Hawk Watch and Slim Baker Day in Bristol

Hawk Watch and Slim Baker Day in Bristol

By Lee Caldwell

On Saturday, September 18 from 10 am to 2 pm, the Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education will host a combination Hawk Watch and Slim Baker Day at Slim Baker Lodge and Little Round Top in Bristol. This outdoor event is free and open to the public. No registration required.

In addition, their annual story walk is now on display. The title of the book is STARS by Mary Lynn Ray. Both the Hawk Watch and the Story Walk events are self-guided opportunities. There will be informational handouts and hawk educational displays along the Worthen trail hike up to the summit of Little Round Top (Inspiration Point).

Inspiration Point in fall courtesy of Slim Baker Foundation.

Slim Baker Day is a tribute to Everett “Slim” Baker, a dedicated and much-loved conservation officer with NH Fish and Game who died at age 43 in 1953. According to the organization’s website: “the Slim Baker Area is a 135-acre tract of conserved land in Bristol that was set up as a memorial to him as he had dreamed of setting up a ‘school for outdoor living’ in the Newfound Lake area. This area is the fulfillment of that dream. For over 6 decades, the foundation has adhered to the two goals of the organization’s original founding document:

1. To provide programs of outdoor recreation, nature study, and practical conservation for residents of the Newfound area and visitors.

2. To perpetuate the memory, ideals and ideas of Everett D. ‘Slim’ Baker, long-time resident and conservation officer of the area, and true lover of nature and mankind.”

“Slim” had a reputation of being friendly and helpful, but strict if necessary. He was beloved in the community, loved hunting and fishing, and believed in the wise use of natural resources. He was tall and lanky, hence the name “Slim” and when he became fatally ill, his friends in the community rallied around to help make his “school for outdoor living” dream come true. A beautiful tract of land was donated by Reba Hipson on Little Round Top, a site was cleared for the construction of a rustic lodge and a trail was cut to the summit. 

A retrospective/tribute of the life and legacy of “Slim” Baker will be on display of the porch of the Slim Baker Lodge for all to view.

Story walk photo courtesy of Slim Baker Foundation.

Little Round Top is the oldest hawk watch site in New Hampshire. It has a panoramic view of the valley that is ideal for viewing the annual fall hawk migration. NH Fish and Game states that the second and third weeks of September are peak hawk watching times as large flocks (or kettles) of broad winged hawks pass over. To conserve energy, they ride the big thermal air currents along ridge lines and river valleys (in this case central New Hampshire’s Pemigewasset River) on their way to Central and South America. 

According to the NH Fish and Game website: “hawks, falcons, raptors, and birds of prey are all terms that are sometimes used interchangeably. All have short, strongly hooked beaks and sharp, curved talons (claws.) Body size, wing length and shape vary, as do colors and patterns with different combinations of black, white, rufous, gray, and brown. Many have different color phases with juveniles appearing different from the adults. Females are typically larger than males. All prey on other species ranging from insects to other birds and small to medium size mammals. Some are seasonal visitors or travelers passing through during spring and fall migrations. Some are rare visitors seen every 3-5 years. They range in size from 9-33 inches long and have 20-72 inch wingspans and can be seem throughout the state.”

As many as 15 raptor species pass over New Hampshire during the fall migration (which typically runs from September through November.) Among them are the American kestrel, the Broad Winged hawk, the Cooper’s hawk, the Merlin, the Northern goshawk; the Northern harrier; the Red-shouldered hawk, the Red-tailed hawk, the Sharp-shinned hawk, the Gyrfalcon, the Rough-legged hawk, the Golden eagle, the Bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, and the osprey. Eagles do sometimes migrate, although adults tend to stay near their nesting territory as long as there is available food. The best hawk watch sites are high with an open view to the north/northwest.

Hawk- credit to Walt Keane, NH Audubon Society; photo provided by Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education.

The Slim Baker Foundation encourages all to come on September 18, view the Slim Baker tribute, follow the Story Walk, and to “bring your binoculars, patience, and a sense of adventure while waiting to spot the movement of a hawk along the horizon.”

The Slim Baker lodge area is located in Bristol. From the downtown, take Rt. 3A south for a short distance, bear right onto High Street. At the crest of the hill, turn right onto New Chester Mt Road (at the sign for Slim Baker Lodge) and continue to the parking area. The trail to Inspiration Point for the Hawk Watch has some short, but moderately steep sections. 

For additional information see the Slim Baker Foundation website, www.slimbaker.org.

Newfound Lake Eco Tours

Newfound Lake Eco Tours

By Lee Caldwell 

Driving along the North Shore Road in Hebron, you pass the Grey Rocks Conservation Area. Here, at the north end of Newfound Lake, is where the Newfound Lake Region Association (NLRA) starts it EcoTours of pristine Newfound Lake. The EcoTour program is the flagship educational program of the NRLA. The tour provides passengers with a history of land uses in the watershed, insight into the local animal species and water quality monitoring demonstrations. 

