15th Annual Storywalk and monarch citizen science project kicks off in Holderness

HOLDERNESS — The 15th annual StoryWalk — a collaboration between Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, Holderness Recreation Department, and Holderness Free Library, with support from Meredith Village Savings Bank — is set to begin soon. The kickoff event will take place on Friday, June 27, at 10 a.m. at the Curry Place Gazebo, located behind the Holderness Post Office.

This year’s featured story is “Mr. McGinty’s Monarchs” by Linda Vander Heyden, inviting families to enjoy reading and nature while walking the StoryWalk path.

In conjunction with StoryWalk, the Science Center, supported by Squam Lakes Conservation Society, will launch a community citizen science project to monitor monarch butterfly larvae on milkweed. Starting Monday, June 30, interested participants are invited to join weekly monitoring sessions every Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Pemi-Oxbow Preserve that straddles Holderness, Plymouth and Ashland.

By tracking the presence of monarch eggs and larvae, volunteers will contribute valuable data to the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, a nationwide initiative to better understand monarch breeding, distribution, and population health. Community involvement is vital to these efforts, helping scientists and conservationists protect monarchs and their habitats for future generations.

Attendees should meet in the back left corner of the Plymouth State University Ice Arena parking lot at 9:30 a.m. on Monday mornings through the end of August. Contact Heidi Emmons for more information at heidi.emmons@nhnature.org.