The Nature Museum in partnership with Great River Hydro will open for the summer season at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder Visitors Center on Friday, May 26. This nature education center is open each weekend Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through September 3rd. The Visitor Center is home to a series of hands-on environmental programs and exhibits for local families and passing tourists. The Visitor Center is located at 17 Bridge Street in downtown Bellows Falls, next to the Post Office building. Admission and programs at the Visitor Center are always free.

Here are two announcements from St. Luke's.

Research indicates that children's play has shifted dramatically in the last two decades. Childhood has moved indoors, away from the unstructured outdoor play that many of us remember as a child. The average American boy or girl spends as few as 30 minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day and more than seven hours in front of an electronic screen, according to the National Wildlife Federation. The Nature Museum asserts that contact with and understanding of the natural world is vital to a child's development and for the future of our planet.

All are welcome to join the Chester Conservation Committee (CCC) for a morning of trail work as we continue to develop the new Butternut Ridge Trail. Work some, learn about the trail and forest or simply come out and meet new people and spend an enjoyable morning in the woods.