SELT

Wildflowers and Woodwinds - Spring 2026
2026-05-31 14:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | The Nan and George Mathey Center for People and Nature at Burley Farms, 247 North River Road, Epping, NH, 03042, United States
Join us for a beautiful spring afternoon featuring wildflowers and woodwinds at the Burley Farms. We will start the afternoon with a wildflower hike lead by Evy Nathan from Pollinator Pathways New Hampshire. The Burley Farm fields should have a variety of flowers blooming in late May and Evy will help us identify them and discuss the pollinators who rely on these beautiful plants. The wildflower walk is limited to 22 guests.
After the walk, we will come into The Pratt Family Community Room for a woodwinds concert by the Avalyn Reed Trio.
In this year celebrating 250 years of American democracy, the Avalyn Reed Trio is pleased to offer music by the creative and expressive voices that have sustained and buoyed us through the years. The concert features works by William Billings, Amy Beach, Stephen Foster, George Gershwin, Peter Schikele, Scott Joplin and John Philip Sousa: some of America’s delightful legacy in musical notes!
Since coming together in 2023, three musician friends have delighted audiences throughout the region with their beautiful concert programs and sparkling commentary. The Avalyn Reed Trio is composed of two clarinets and a bassoon, giving it a warm and uniquely-blended sound. “Avalyn” means “beautiful breath of life” and the word “Reed” refers to the reeds used on these instruments to produce the sound.

Registration Required (you will need to register for both separately)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WALK (limited to 22)
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CONCERT (limited to 44)

SELTie Book Club - Spring 2026
2026-06-17 17:30 - 19:30
The SELTie Book Club continues! The book selection this time around will be An Immense World by Ed Yong and the discussion on June 17 will be led by Vicki Brown who recommended the book during a previous book club discussion. Light refreshments will be provided.
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world.
In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover’s fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved.
Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called “the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.”

Registration Required: CLICK HERE

Tree ID for You and Me: Identifying the Hardwood and Softwood Trees of Southern New Hampshire
2026-06-20 08:30 - 23:00
Join Naturalist and author Tom Eid for a presentation, discussion, and on-site tree identification program.
Learn the basics and refine your skills for tree identification. Burley Farms is home to a diverse and healthy Appalachian Oak-Pine Forest. We will discuss habitats and growth characteristics and spend time outdoors exploring the local woods.
The session is in 2 parts. Part 1 is an interactive presentation. Part 2 is in-the-field, hands-on, tree identification. Attendees can work individually or in small groups to identify the primary hardwood and softwood trees at Burley Farms.
No previous tree identification or experience required.
About Tom Eid…
Tom is a certified naturalist with the Audubon Society, a Coverts Cooperator with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, a Land Steward for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and a Wildlife Steward for the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game.
He is an active volunteer for the New England Big Trees program, Nature Groupie, Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, and the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire.

Registration Required: CLICK HERE
This event is limited to 20.

Mindful Mornings with Rooting in Nature
2026-06-24 09:00 - 11:00
What is Forest Bathing, and how can it enhance your health and wellbeing?
Join Certified Forest Therapy Guide Brittany Carr of Rooting in Nature for a meaningful morning of learning, mindfulness, and connection with nature. This event will be divided into two parts:

First Half: We’ll begin with an engaging presentation exploring the history and science of Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of “taking in the forest through our senses.” Discover how slowing down and engaging the senses can calm the mind, lower stress, and deepen your connection to the natural world. Brittany will share research-backed benefits alongside her own healing journey through Forest Therapy.
Forest Bathing Experience: Following the presentation, we’ll step outside for a brief guided Forest Bathing session. This experience is designed to give you a taste of what a full session entails, awakening your senses and grounding you in the present moment

We’ll wrap up the morning with tea, reflection, and quiet conversation.
In a world that often moves too fast, taking time to reconnect with nature—and with ourselves—has never been more important.
What to Bring:

Dress for the weather in layers
Wear sturdy shoes or boots and long socks
Bring water and something comfortable to sit on, like a small mat or pad

Come slow down, breathe deeply, and experience the restorative power of nature through mindful, sensory connection.

Registration Required – CLICK HERE
Cost – $15 per person plus a $5 suggested donation

Pathogens, Processors, and Partners – Fungi Talk & Walk
2026-06-24 17:30 - 19:30
Join UNH graduate and Biotechnologist Maxwell Leavitt for his presentation “Pathogens, Processors, and Partners.” a discussion on the critical and often unseen roles fungi play in our natural world both locally and abroad. Learn about the interactions fungi have with plants (Including examples from our own backyards) and how these relationships, for better or worse, shape industry, ecology, and our lives. From mushrooms to molds to mildews, all are welcome. This talk promises to be equal parts entertaining and informative. We hope to see you there!
Weather pending, the presentation will be followed by a short walk at Burley Farms to see what fungi we might find.

Registration Required: CLICK HERE
Difficulty (Walk): Easy
