With warm spring days right around the corner, what better way to kick off the changing of the seasons than by exploring the splendors of the Granite State’s outdoors. In its 33^rd year, Discover WILD NH Day strives to do just that. Put on by New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG), the annual nature celebration provides educational exhibits, interactive activities, live animal presentations, meet-and-greet opportunities with conservation organizations from across the state and a whole lot more.

Running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fish and Game Headquarters in Concord on Saturday, April 15, the event aims to attract hosts of families looking to learn about and enjoy the natural beauty of the state. “It’s the first big event of the spring and it gets people excited about being connected to life outdoors,” says Mark Beauchesne, advertising and promotions coordinator at NHFG. Beauchesne, a 24-year NHFG veteran, has watched the event blossom from averaging around 4,000 attendees to over 8,000 in recent years. “I believe that it is the largest free one-day event in the state,” Beauchesne says. “I don’t know of anything any bigger.”

Beauchesne believes the variety of activities at Discover WILD NH are what keep the event growing year after year. Popular exhibits include “Let’s Go Fishing,” where kids learn to cast fishing rods, an air rifle range, a hatchery truck where “kids can see these giant trout that they can go fishing for later on,” as Beauchesne says, New Hampshire School of Falconry showing off their birds, a meet-and-greet with the organization’s conservation officers who appeared on the hit Animal Planet show “North Woods Law” and four food trucks fueling all the fun. In addition to the activities, over 100 of Fish and Games’ partners in conservation pop up tents and tables to interact with the public and explain what they do for the state. Organizations in attendance include Travel Lebanon, New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, New Hampshire Audubon and many more. “It’s a great way to acknowledge these groups and give them an opportunity to shine in a very large venue,” Beauchesne says. “They’re true partners in conservation.”

Funded by grant money from the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, along with smaller sponsorships from organizations like Manchester Radio Group, Discover WILD NH Day is a true commemoration of all the agencies and people who preserve the Granite State outdoors and make exploring them possible.

“I love seeing adults who were kids when they first attended the event come back and bring their kids,” Beauchesne says. “It’s become a perennial thing; it’s become part of family’s spring traditions. We love to see folks come out and enjoy — and discover wild New Hampshire.”

Find more information at the New Hampshire Fish and Game’s website, and access the event’s full brochure here.