Students on Keene State campus were invited to join Harris Center naturalists on a nature walk around campus.
The walk took place on Friday, Feb. 9, and began at 12 p.m. and lasted approximately an hour. Two members of the Harris Center, Jeremy Wilson and Karen Rent, lead students on the walk around campus, discussing the different species of trees found on campus, such as different types of oak, maple and a black cherry tree.
The walk ultimately followed the Ashuelot River around the Redfern Arts Center building and by the Pondside dorms, searching for signs of animal life. Burrow holes were found that possibly belonged to a chipmunk, according to Rent, and a tree partially eaten by a beaver was spotted.
One burrow had black cherry pits scattered near it but seemed too big for anything that ate black cherries to live in. Rent concluded it most likely belonged to a skunk as they tend to live in pre-existing burrows.
“The walk today … is called Trees and Tracks, but as you can see, we don’t have much snow … so it’s mostly going to be some trees and a nice walk around the campus,” said Wilson, a field ecologist.
Students and Harris Center members were able to find some animal tracks down by the bank of the Ashuelot. Rent, a naturalist with the Harris Center and tracker for the walk, helped students try and identify the tracks. Based on the size and shape of the pawprints, it was concluded that they may have belonged to a skunk or a raccoon.
“I think it’s fun to visit a place that’s right in town and … kind of get a glimpse into the wild animals that live alongside us,” said Rent.
Students in attendance were eager to get outside and spend some time observing nature.
“The weather’s getting nicer and it’s nice to be outside,” said sophomore Ezra Lamfear. “Just learning about the environment, it’s good to learn about life.”
According to their website, the Harris Center is a non-profit organization that promotes conservation and education about the natural world. They have school and community programs for all ages, helping conserve over 24,000 acres of land across the Monadnock Region, creating a 36,000 acre “SuperSanctuary” of connected land, and supporting conservation research on the land that they own.
More information about the Harris Center and the work they do is available on their website.
Orion Corbin can be contacted at
ocorbin@kscequinox.com
