This is the in-person registration option for this course!

The forests and wetlands in the Upper Valley provide a rich environment for diverse wildlife species. Some of that wildlife is seldom seen, but we can nevertheless find signs in our forests of their presence. This course will help you recognize many of those signs.

We’ll talk about bears, bobcats, coyotes, beavers, loons, barred owls, deer, moose, porcupines, river otters, fox, fishers, mink, squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, skunks, wild turkeys, and a variety of other animals. We’ll discuss how animals are spending the winter in New England. We’ll discuss the value of individual tree species from the perspective of wildlife and how the cyclical production of mast (like acorns and beechnuts) has cascading effects on our wildlife and, in turn, on ourselves. Hopefully, you’ll come away with a better understanding of nature’s beauty that surrounds us in the Upper Valley. Your next hike in the woods will take on new significance!

This course will combine lecture with class discussions.