Invasive Green Sunfish Confirmed in NH

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) fisheries biologists have confirmed the presence of non-native, invasive green sunfish in the Piscataquog River downstream from the

Weare Reservoir, also known as Horace Lake, and at Waukewan Lake. In 2022, biologists at the NH Department of Environmental Services discovered three specimens in the Little Sugar River in

Charlestown. Green sunfish are a concern because they compete for habitat and food resources with the state’s native sunfish.

Green sunfish are members of the sunfish family, as are their native relatives the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, and pumpkinseed among others. They can be found in a variety of habitats including lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. The native range of green sunfish includes much of the central United States east of the Rocky Mountains, including the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin. Their large mouth enables them to consume a wider variety of prey than native pumpkinseed or redbreast sunfish, and this advantage may allow them to out- compete native species for food. They are now found in all 48 contiguous states.

Green sunfish are a popular aquarium fish often kept by hobbyists. This is likely the reason they have made their way into Granite State waters. Help us protect New Hampshire’s natural resources by not releasing any aquarium fish into the natural environment—it’s illegal and a threat to a variety of native wildlife.

Also, if you suspect you have caught a green sunfish, do not release it. Humanely terminate the fish, being careful to preserve its coloration and identifying characteristics. Take a clear photo, record the location, and email your findings to fisheries@wildlife. nh.gov

Makers Mill offers Upcycled Jewelry class with Emily O’Hara

In keeping with the founding principle of making the planet a more sustainable place, Makers Mill offers a fun and creative small step toward reducing the landfills: a lively class in making “Upcycled Jewelry” – the art of converting trash to treasures.

On June 3, 2023, join in for a fun and energetic day, where you will learn to create colorful and imaginative pieces of jewelry to wear or give as gifts. Using recycled materials otherwise destined for a landfill, such as aluminum cans, bits of wire, and beads, you will create colorful imaginative earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooch pins, barrettes, bouquets, or other works of art. The only limit is your imagination. Go home with several finished pieces to show your friends! Materials will be provided or you can also bring your recycled aluminum cans and other bits and bobs you’ve been saving for such an occasion. The class will run from 10am to 4pm and costs $90 for members and $115 for non-members.

This class is open to ages 13 plus. A limited number of scholarships are available for youth aged 13 – 17. For more information contact Carol Holyoake, Director of Programs & Events – Carol@MakersMill.org org/events. Details about the different ways to use the makerspace, including membership, are found at makersmill. org/membership. To stay in touch with all upcoming activities at Makers Mill, check the “Sign Up” button on any of the website pages to receive the newsletter. If you’re still wondering what a makerspace is, and what specifically is offered at Makers Mill, sign up for one of the weekly building tours held every Friday at 10am or the same time on the first Saturday of each month.

Instructor, Emily O’Hara, recently taught this class to a sold-out audience at the Essex Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, during their recent Earth Day Celebrations. She is the sole proprietor of Silver Labyrinth Design where she creates one-of-a-kind or limited-edition jewelry, pieces for installations, and up-cycling designs www.silverlabyrinthdesign.com and Instagram @silverlabyrinthdesign.

More information about this class and the schedule of upcoming classes can be found online at makersmill.

If you are interested in teaching classes, reach out via email to carol@ makersmill.org or call 603-569-1500. “We live in a community rich in diversely creative people - we see that reflected all around us in our day-to-day lives,” said Carol Holyoake, Director of Programs & Events. “So, we’d love to hear from people who are passionate about what they create whether their skills come directly from life experiences or a formal teaching experience, or whether they’re a hobbyist or professional.”

Pick Up Your Copy of

Flying Monkey to screen original 1916 silent film version of ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’

The original silent film version of the Jules Verne classic ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ (1916) will be shown with live music on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission tickets are $10 and available at door or in advance by calling the box office at (603) 536-2552 or online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

In production for more than two years by Universal, the original silent film version of ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ is an epic retelling of the classic Jules Verne novel, and with elements from other Verne stories mixed in.

Allen Holubar stars as the domineering Captain Nemo, who rescues the passengers of an American naval vessel after ramming them with his iron-clad steampunk submarine, The Nautilus. Incorporating material from Verne’s ‘Mysterious Island,’ the film also follows the adventures of a group of Civil War soldiers whose hot-air balloon crash lands on an exotic island, where they encounter the untamed “Child of Nature” (Jane Gail). Calling itself “The First Submarine Photoplay Ever Filmed,” the film is highlighted by pioneering underwater photography, including an underwater funeral and a deep sea diver’s battle with a giant cephalopod. The film, directed by Stuart Paton, was filmed largely in the Bahamas to take advantage of shallow seas and bright sunshine. Several methods were devised to capture scenes underwater, including a sort of “reverse periscope lens” that used mirrors in long tubes to enable a camera onboard ship to film below the surface. The film has little in common with a later adaption released in 1954 by Walt Disney Studios and starring James Mason.

In honor of extraordinary technical and artistic achievement, the silent version of ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create a musical score for ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ live during the screening, in the manner of theater organists during the height of silent cinema.

“For most silent films, including ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,’ there was never any sheet music and no official score,” Rapsis said. “So creating original music on the spot