Wednesday A.M. ~ 10:00 - 11:30

Coordinator: Dick Fralick

Contact: (603) 868-6868

Location: Durham Community Church

October 23 – Back to the Ocean: The evolution of baleen whales. Presenter: Wendy Lull, President, Seacoast Science Center. Center President Wendy Lull will take us back to when whales' ancient ancestors walked on land, to ponder the whale's version of the classic chicken-and-egg conundrum:  which came first, the plankton or the baleen?  Whale fossils and DNA reveal new relationships between these ancient whales, their habits and habitats.

October 30 – Whales of the Gulf of Maine: a picture is worth a thousand dollars. Presenter: Dianna Schulte, Research Coordinator at Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. Photo-Identification has been the basis of large whale studies since the 1970's.  By photographing unique markings and pigment patterns of certain species, we can learn an amazing amount about them.  Where do whales go in the winter?  How old is this whale?  Is it female?  How often has she calved?  Where does her calf go?  Does she have friends.

November 6 – Great Bay Ecosystem, Habitats and Impacts. Presenter: Kelle Loughlin, Education Director, Great Bay Discovery Center. The presentation will focus on the unique ecosystems of the Estuary, some history and lore, as well as some of the current issues facing the Estuary.

November 13 – A Century of Conservation: The Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests. Presenter: Dave Anderson, Naturalist, Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests.  This presentation covers the brief history of New England land use (from forest to farms and back to forests), the creation of the WMNF and the attributes of our statewide forest conservation including the wildlife habitat associations by land type and a cameo of several of the special places the Forest Society has protected in the recent past.