Dragonfly Walk

Twenty adventurous people joined me and my husband Andy Deegan (Ausbon-Sargent Land Preservation Trust) on a dragonfly walk at the Forest Society’s Langenau Forest in Wilmot last week. In our spare time we volunteer for the New Hampshire Dragonfly Survey (NHDS), an effort coordinated by NH Audubon, UNH Cooperative Extension, and NH Fish & Game that seeks to catalog as many of the dragonfly species that exist in NH within a 5-year time period. One of the sites where we collect data is SPNHF's Langenau Forest in Wilmot (a little known and underappreciated little gem of a forest with plenty of well-maintained hiking trails (thanks to steward Dave Cook) and a small wildlife pond). We decided to host a dragonfly walk for the public at Langenau Forest, partly because we're very familiar with what's there, and partly to acquaint local residents with this conservation property! Participants in the walk learned about dragonfly identification, biology and behavior, as well as why conservation of land and aquatic habitats is important for the perpetuation of the state’s dragonfly populations. Many aerial nets were passed around during the walk to allow people the opportunity to try catching and releasing “dragons” in the field. More than a dozen species were caught, inspected, and released by the group... including several not before identified in the town of Wilmot! Very cool!

Field Trip 101

The Forest Society held a workshop in conjunction with UNH Cooperative Extension staff last month entitled “Field Trip 101: You Can Lead a Guided Walk!” This workshop was the result of a brainstorming session between our two organizations surrounding how to connect New Hampshire residents with the conservation lands in their local communities. Many people don’t realize that there are conservation properties open to the public within a short drive of their own home. Giving volunteers the tools and confidence to advertise, plan and implement guided “nature walks” on these lands is a great way to raise local awareness about conservation lands open for recreation and nature study. As people realize how these lands benefit them directly, they will be more likely to support and help fund conservation projects in the future. The 25 participants in the Field Trip 101 workshop agreed to lead their own guided walks within 6 months in exchange for receiving the training. The workshop was a great success as participants left highly energized and in possession of many new tools and techniques. Look for similar workshops from the Forest Society and UNH Cooperative Extension in the future if you’d like to get involved!