Arriving at the pontoon boat launch, you might see children with nets catching bullfrog polliwogs, families picking wild blueberries, and kayaks and canoes being launched into the man-made inlet. There are also 1.5 miles of hard packed walking trails suitable for both adults and children. 

Captaining the 22 ft. - 90 HP pontoon boat on the August day was Scott Kresge who informed the boat passengers that the tour would take about two hours and follow the Newfound Lake Shoreline covering about 2/3 of the lake. He went on to say that Newfound Lake is approximately 4,300 acres, and is 6.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide running roughly north to south. The lake, he stated, is one of the most pristine (in the top 10) in the country due to low contaminants and excellent water quality. 

Once passengers were seated, he slowly motored the pontoon boat out of the inlet, pointing out painted turtles basking on rocks, a mother mallard duck and her ducklings, two beaver lodges, some Canada geese, and remarking that the inlet was a sanctuary for smaller fish hiding from the larger predatory fish. Scott also stated that it was not unusual to see loons and bald eagles (there are currently two nesting pairs on the lake) while on the tour, and that there are 22 species of fish in the lake, including lake trout and landlocked salmon. 

Leaving the inlet, the boat motored through a shallow, sandy area where the Cockermouth River empties into the lake. Scott explained that the sand was caused by soil erosion due to development upstream. He stated that two of the primary goals of the NLRA advisory board are minimizing storm water run-off and erosion control. He stated that erosion and contaminants are a constant concern and that the NLRA has seven water sampling sites in the lake itself as well as 42 water sampling sites in the streams, rivers, and creeks flowing into Newfound Lake which are manned by volunteers from the Youth Conservation Corp and Americorps. They test for a variety of things and have 22 years of data accumulated. The NLRA also encourages replanting of native species along the shoreline to help alleviate run-off and offers free consultation services. 

Continuing along the less-developed north shore of Newfound Lake, Scott pointed out the grey granite cliffs from which the Grey Rocks Conservation Area gets its name and also the home of the McLane family who donated the land and who play an active part in the NLRA. The boat then passed the Paradise Point Nature Center run by the Audubon Society, who have hiking trails along the lake and who rent kayaks and canoes. 

Stepping back 25,000 years, Scott explained that Newfound Lake is a kettle-hole lake originally formed by a glacier 1-mile thick. As the glacier retreated 10,000 years-ago, the debris formed a natural dam. The deepest part of the lake is 182 feet. The total watershed area as encompassed by the mountains surrounding the lake, is 63,000 acres. 

Jumping to the 1800s, Scott described the lake in that era as a cesspool - a dumping ground for the industries of that time. The trees were cut so that sheep could graze, and there was a tannery and a kiln which where polluting the lake. Later, the farmers discovered that they could make more money providing services to travelers along the Mayhew Turnpike, a toll road costing from one to three pennies depending on the number of horses, (currently Route 3-A) so they shifted their focus to taverns and inns. 

As the boat went around the tiny house on Loon Island, a big black dog came out to bark. There were a number of boats moored nearby, the sky was blue with puffy white clouds, and the scene appeared idyllic. A little further along the shore, a loon did pop up briefly to the “oohs and aahs” of the boat passengers and then disappeared again under the water. This same loon or its twin appeared again at the end of the boat trip. 

As we passed by Pasquaney Bay, the passengers were treated to the story of the Stella Marion, a 50 ft. wooden steam boat that hauled giant rafts of logs on Newfound Lake, and carried mail and passengers around the lake for 50 years. It caught fire and burned at its dock in Pasquaney Bay in 1915 and its wreck lies on the lake floor. 

A number of summer camps around the lake also had their own stories or bits of fun trivia. Thomas Edison’s son, Theodore, was a camper at Camp Pasquaney and Edison himself was a frequent visitor to the area. President Obama’s daughters stayed at Camp Wicosuta. A water sampling site of the NLRA is near the camp and when the NLRA boat would stop to bring out the equipment for water sampling, the Secret Service would jump in boats and rush out to investigate. Scott pointed out that the camps which have extensive acreage around the lake are helping to prevent parts of the shorefront from being heavily developed, thus aiding in the fight against erosion. 

Wellington State Beach on Newfound Lake has the only public power boat launch on the lake. The NLRA maintains Lake Host Program Inspectors there to educate the public about aquatic invasive species prevention methods and to help boaters remove potentially invasive plants and animals from boats, trailers, and gear. Among those invasive species is milfoil, which has not spread to Newfound Lake. 

