschools to senior centers participate in programs throughout the year. In 2008, more than 18,300 school children and teachers, mostly from Grades K – 8, attended a program or visited. School audiences come from all across the state. Most public visitors are from throughout New Hampshire, closely followed by Massachusetts and other New England states, with some from all 50 states and several foreign countries. In 2008, public visitors numbering 39,444 toured the trails while another 16,504 participated in programs, cruises, and courses.

In January, with help from the New Hampshire Electric Coop, an artificial Osprey nest was installed on a 60-foot utility pole in the hope of attracting an Osprey pair. In April, the Kestrel Project was launched with funding from the Jane B. Cook 1983 Charitable Trust. Naturalists presented programs to more than 1,000 students across the state and installed more than 40 specially-designed nesting boxes on school grounds.

The first Squam BioBlitz, a 24-hour bio-inventory, took place in June in cooperation with Squam Lakes Association and Squam Lakes Conservation Society, with support from the Holderness Conservation Commission and the Squam Environmental Preservation Fund of the Lakes Region Charitable Foundation.

The Science Center collaborated with Plymouth State University’s Center for the Environment to host a special preview showing in July of George Butler’s documentary film about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, The Lord God Bird. “Stirring It Up Green” was the theme of the 2008 Annual Meeting and Summer Gala Dinner, held in August. Gary Hirshberg, of Stonyfield Farm, was Keynote Speaker.

In July, with funding from the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation and the McIninch Foundation, a Curriculum Framework realignment project began. The project will carry out a thorough examination of all school programs to ensure that they are appropriately aligned with the New Hampshire school science framework.

In August, Senior Naturalist Dave Erler received the Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award. This award is given annually by the Garden Club of America and is "Awarded to an individual who provides outstanding environmental education for youth under 16 years of age in horticulture and the environment, and has inspired their appreciation of beauty and the fragility of the planet."

In the April, our annual Clean Up Day was held with volunteers and staff joining together to prepare for the May 1 opening. New Hampshire Day in early May welcomed New Hampshire residents for $1 each. Kirkwood Gardens Day in June brought garden lovers together. Animal Enrichment Day in July encouraged visitors “to come play the animal way.” In September the annual Autumn Festival activities included children’s crafts, live animal presentations, and a presentation by author Warner Shedd. Carved jack-o-lanterns lit the way for hundreds of Halloween Hoot ‘N Howlers in late October. November 1 marked the official closing of the Gephart Exhibit Trail for the season, although it reopened on November 22 for a special “New Animal Day” when more than 300 people braved the cold to see our new Bobcat, Coyote and White-tailed Deer.

For more information about Squam Lakes Natural Science Center programs, membership, donations, or volunteering, please contact us at 603-968-7194 or info@nhnature.org.

Annual Report

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