There are numerous events and exhibits this summer marking the 100th anniversary of the Weeks Act, which created the White Mountain National Forest. Here’s sampling:
An exhibit called “Protecting the Forest: The Weeks Act of 1911” will be at the Mount Washington Observatory Weather Discovery Center in North Conway through Labor Day. It will be at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests in Concord from Sept. 5 through Oct. 28.
July 12: Rebecca Weeks Sherrill More, adjunct assistant history professor at Brown University, will speak on “The Impact of North Country Community and Collaboration in the Weeks Act of 1911,” at 7 p.m. at the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center, North Conway.
July 15: The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests hosts a Weeks Act celebration hike along the Crawford Path, the oldest continuously used hiking path in the United States, and Gibbs Brook Scenic Area from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Rain date: July 16.) Registration is required: 224-9945.
July 19: Tom Wagner, supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest, will speak on “100 Years of Public Land Management,” at 7 p.m. at the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center, North Conway.
July 26: Mark Okrant, director of the Institute for New Hampshire Studies at Plymouth State University, will speak on “Two Centuries of Tourism in the White Mountains: A Region Comes Full Circle,” at 7 p.m. at the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center, North Conway.
July 29: The White Mountain National Forest and several partner organizations is hosting a free, family-friendly festival celebrating the Weeks Act from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road. The event includes exhibits, live entertainment, science lessons, forestry demonstrations and more.
Aug. 2: David Govatski, U.S. Forest Service, retired, will speak on “The Weeks Act and the Creation of the White Mountain National Forest,” at 7 p.m. at the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center, North Conway.
Aug. 9: Linda Upham-Bornstein, graduate adjunct faculty at Plymouth State University, will speak on “Working Forests: From Market Revolution to Industrialization” at 7 p.m. at the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center, North Conway.
Aug. 16: Marcia Schmidt Blaine, associate history professor at Plymouth State University, will speak on “Saving the Mountains: Joseph B. Walker, Phillip Ayers, and the Weeks Act of 1911” at 7 p.m. at the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center, North Conway.
Aug. 27: Judy Hudson of the Randolph Mountain Club speaks on “The Early Pathmakers,” at Randolph Town Hall, 7 p.m. For more information, call John Scarinza, 466-5775.