Upcoming Field Trips

NEBC Day Field Trips in 2019

Join us and explore interesting places with great plants, led by local expert botanists. Trips for May, June, July, and August are planned. See all details below or print this PDF.

Each trip can accommodate a limited number of people, so please contact the trip leader at least 1 week in advance. This will ensure that you have a slot and will let the leader contact you if there are any changes. Trips may be cancelled if enrollment is low. The trip leaders will send meeting time, location, and directions to those who register for their trip. Bring lunch, water, insect repellent, plant field guides, hand lens, etc.

Saturday May 25 (no rain date) – Gap Mountain, Troy NH – Boulder Field Foray

• Gap Mountain has signs of enrichment not especially common in this part of New Hampshire. We'll skirt along the edge of an extensive (quarter mile long) exposed boulder field through a forest of old white ash, sugar maple, and cherry birch before heading up to the summit with a view of Mt. Monadnock. There are a number of uncommon plants in the area which we might see, including the independent gametophyte Crepidomanes intricatum.
• Level of Difficulty – Intermediate, mostly off-trail with some elevation gain. This will be an all-day trip
• Trip Leader: Contact Matt Charpentier (mpcharpentier93@gmail.com) for more information and to register.

Saturday June 8 (rain date June 9) - Notch Mountain, Northfield MA – Rich Forest Exploration

• The upper portion of Notch Mountain is composed of a rich, sedimentary bedrock, which is expressed floristically as a beautiful hickory-hophornbeam woodland with a diverse herbaceous understory, replete with interesting grasses, sedges, spring flowers & some less common ferns. Below the ledges are a rich talus slope, cliffs, and some rich-mesic seeps, each with their own novelties. I have observed several rare or watch-listed species here, but I have never visited in the spring, so others may be waiting to be discovered! Also, we will keep our eyes peeled in earnest for a few rarities that occur in very similar habitats elsewhere in Franklin County.
• Level of Difficulty – Difficult to arduous - some on-trail, but an appreciable portion off-trail on steep slopes with loose soil & talus, covering upwards of 3-4 miles total with about 800-900' elevation gain.
• Trip Leader: Peter Grima (peterpgrima@yahoo.com) for more information and to register.

Saturday July 13 (no rain date) - Kate Furbish Preserve, Brunswick ME – Coastal Habitats

• This 591-acre coastal area was recently conserved by the Town of Brunswick and named after one of the most esteemed and prolific botanists of the New England flora. The parcel contains mixed woods on a former sandy delta floodplain extending to the drainages of the Mere Brook estuary, where an uncommon Freshwater Tidal Marsh can be observed in an ecological gradation with Brackish Tidal Marsh and Salt-Hay Saltmarsh. If time allows, we will explore neighboring parcels with extremely rare Blueberry Sandplain Grasslands and Pitch Pine Barrens. On the trip, we will explore and document the unique flora of the preserve, sharing information with Town managers and collecting specimens for the NEBC herbarium, to be filed away alongside Kate's original specimens.
• Level of difficulty - Easy. Distance travelled not likely to exceed a mile and a half. Some marsh terrain may be unsteady underfoot. Consider bringing muck boots or old sneakers, bug spray, and a good sun hat.
• Contact Christian Schorn (caschorn@gmail.com) for more information and to register.

Saturday July 20 (rain date July 21) - McLean Game Refuge, Granby CT – Connecticut's Rift Valley

• McLean Game Refuge contains more than 3,000 acres of varied habitats over a rolling terrain - from ridgetop glades and talus slopes, to kettles with black spruce. The refuge spans the western edge of Connecticut's central rift valley and overlies both an area of sweeter basaltic bedrock and sandstone, as well as the ubiquitous schist that graces any stone wall in the eastern and western sides of the state. In the lowlands, a sandy soil blanket of lake deposits and long esker add additional interest. Two tracts of the refuge are designated National Natural Landmarks. We'll explore the refuge and contribute to an informal inventory of its flora.
• Level of difficulty - Moderate; some terrain is steep, and we may get into a bit of muck and mud. Depending on the weather, you may want to have waterproof boots handy, as well as your usual comfortable field clothes, water, and a lunch. You can expect to walk up to 3 miles.
• Contact Laura Green (laegreen@gmail.com) for more information and to register.

Sunday August 4 (no rain date) - Barton Cove, Gill MA – Connecticut River Aquatics

• Barton Cove is a large Connecticut River impoundment in the towns of Gill and Montague behind the dam at Turners Falls. It has a rich and interesting aquatic flora. Forty-two aquatic species have been noted on recent visits; some of the more interesting include: Crassula aquatica, Elatine americana and triandra, Najas guadalupensis, Heteranthera dubia, Nymphaea tuberosa (AKA Nymphaea odorata ssp. tuberosa), eleven Potamogeton species, and Sagittaria filiformis. This trip will focus on learning to identify aquatics.
• Bring your own boat (kayak or canoe is best) or pool with a friend. We can work out details for pairing those with and without boats if needed. Kayak rentals are also available at the recreation area. Bring lunch.
• Contact Matt Hickler (mhickler@hughes.net) to register. Note whether you will bring a boat and if you have extra room for a "boatless" passenger. Registration will be limited to about 8 boats.

REMINDER: Each trip can accommodate a limited number of people, so please contact the trip leader at least 1 week in advance. This will ensure that you have a slot and will let the leader contact you if there are any changes. Trips may be cancelled if enrollment is low. The trip leaders will send meeting time, location, and directions to those who register for their trip. Bring lunch, water, insect repellent, plant field guides, hand lens, etc.