Monday, Jan. 23rd: Tonight’s Be Bear Smart! program is ON! The winter weather is supposed to hold off until later in the evening.
We hope you’ll join us for indoor and outdoor adventures this winter. Details here.
This season’s program has been generously supported by donations in memory of Audrey McCollum.
Don’t forget your microspikes and/or hiking poles on your next walk- many trails are slippery right now, and recent snow may be covering ice. Be safe and have fun!
Hunting season is upon us, and it’s time to don a bit of blaze orange when you’re out in the woods – your pet, too. Be safe out there – but don’t stop having fun outdoors!
We brought this special documentary to the Upper Valley in April, and tickets sold out in an hour. If you missed it, or just want to see these beautiful birds in flight again, please join us on Saturday, November 5th at 11 a.m. at The Nugget in Hanover!
Tickets will be sold at the door: $5 for all students and Hanover Conservancy members/ $8 for non-members.
Explore this National Scenic Trail right in Hanover’s own backyard on this fun hike from 2:00- approx. 4:30 p.m. From The R.W. Black Center to the Velvet Rocks Shelter, this easy-moderate 2 mile round trip hike will include a scavenger hunt, fun facts about the AT and a snack break at the shelter. Bring the whole family to celebrate AT Family Hiking Day!
RSVP with Hanover Parks & Rec:
https://www.hanoverrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=30076
Not so long ago, it was rare to see a deer in suburban Hanover. In 2015, more deer were taken by hunting in Hanover than in any other town in New Hampshire. Deer-car collisions are more frequent and
people commonly report groups of deer lounging in their back yards. Gardeners see shorn plants and forest landowners find browse lines. Deer consume native tree seedlings, saplings, shrubs, and wildflowers, encouraging invasive plants to take their place. Natural predators were removed by our ancestors, and the deer herd is expanding, threatening forest health.
In 2013, at the request of the Town of Hanover, we opened the Balch Hill Natural Area once again to archery for a limited season by special permit only. For 2014 and 2015, hunters were further confined to off-trail tree stands. We interviewed all of our selected hunters before and after the season and re-evaluate the policy each year. This spring, we conducted a survey of Balch Hill neighbors and friends, with a strong response rate: Balch Hill Deer Hunting Survey 2016 Responses.
See also Frequently Asked Questions, developed in response to comments. The Hanover Conservation Commission has set up a Deer Team to pursue changes in state hunting rules to better manage the town’s expanding deer population.
The Hanover Conservancy supports control of the deer herd by hunters following state laws. Beside the limited hunting at Balch Hill, hunting is permitted on the following Conservancy properties:
Just how much do deer affect vegetation at Balch Hill? To find out, we are working with Dartmouth Professor Craig Layne and students in his Ecological Methods class on a long-term experiment at the Natural Area. In 2012, we erected a number of fenced “exclosures” to foil hungry deer. This chart compares the number of plants in the fenced areas (blue) to the number in places (red) where deer could reach them.
The Hanover Conservancy opened new offices at 71 Lyme Road on April 1, 2016. While we regret leaving behind our former offices at 16 Buck Road, close to our Mink Brook Nature Preserve, this move was forced by a fire on Nov. 2, 2015 that made our office uninhabitable. We happy to work right next to trails leading to Storrs Pond, the Rinker-Steele Natural Area, and Oak Hill. We’re also within walking distance of the Richmond School, CRREL, and Kendal.
