The Jaffrey Civic Center’s “Stories to Share” series kicked off its new season with photographer, conservationist and founder of the Harris Center for Conservation Education Eleanor Briggs.

“Stories to Share” gives a platform to local people to share their stories. For Briggs, it was the tale of her founding the Harris Center and her travels across the world in the name of conservation with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Briggs said her fascination with the natural world began early.

“You might ask how did that all begin. In my childhood. Doesn’t it always?” Briggs said.

Briggs grew up on Long Island, but summered in Hancock, and said she spent much of her childhood in nature. After seeing her own slice of Long Island’s North Shore be developed in the 1960s, she knew she didn’t want the same to happen to her other sanctuary – Hancock. Her grandmother’s home where she spent summers had been sold to developers, and Briggs bought it back.

Now the question was “What to do with this lovely white elephant?” Briggs said. The answer seemed to be education, and the Harris Center – named for Briggs’ cat – was born.

Briggs didn’t just speak on her local conservation efforts. Much of her talk detailed multiple trips to Cambodia, Myanmar, India and Libya with the Wildlife Conservation Society or WCS. In the late 1990s, Briggs spent three months in Cambodia, photographing the largest water bird colony in Southeast Asia, located by a floating village that was once the largest freshwater fishery in the world. The area is home to 11 threatened or endangered bird species. It was not always a safe endeavor, as members of the Khmer Rouge were camped on the north shore.

Briggs also spoke about her time on the Northern Plains of Cambodia and a trip she took to record and photograph the giant ibis, a bird that had been believed to be extinct until a small population of about 200 were found after being spotted by airplane.

“It was very exciting to rediscover this bird,” Briggs said.

Briggs’ photographs also show the fight facing Cambodian conservationists against logging, featuring the rangers who confiscate chainsaws, bikes and cars used to cut and transport the wood out of the forests. Briggs’ photographs also featured a Chinese gold mine in Myanmar, which causes massive deforestation, heavy use of water and the use of mercury to refine the gold, which can poison water sources and fish that are the main protein source for much of the population.

In India, Briggs visited a rare slice of large conservation area, and told about the effort to relocate the people who lived there in order to preserve the diminishing tiger population. She also talked about documenting the populations in Libya who rely on herd animals for their living.

Briggs expects to return to Cambodia next month with the WCS.

“Stories to Share” is sponsored by Savings Bank of Walpole, Belletetes and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Talks are held every first Friday of each month through June from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Jaffrey Civic Center. The next speaker is Mel Allen, presenting “People I’ve Known, Places I’ve Seen: Yankee Magazine Editor’s Most Memorable Stories.” For information, visit jaffreyciviccenter.com/sts.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.