UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program

Volunteers Needed for New Hampshire Butterfly Counts This July! 🦋

Love nature, photography, wildlife, or simply spending time outdoors? Join the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network for an annual butterfly count and help collect valuable data that supports butterfly conservation across the Granite State. No experience is necessary—everyone is welcome!

📅 2026 Butterfly Count Schedule:
• Squam Lakes — July 8
• Baker Ponds — July 11
• Great Bay — July 15
• Errol — July 16
• Lake Sunapee — July 16
• Conway Area — July 18
• SuperSanctuary (Monadnock Region) — July 18
• Capital Area — July 25

Whether you're an experienced naturalist or just curious about butterflies, these events are a great way to learn, explore, and make a difference.

To learn more and register for a count near you, visit https://www.nhbutterflies.org/events/all

What happens when you spend ten years experimenting with ways to help forests thrive in a changing climate? Join us this summer to find out! Explore a decade of discoveries from the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change research project at the Second College Grant in New Hampshire. Through seven engaging lunch-hour webinars and a culminating field tour of Second College Grant in September, you'll hear directly from the researchers and forest managers behind this long-term study as they share lessons learned, surprising findings, and practical insights for the future stewardship of northern hardwood and mixed-wood forests. Click here to learn more and register: https://extension.unh.edu/event/2026/06/10-years-adaptive-silviculture-climate-change-research-second-college-grant-field-tour-webinar.

10 years of Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change Research at the Second College Grant – Field Tour and Webinar Series Join us for a comprehensive reflection of ten years of Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change research at the Second College Grant in New Hampshire. This series includes 7 lunch-hour webinars throughout the summer and a field tour in September.

Interested in butterflies and citizen science?

The NH Butterfly Monitoring Network is hosting upcoming field/practice days around New Hampshire in June and early July to help volunteers prepare for the annual July Butterfly Counts later this summer. These outings are a great way to sharpen your butterfly ID skills, explore beautiful habitats, and connect with fellow butterfly enthusiasts — whether you’re brand new or experienced.

Upcoming opportunities include field days with the Harris Center for Conservation Education Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, NH Fish and Game, and Tin Mountain Conservation Center.

Dates & Locations:
🦋 June 10 in Hancock
🦋 June 11 in Holderness
🦋 June 13 in New London
🦋 June 21 in Albany
🦋 July 1 in Antrim

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.nhbutterflies.org/events/all

🦇 Got bats? Help us count them!

Join UNH Extension and NH Fish and Game for the NH Bat Counts Training on June 4 at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness. Learn about New Hampshire’s bat species, the impacts of white-nose syndrome, and how volunteers can help monitor local bat populations through evening emergence counts.

This free training includes an indoor presentation followed by an outdoor bat counting demonstration at dusk.

Learn more and register:

NH Bat Counts Training Got bats? Help us count them! Landowners, homeowners, and other volunteers can help keep track of New Hampshire’s bats by conducting “emergence counts” at bat roosts throughout the state.

Learn how to ID many common invasive species with Hillsborough Extension County Forester Mike Gagnon! Join Mike and the Merrimack Conservation Commission this Saturday, May 23rd at 9AM for a walk at Skylar Riverfront Park in Merrimack NH.

It’s Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (May 17-23)! Emerald ash borer (EAB) is non-native insect that often kills ash trees within 3–5 years of infestation. This week, we encourage you to learn about signs and symptoms of EAB and check out some similar looking insects. Learn more by visiting our website: https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2026/05/5-resources-emerald-ash-borer-awareness-week-2026

Photos: Bugwood.org, USDA Forest Service & Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry

If you see a fawn alone this spring, don’t assume it’s abandoned. NH Fish and Game is reminding New Hampshire residents that mother deer often leave their young hidden while they forage nearby. The best thing you can do is leave young wildlife alone and keep your distance.

“If you care, leave them there.” Learn more:

Residents Urged to Leave Fawns and Other Young Wildlife Alone CONTACT:Becky Fuda: (603) 744-5470Danielle Beard: (603) 271-2461May 14, 2026 Concord, NH – In the coming weeks, deer will begin giving birth around the Granite State, with most deer fawns being bor…

Want to learn how you can help conserve New Hampshire’s wildlife and habitats in your community?

Join us for a free webinar - 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan: Conserving New Hampshire’s Wildlife and Habitats
📅 June 3, 2026
⏰ 4:00–5:15 PM

UNH Extension specialists Haley Andreozzi and Emma Tutein will introduce New Hampshire’s updated State Wildlife Action Plan - the state’s roadmap for conserving wildlife and habitats.

Whether you’re a landowner, conservation volunteer, community leader, or simply passionate about wildlife, this session will help you understand how the plan can guide local conservation efforts and protect NH’s wildlife and habitats.

Learn more & register: https://extension.unh.edu/event/2026/06/2025-state-wildlife-action-plan-conserving-new-hampshires-wildlife-habitats


This program is being offered as part of the Taking Action for Wildlife program – a partnership between UNH Extension, NH Fish and Game, and the NH Association of Conservation Commission – supporting communities, conservation organizations, and landowners in working together to conserve New Hampshire’s wildlife and habitats.

2025 State Wildlife Action Plan: Conserving New Hampshire's Wildlife and Habitats Join Extension Specialists for a webinar to learn about the Wildlife Action Plan - New Hampshire’s blueprint for conserving wildlife and their habitats - and share key updates from the recent revision process.

Join Heidi Holman, NH Fish and Game Wildlife Diversity Biologist, for a virtual training on identifying butterflies. Heidi will provide basic information on butterfly biology and introduce you to a few of the larger, more common species you may see in your neighborhood. Learn more about participating in the first ever Squam Lakes Region Butterfly Count, being held on July 8, 2026, where volunteers can help survey for butterflies and collect data. All butterfly enthusiasts are welcome, with or without prior experience!

Wednesday, May 13
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
All Ages
Cost: No charge to attend. Advance registration required to receive webinar link. https://nhnaturerd.tamretail.net/Events.aspx

Join Prescribed Fire Coordinator Chris O’Brien and UNH Extension Grafton County Forester Jim Frohn on May 28th in North Haverhill to learn about the use of prescribed fire in silviculture and habitat management. We’ll start with a classroom presentation on the basics of prescribed fire, then visit the Grafton County Forest to look at prescribed fire units that have been prepped for burning. We’ll discuss the purpose and the anticipated results of the planned burning. Learn more and register:

Prescribed Fire on Forestlands Come learn about the use of prescribed fire in silviculture and habitat management. We’ll start with a classroom presentation then visit the forest to look at prescribed fire units.