David Bailey, SCA Interpretive Ranger It’s the end of a long day spent hiking at any of our wonderful New Hampshire State Parks. You’re winding down and fixed a well-deserved dinner. The sun is going down and so is the temperature, but you’re not ready to go to bed for the evening. That leaves you […]
Species Spotlight: the Chicken of the Woods
Joy Wetzel, SCA Interpretive Ranger I had a wonderful day last week! While traveling through Monadnock State Park after a day of delivering Discover the Power of Parks (DPP) educational programs, I caught a flash of orange at the base of a dead tree that made me do a double-take. A second glance confirmed […]
Recreational Activities in Franconia Notch
Connor Cahill, SCA Interpretive Ranger Franconia Notch State Park offers many fun and family friendly recreational activities during the spring, through the fall, and even during the winter! Whether you enjoy walking through the recreational path alongside the Pemigewasset River, or navigating your way down Cannon Mountain on skis, there is something for anyone. Hiking […]
Diving into Ponding
Olivia Gottlieb, SCA Interpretive Ranger New Hampshire is home to many different types of insects, and New Hampshire State Parks serve as wonderful environments to find them. What you may not realize is that the ponds, rivers, and lakes are great places to find insects that are either solely water dwelling or live out their […]
Blue Jays; Bullies or Buddies?
Rebecca Durnick, SCA Interpretive Ranger One of the most common backyard-bird species is the Blue Jay. These bright and flashy birds are commonly seen throughout the central and eastern United States, and some southern regions of Canada. With their loud and alarming calls, they make their presence known to any human and wildlife around them. […]
All About Pawtuckaway State Park
Casey Devanney, SCA Interpretive Ranger Pawtuckaway State Park is a 5,000-acre preserve in New Hampshire. It is one of the largest state parks in southeastern New Hampshire, named for Pawtuckaway Lake and the Pawtuckaway Mountains. The park extends from the west shore of the lake to the west side of the mountains. Geology The Pawtuckaway Mountains are […]
Rhododendron State Park Bloom Report July 13, 2023
By Ted Lenk As is often the case, there are more blooms to be seen on the cluster of bushes next to the Patch Cottage (before you get to the grove itself) than most anywhere in the grove, and most of those flowers may have fallen to the ground by the end of this coming […]
The Grand Hotels of New Hampshire
David Bailey, SCA Interpretive Ranger When people think of summer vacation, images of campsites, hiking, and going to the beach may come to mind. We also think of these trips as only lasting a few days, maybe a week or sometimes two if we are lucky. However, summer vacation looked much different during the 1850’s […]
Intro to Composting
Joy Wetzel, SCA Interpretive Ranger Does your garbage bin frequently come close to overflowing? Do you hate having to buy expensive fertilizer for your garden? Are you constantly dealing with soil erosion in your backyard? If I told you there was an inexpensive and effective at-home way to resolve these problems, all while reducing your […]
First Rhododendron State Park Bloom Report July 7, 2023
By Ted Lenk Hey Folks- After a pretty wet June, it seems that the warm temps of this week are moving things right along in the grove. Typical for July in southwest New Hampshire. As you can see from the photos (from Wednesday 7/5), there is a lot of new green growth at the grove. […]