New Dates: April 30 (Day 1) and May 2 (Day 2)

During this 2-day workshop facilitated by UNH Extension and NH Department of Environmental Services, participants will learn principles and best practices for creating and maintaining attractive, functional landscapes while protecting water quality in local lakes and rivers. The workshop includes presentations and practical sessions. This workshop is designed for landscapers and others who develop, maintain, or preserve properties in and around the Sunapee Region.

New Hampshire Certified Landscape Professionals certificates of completion will be available and pesticide credits will be available pending state approval.

Click here for more information.

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore what animals do during a rainstorm and how they cope with the rainy spring season. We look forward to seeing you!

Join us via Zoom for a presentation by Celia Chen, Research Professor of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, that will focus on the environmental sources, fate, and bioaccumulation of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances that are now ubiquitous in our environment. We will review some basic chemical attributes of PFAS and the human health effects. This presentation will also discuss their sources to the environment, and focus on their bioaccumulation and movement through freshwater and marine food webs.

Celia Chen is an aquatic ecologist and Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College. She also serves as Director of the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program.

Please click here to register.

New Dates: April 30 (Day 1) and May 2 (Day 2)

During this 2-day workshop facilitated by UNH Extension and NH Department of Environmental Services, participants will learn principles and best practices for creating and maintaining attractive, functional landscapes while protecting water quality in local lakes and rivers. The workshop includes presentations and practical sessions. This workshop is designed for landscapers and others who develop, maintain, or preserve properties in and around the Sunapee Region.

New Hampshire Certified Landscape Professionals certificates of completion will be available and pesticide credits will be available pending state approval.

Click here for more information.

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore how different animals use camouflage - both predator and prey take advantage of its use. We look forward to seeing you!

The food web is an essential part of the lake ecosystem. Understanding the complex connections between plants and animals helps us to understand the impacts and ramifications of any changes to this delicate, balanced system. Join Dartmouth student, Dylan Wang, as he presents two years of his research on identifying and quantifying Lake Sunapee’ food web.  He will discuss the key food web interactions including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish.

Please click here to register. A Zoom link will also be available for those who would like to attend remotely.

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore bugs in all their glory. We will identify what makes an insect an insect and what bugs to look for right in your own back yard. We look forward to seeing you!

Join us for an informative presentation by Janin Marr from the Monadnock Conservancy about how to create gardens that not only are beautiful, but also healthy for our environment and a benefit for wildlife. Janine will discuss planning for gardens that will adapt to a changing climate, how to choose non-invasive and native plants, and cultivating thriving, vigorous plants without the use of fertilizers that degrade water quality. This presentation will also illustrate the vital role gardens can play in creating “travel corridors” for adaptation and movement of plants and animals.

Please register here.

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore the top ten turtles in NH and all their amazing attributes. We look forward to seeing you!

Come join naturalist and long time LSPA member Sue Venable to learn about the wonderful calls and songs of familiar backyard birds.

Becoming alert to the different calls and songs of birds affords participants the opportunity to appreciate diversity in the natural world. It helps participants pay attention to details,creates an awareness of color, size and shape, different beaks for different purposes and different habitats.  The presentation includes audience participation.  As pictures of familiar backyard birds found throughout the United States are viewed, people will learn the calls and songs of the birds.  Stories about particular sightings will be shared.  Participants will receive a handout with a black and white picture of each bird and the English words that approximate the calls of each.  For example, the robin says "cheer up, cheerily."  The barred owl says, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?"  A bibliography of current children's books about birds will be included so that parents and grandparents can share what they have learned with the children in their lives. 

Please click here to register.

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore the beautiful blooms in our backyards, identify a flower’s makeup, and learn why pollinators are so important. We look forward to seeing you!

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore the unique properties of a river and riverbank, and the many animals that call them home. We look forward to seeing you!

Come join LSPA environmental educators for nature themed activities on Tuesday mornings at LSPA’s Center for Lake Studies. Each Tuesday will offer a different theme and include a story, activities, a craft, and exploration. These programs are designed for young children and their caregivers. They are free and open to all!  We look forward to welcoming you in the Discovery Room, a room full of fun ways to investigate the out of doors. In this program we will explore the fun properties of water and how it connects us all. We look forward to seeing you!

