Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

Today, a generous $5,000 MATCH from Frank and Liz Stevens will double your gift!

From the beginning, 60 years ago, the Science Center has embraced nature-immersive education to introduce children, families, and adults to the nature around them. I invite you to consider investing in the Science Center by donating today to our Nearer to Nature Annual Fund and doubling your impact to build on this legacy.

Your gift directly supports the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center:

• $50 provides weekly fresh vegetables for deer, woodchucks, porcupines, and others.
• $100 funds Live Animal Outreach Programs for local schools.
• $300 helps maintain the iconic exhibit trails at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.

Generous contributions from people like you ensure the Science Center continues to thrive. Your gift will strengthen our mission to advance understanding of ecology by exploring New Hampshire's natural world well into the future. 

With gratitude,

Iain MacLeod

Executive Director

Below is a brief timeline of the Science Center's long history of actively educating almost two million visitors over the last six decades. 

Please join us in celebrating the Science Center’s 60th Anniversary this season. We have many activities planned throughout the year. 

Who We Are

Locals call it “the Science Center,” a place where families and visitors of all ages make lasting memories while experiencing the awe of native New Hampshire animal ambassadors along a meandering, forested Live Animal Exhibit Trail. Set beside the picturesque Squam Lakes and framed by surrounding mountains, the campus spans over 200 acres of fields, forests, streams, ponds, and gardens, inviting guests into a true outdoor classroom. 

Here, non‑releasable animals find lifelong homes and serve as teachers in naturalistic habitats, while people connect with nature on accessible trails, in Kirkwood Gardens, at Blue Heron School, and through hands‑on environmental education programs. Guided lake cruises led by naturalists offer close‑up views of Common Loons, Bald Eagles, and the lake’s ecology, rounding out an experience that is at once joyful, deeply educational, and designed to inspire empathy, well‑being, and a lasting commitment to caring for the natural world.

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is a non-profit environmental education organization founded in 1966 located in Holderness, New Hampshire. With a mission to advance understanding of ecology by exploring New Hampshire’s natural world, the Science Center has brought visitors nearer to nature for 60 years.