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Access to The BALSAMS 8,000-acre estate affords guests the chance to create their own adventures. Hike near or far on an extensive trail network that also provides walking and mountain biking opportunities. Beautiful Lake Gloriette is available for canoeing, kayaking and fly-fishing. Children enjoy the outdoor playground area and heated swimming pool. With seasonal activities such as golf, tennis, alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and dog-sledding, vacationing at The BALSAMS becomes an anticipated event for every member of the family.
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Speakers Series

Speaker Program Descriptions – Summer 2011

The BALSAMS Summer Speaker Series will begin again on Monday, June 27th.  Below will be a listing of the speakers for the summer season.  The presentations will be conducted in the Ballot Room on Monday evenings at 8:30 p.m.   

June 27- Christine Schadler, "A Howling in Our Woods"

Presentation of the status of wolves in New England

July 11- John Gfroerer,"Grand Hotels of the White Mountains"

The experiences of resort hotel guests and employees, as well as, the promotional efforts of the great hotel and railroads, which brought thousands of travelers to the region, shaped the nation’s perceptions of the White Mountains. What were the origins of the White Mountain hospitality industry?  What were the grand resort hotels like a century ago?  What happened to these grand hotels in the modern era?

July 18th- Jeff DeRosa, "The White Mountains: World's Worst Weather"

Few places on Earth experience the combination of high winds, heavy icing and extreme cold as frequently as New England's highest peaks.  Remarkably, since 1932, one organization has recorded these harsh conditions from the top of our highest mountain.  Consquently, in this talk Mount Washington Observatory Outreach Coordinator, Jeff DeRosa, will talk about the extreme conditions found in the White Mountains and explain how the Mount Washington Observatory functions in such harsh weather.

July 25th-Susan Zizza, "Turn of the Twentieth"

 Just over 100 years ago, at the dawn of new century, a 16-year-old aspiring artist, picked up a camera and began recording her turn of the twentieth world. Glenduen Wells Ladd was born on a small farm in Clarksville, NH, in 1891. She later became a professional painter, producing hundreds of pieces of artwork, but it is the photography of her youth that provides a window into an era marked by a buoyancy of spirit. 
Not that life was ideal, far from it, but it was a time when Americans had great self-confidence. As one historian put it, this generation not only hoped for the best, they expected it.
This slide presentation, with over 70 vintage photographs of rural northern New England in the early 1900s, reveals an intimate glimpse of life during this buoyant time.  Learn about the heyday of the grand hotels, farming in the rugged northern forests; the advent of the Ford's Model T; Gibson Girl fashion of the day; tales of treks led by renowned guide Nelson Ladd into the wilds of Dixville Notch and more.

August 1st-Joseph Callanan- "Enjoying the Great North Woods Wildlife"

Mr. Callanan will offer a slide presentation highlighting many of the species of wild animals that inhabit New Hampshire’s Great North Woods including, but not limited to moose, eagles, owls, otters, bear, hawks, and loons.
A narrative will accompany the presentation providing interpretive natural history details, such as identification, unique characteristics, preferred habitats, and clues to finding various species.

August 8th-Stephen Priest-"I wish I had......"

Author and outdoor enthusiast Steve Priest shares his Great North Woods hiking and paddling treks.  Through humor, sound, pictures, and storytelling, Steve describes paddling the Androscoggin River, moose sightings, visiting Mt Madison hut on the Appalachian Trail (AT), tenting, bird watching, and discovering the independent Republic of Indian Stream.

August 15th-Randy Judkins- "Laughing at the Face of Stress"

This presentation reveals the elements that allow individuals to adapt everyday stress and adopt Randy’s Top Ten Reasons For More Laughter In Your Life which include building better relationships, increasing productivity, and boosting your immune system. He focuses everyone’s attention on the opportunity to cultivate a sense of joy in being alive, to overcome the stress that keeps us from living fully and the develop strategies for more levity in our person and professional lives.

 

August 22nd-Nancy Sporborg, Pat Piper-"It's Not About the Hike"

This program highlights the journey of two 50+ year old non-hikers who one day decided to climb the 67 mountains in New England over 4, 000 feet.  Nancy and Pat are two ordinary women who went on an extraordinary journey over the mountain summits and into their hearts.  This is the story of what they found inside themselves as they hiked over 1, 250 miles to the tops of over 190 mountains through all four seasons.http://www.its-not-about-the-hike.com/

 

August 29-Nigel Manley-"Black Bear and Moose In New Hampshire"

Nigel is an avid outdoorman hunting, fishing, and taking photographs throughout the year.  He has learned about the natural history in Northern NH by being in the woods observing wildlife although he is not a trained naturalist.  He will present various venues on a variety of animal species.  The moose and bear talk is Power Point presentation that takes guests through the year of the life of the two species using hands on antlers, wood and skins to get the people involved.  We also discuss conservation, protection, and sustainability of lands by the Forest Society.  Nigel is the director of the Rocks Estate which is the North Country Education Center for the Forest Society.