Let's Hike Haverhill in 2026!

Join Team Haverhill and Essex County Greenbelt Association for FREE monthly guided hikes around Haverhill's beautiful open spaces. Check out the list of planned hikes and add the registration dates to your calendar (generally 4 weeks prior to hike date). Spots fill quickly!

• Clement Farm & Little River, March 22nd 10AM - Noon
• Winnekenni Park - Castle Trailhead, April 26th 10AM - Noon
• Brandy Brow Forest, May 23rd 9:30AM-11:30AM
• Viburnum Woods, June 6th 9:30AM-11:30AM

Sign Up Now!

Maple Syrup Season Begins!

Did you know it takes 40 gallons of tree sap to make one gallon of syrup? In Massachusetts, sap begins flowing in mid-February to mid-March, the time of the year when temperatures tetter above and below freezing. While not ideal for our driveways and sidewalks, this freeze-thaw cycle creates positive pressure within the tree, forcing sap to flow out of the taphole. Once temperatures are regularly above freezing, this pressure differential stops and so does the flow of sap. Sweeten these last winter days with Maple Sugar Saturdays at Ipswich River , and learn more about how sugar maple trees work from the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.

Public Presentation:

More Than Vitamin D! The Health Benefits of Nature

Wednesday, March 11 from 6:00—7:00 PM

Johnson Auditorium, Haverhill Public Library 

99 Main Street, Haverhill, MA, 01830

It may come as no surprise that nature is good for your health, but just how important is it? Scientific research continues to show that contact with nature is vital for human wellbeing beyond access to clean air and water, supporting positive mental, physical, and social health. At the same time, studies also show a downward trend in time spent outdoors, with today's children spending significantly less time outdoors compared to previous generations. We will explore the variety of health benefits provided by nature, recent trends in the human connection to nature, and ways to reconnect and fit in more time with nature.

This presentation will engage the audience with discussion around unique and meaningful ways one can experience Haverhill's great outdoors!

Strange Characters: Skunk Cabbage

Named for its stinky smell, skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a sure sign spring is here! Skunk cabbage is one of the first spring ephemerals to bloom, generally at the start of March in New England (sometimes as early as February!).

This species has the unique ability to create its own heat, a trait called floral thermogenesis. While not entirely understood, this trait combined with its stinky smell helps to attract pollinators early in the season where they can keep warm within the hooded flower. It can even melt the snow!

If you want to see this cool, strange plant for yourself, look in habitats that are floodplain (river or stream floodplains), shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, or wetland edges.

A Campaign to Rescue Raptors | Mass Audubon

Did you know that rodent poison, Second Generation Anti-Coagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), not only kills rats and mice, it also harms thousands of wildlife and pets every year in Massachusetts?

"A recent study found that 100% of Red-tailed Hawks tested at a wildlife clinic in Massachusetts had SGARs in their organs. And a national study of 303 dead Bald Eagles found that 82% of the sampled birds had been exposed to rodenticides." - Mass Audubon

Learn more about SGARs and the movement to stop its use in Massachusetts, get access to resources and materials to spread awareness, and join others taking action in the Campaign to Rescue Raptors led by Mass Audubon. Their campaign involves non-profits and municipalities from across the state and is working to create legislation to restrict the use of anticoagulant rodenticides.

Rescue Raptors Orientation for NEW Volunteers

Thursday, March 12, 7:00 - 8:00 pm via Zoom

The next volunteer orientation is coming up in March. Join them to learn more about the risks of these poisons, the alternative rodent control options, and how to take action to help get these poisons banned statewide! [Register]

We want to see Haverhill's best shots!

We're looking for more photos of Haverhill's open spaces, parks, and natural environment. Show us how you spend time in Haverhill's great outdoors by sharing your scenic and active photos with us! If you're willing to share, email your best photos to conservation@haverhillma.gov or tag us on Facebook or Instagram! We'll give credit to the photographer when we use the photos in our socials and e-newsletters and on our website.