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| Juan Sanchez measures the hind foot of a white-footed mouse. |
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| The animal was released after measurements were recorded. If high speed indicates alertness and health, then this animal was very alert and healthy! |
Small Mammal Inventory -- Little Pond -- Swamp White Oak/Basswood Stand
Portable Sawmill Mills WMF Trees into Wood Products
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| Trees harvested from the property are used to make picnic tables and various other wood features that we use around the property. |
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| A portable sawmill is hired to mill the wood. |
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| Lumber is stacked and dried for future use. |
We are proud that White Memorial Foundation is a working forest. The trees are not only a key feature of the forest that is valued for wildlife habitat and aesthetic beauty, but the trees produce wood products that are used for a variety of purposes on the property. Most of the wood that is harvested from the property is sold to local mills and firewood dealers, but a small amount is used here for the program's functions. A local sawyer who operates a portable sawmill mills lumber for White Memorial every few years. Oak, pine, and black locust are the species that are most used for constructing picnic tables and other products.
Native Bee Monitoring -- Season's First Trap Check
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| Nicole Morin strains and refills the multi-colored bowl traps used to capture native bees. |
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| Bees and other insects captured in bowl traps are strained and stored in plastic bags with tags until they can be identified later. |
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| Although it is mid-March, we captured lots of invertebrates in the bowl traps. |
White Memorial's Notable Trees
Of the 2.5 million trees that can be found living on the White Memorial Foundation, there are a few that stand out above the rest. A systematic and repeatable method has been developed to measure and rate whether certain trees of the same species can be classified as a Notable Tree.
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| (l to r) Eddie Matthews, Lukas Hyder, and Nicole Morin measure the spread of this tree's canopy. |
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| The circumference of the tree bole at a specific height up the trunk is measured. |
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| The height of the tree is measured using a clinometer at a specified distance from the tree. |
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| The tree is geo-referenced so that it can be mapped and found later. |
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| The tree is tagged so that everyone knows the tree is part of the project. |
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| The data is recorded and a score is calculated. |
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| Finally, a photo is taken of the tree with a person in the picture to serve as a scale to size the tree |
Monthly Volunteer Meeting -- March 2012
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| Timberdoodle Evening Air Show |
We were treated to an airshow at our Monthly Volunteer Meeting. American Woodcock were performing their springtime ritual in hopes of attracting a mate in the Saw Mill Field. Nearby we also heard several Northern Leopard Frogs calling in the North Shore Marsh vicinity of Bantam Lake and River. A real treat for our volunteers, who well deserve it to say the least!
Purple Martin Nest Box Raised from Half-Staff to Full
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| Purple Martin Box Near Little Pond Boardwalk Photo by James Fischer |
We raised our Purple Martin next box in hopes that scouts returning to North America will explore it and eventually colonize it as a breeding colony. We added red tape to the roof line to help the birds detect it from above. The box will be monitored weekly by volunteers. Geoff Krukar, CT DEEP Wildlife Division Avian Technician, is coordinating this program in the state and notified us that scouts have been reported as far north as New Jersey.
Roxbury Land Trust Small Mammal Lecture -- March 25, 2012
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| Eastern Chipmunks awoke a little early this year, so maybe the saying should be "the early chipmunk gets the... nut!" Photo by Leo Kulinski, Jr. |
Save the Date! Sunday, March 25 at 3:00 p.m.
- Lecture on Our Resident Rodents: Chipmunks, Mice and More by James Fischer,
Research Director, White Memorial Conservation Center. At Roxbury Town Hall.
Roxbury Town Hall is located at 29 North Street, Roxbury, CT 06783
Native Bee Monitoring Initiated
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| Tracy Zarrillo (CT Ag. Exp. Station) and Jared Franklin install traps to inventory and monitor native bees. |
Tracy Zarrillo and Dr. Kimberly Stoner (CT Agricultural Experiment Station) are monitoring native bee populations throughout the state. Bees are a very important group of insects because of their role in native ecosystems and agriculture. The traps used for collecting bees are quite simple but effective. They consist of plastic cups that are painted different colors (Blue, Yellow, and White) with fluid to capture the bees that investigate the cup. The color of the cups attract the bees.
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| Bees are attracted to variety of colors, this cup is painted yellow and captures bees that investigate it . |
The cups are checked weekly and the specimens are sent to CAES for identification. This data will help us inventory the species associated that inhabit the property and monitor any changes within the population.
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| Only 2 hours later, a bee was observed in a white trap! |
Small Mammal Live Trapping Yields a Few Animals
A wet meadow was surveyed for small mammals last week in the Apple Hill Lower field. A total of 28 Sherman Live Traps were set for 4 nights equaling 112 trap nights of effort. Several species were captured but overall yields were quite low indicating that small mammal abundance might be low this spring.
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| Wet Meadow in Late Winter/Early Spring |
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| Meadow Voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) are commonly associated with Wet Meadows in Connecticut. |
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| This wet meadow abruptly changed into a wet shrubby herbaceous inland wetland. |
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| Male Mask Shrew (Sorex cinereus) |
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| White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) |
Vernal Pool Monitoring Workshop
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| Wood Frog Photo by Donna Potwin |
I am pleased to announce that the wood frogs are clucking! Therefore, we need to schedule our Vernal Pool Monitoring Workshop. The workshop will be Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Mott-Van Winkle Classroom. Come dressed for the weather and for walking in the water. Bring your field guides, nets, and smiles! See you then!
New England Cottontail Rabbit Survey
Alyce Walker and I ventured up Apple Hill to survey for cottontail rabbit spore. We found several tracks in the recent snow and more importantly we found and collected scat. The scat will be tested to identify which cottontail rabbit left it. New England Cottontail rabbit is our native cottontail species in southern New England, but the Eastern Cottontail has become more widespread after it's introduction to New England. Differentiating the species is very difficult unless you can can examine the skull. Tissue samples can be useful for identifying the species but cottontail rabbits are difficult to capture in live traps. Fortunately, the scat yields the kind of data we need but it has to be collected under precise conditions. We haven't had many days with very cold temperatures (below freezing) for 36 hours or more after it last snows this season. We had one day this season to take advantage of this season, fortunately we found one scat. This project will continue during subsequent seasons.
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| Scat is collected and stored in vials with silica gel (a drying agent) until laboratory analysis. |
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| Cottontail Rabbit Tracks in Snow. |
The Last Snowfall of the Season Yields Interesting Tracks
Apple Hill was a busy place after the last snow fall. Alyce Walker and I observed several tracks suggesting that spring was right around the corner. The coyotes and bobcats ranged all over the hill chasing after cottontail rabbits and gray squirrels. Striped Skunks and Eastern Chipmunk were awake from their long winter sleep to find a land covered in snow.
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| A Striped Skunk (smaller tracks with claws) was being followed by a Bobcat. |
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| Eastern Chipmunk Tracks in Snow. |
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