Join LSPA and presenter Jared Lamy, Fish Habitat Biologist NH Fish and Game at LSPA Center for Lake Studies to find out why fish need forests. In this presentation, Jared will be discussing aspects of Brook Trout habitat requirements and what NH Fish and Game is doing to protect these habitats to ensure Brook Trout are present long into the future. Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) face a variety of threats including habitat fragmentation and warming water temperatures. Despite these threats, wild Brook Trout are persistent throughout most of the state. As a Fish Habitat biologist for NH Fish and Game, Jared is responsible for coordinating research and restoration efforts that support diverse and resilient fish populations throughout the state.

Join naturalist Susie Spikol for a lively talk on the largest member of the weasel family in New England: the bounding, sliding, swimming, charismatic otter! We’ll spend some time getting to know this charming mammal, including learning how to recognize its tracks and sign so you can see if there are otters living near you.

Please click here to register.

Susie Spikol is the Harris Center for Conservation Education Community Programs Director & Teacher-Naturalist. She was the recipient of the Cheshire County Conservation District’s 2023 Educator of the Year for her extraordinary efforts to cultivate a conservation ethic in both her personal and professional life. Susie has been at the Harris Center – sharing her awe and appreciation for nature with toddlers, retirees, and everyone in between - since 1991. When she’s not catching frogs with preschoolers, tracking bobcats with middle schoolers, or hawkwatching with her own three children, Susie tucks away to time to write. You can find selections of her writing here and here.

Join us for a day of fun events to learn more about the incredible biodiversity of the Lake Sunapee Watershed. Experts, volunteers and members of the public will come together to document the many species found in our very special region - from birds and butterflies to fish and zooplankton and everything in between.  Save the date! And stay tuned for more details about how you can participate.

Come experience a history of Lake Sunapee’s lighthouses, with photos from the steamboat era presented by Midge Eliassen.  This program will also include a historical perspective on LSPA’s commitment to the maintenance of these icons and the latest information on the engineering and construction plans for the new bases for Herrick Cove and Burkehaven lighthouses, both suffering from ice damage.

Please click here to register.

Join us for an Indigenous historical narrative on exploring ways to protect, restore, and sustainably manage waterways through Indigenous knowledge and practices. Denise K. Pouliot, Sag8moskwa (Head Female Speaker), and Artist and Paul W. Pouliot, Sag8mo (Head Male Speaker - Chief) and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People will discuss their contemporary response about being the continued “Care Takers” of N’dakinna, our homelands and our lakes.

Please click here to register.

Join Nancy Dutton and Midge Eliassen as they present historic photos and narrate the history of early Lake Sunapee cottages and their families. This program especially highlights those residents who have been engaged with LSPA, starting in the 1890s.

Please click here to register.

Join LSPA and ASLPT on a family friendly Dragonfly Walk at Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area (a.k.a. Low Plain) in New London. Andy and Carrie Deegan will teach participants about dragonfly and damselfly biology and their preferred habitats, how to capture and release dragonflies safely, and some tips for identifying common species. Bring a water bottle and wear comfortable clothing and shoes you don’t mind getting wet if you’d like to try netting dragons!

Rain Date August 9.

Please click here to register

Take a cruise with the LSPA education staff on gorgeous Lake Sunapee, or as the Abenaki named, Seninebi, meaning rock or mountain water.  While enjoying the natural beauty of Lake Sunapee, you will learn about the lake’s origins and the plants and animals that now call the watershed home. Specimens and interactive activities will enhance your experience. This program is designed for adults and families with older children.

Program Fee: $30 for adults, $15 for under 18

Registration for this program will be coming soon!

Come and celebrate “Love Your Lake Day” with LSPA at The Center for Lake Studies. There will be exciting exhibits, face painting, games, crafts for the kids, and a live animals presentation by The Squam Lake Science Center. Join us as we celebrate our love and appreciation for the incredible gifts Lake Sunapee shares with us all year long.

Antique boats will be on display in Sunapee Harbor throughout the morning, followed by the parade with the route starting in Gardner Bay. The boats will head south past Dewey Beach, enter Sunapee Harbor, then travel along the shore line toward Birch Point, passing Fishers Bay and Oakledge, the State Beach and ending in Newbury Harbor.

Join LSPA for an excursion under the light of the full moon.

Refreshments will be served during this annual fundraiser for LSPA’s education programs

Reservations for this program will be coming soon.