Returning along the west side of the lake, the boat passed the ledges, some of the deepest water in the lake. There is a microcline at around 30 ft., which is a popular feeding spot for lake trout and landlocked salmon. The water in the lake itself “turns over” twice a year when the surface water reaches 49 degrees. The surface water is at its densest at the point, it sinks to the bottom, and the deeper water rises to the top, thus re-oxygenating the water. 

The EcoTour has something for everyone: a beautiful boat ride with a grand tour of the lake; a chance to enjoy seeing amphibians, birds, and mammals in their natural habitat; interesting historical facts and trivia; and an important science and ecology lesson. 

Newfound Lake Region Eco Tours run Thursday through Monday, twice a day at 10 am and 1 pm. Tours last approximately two hours. The cost is $20 for adults and $15 for children. NLRA members have a 25 percent discount. They also offer private tours and charter tours. You can reserve online, or for information call 603-744-8689. 

Maple Sugaring: A Family Affair

Maple Sugaring: A Family Affair

By Lee Caldwell

The art of maple sugaring at the Eldridge Family Sugar House and Ice Cream Shop in Tamworth is very much a family affair.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by young family members Greyson and Rylee Theriault who then made a mad dash to summon Terri Eldridge, Scott Eldridge, and Erica Theriault for the interview. Having done his duty, Greyson returned to playing with his trucks, later disappearing into a back room.

Other family members include Brandon Eldridge, Matt Theriault, Brittaney Eldridge, Adalynne Eldridge, and Bodie Eldridge.

With Terri, Scott, Erica, and Rylee all chiming in, they began to recount the story of how, in 2015, the father-and-son duo of Scott and Brandon Eldridge began boiling maple sap with a custom-built barrel stove in the backyard. In 2016, they built their first sugar house, with a wood-fired 2-foot by 4-foot evaporator. In 2017, they had 400 taps. In 2019, they purchased a 2.5-foot by 8-foot oil-fired evaporator, and in 2020 built their new building, which has expanded to have an ice cream shop and a retail area.

Scott is the contact person for all things related to maple sugaring. He states that the sugaring season is unpredictable, usually 5 to 6 weeks between the end of February and into March, but it can be “different every year” as it requires a specific combination of warm days and cold nights.

Because the season is short, it requires a lot of hard work and the entire family pitches in.

Using blue tubing (in lieu of the traditional sap buckets), the family taps 500 trees in Tamworth, 1,100 in Moultonborough, and 500 in Ossipee. (Over Maple Weekend, they do tap a few trees with the traditional buckets.) After boiling the sap (typically 40 gallons of sap makes 1 gallon of syrup, but it can vary), the Eldridge family produces around 430 gallons of syrup. Syrup is then graded into classifications as golden, amber, and dark.

Erica stated that many people are not familiar with the maple sugaring process. She goes on to add that the strangest question she was asked involved the blue tubing used to carry the maple sap from the trees. “Is that what you use to collect the honey?” Dumfounded, she explained that honey comes from bees, not trees.

Erica and Terri describe Brandon Eldridge as “the big idea person” in the family. While working together, all the family members bounce ideas off each other, and Terri describes the family camaraderie as her favorite part of the mad rush during the maple sugaring season. Erica states that the maple syrup grading, using the Hanna scale of light transparency, is her favorite part of the process. “You never know what you are going to get,” she said.

Rylee then stated that her favorite part is “eating the maple ice cream.”

In addition to serving maple-flavored soft-serve ice cream, the Ice Cream Shop has 30 other flavors of ice cream. Over the past year, the kitchen has been expanded to include maple-related “grab-and-go” items and a 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. cafe for breakfast and lunch. Hours and days change according to the seasons.

Plans are in the works to expand their store to create a “one-stop shop for campers.” In addition to carrying maple products, they plan to carry camping items and “lake” items, US-made products from local vendors, small batch/small business items, and local meat and eggs.

The Eldridge/Theriault family also is dedicated to helping the community. They have done school tours with Rylee as a guide, have donated syrup and baskets for fundraising pancake breakfasts, contributed to school supply drives, and have participated in Thankful Thursdays, where non-profit organizations donated a percentage of the sales.

Maple Weekend 2024 is slated for March 16 and 17. Visitors to the Eldridge Family Sugar House and Ice Cream Shop will be able to view the entire process, from tree to evaporation. There will be guided tours. Sap will be boiling on the evaporator. Offered will be a tasting of warm syrup, sugar on snow, maple products, maple-flavored soft-serve ice cream, and maple cotton candy.

The Eldridge Family Sugarhouse and Ice Cream Shop is located at 183 Plains Road (Route 41) in Tamworth. The phone number is 603-252-7125, the website ishttps://www.eldridgefamilysugarhouse.net/. Hours and days vary with the seasons.