Update from Zellene Sandler: Have you ever stroked a snake? They are smooth and cool to the touch, rather like satin. I like snakes, and Adam Harris’ webinar on Reptiles and Amphibians did not disappoint. It reflected his love and respect for these often feared or maligned creatures. Adam is the son of Seth Harris, founder of Harris in Wonderland, located at 364 Albany Turnpike in Canton. He earned a biology degree at Hartwick College and has been keeping and breeding reptiles for more than 20 years.
Wintonbury Land Trust held its annual membership meeting online so participants could reconnect, ask questions about the annual report distributed last month, and elect members to the board of directors. Below are links to some of the materials shared for the meeting:
- Annual Report with highlights of the year and a photo slide show
- Treasurer’s Report summary and details
- Election of the Board of Directors
- Upcoming events, especially Wine & Dine on September 26
- Recognition of volunteers and sponsors, including our major event supporters
- Met Hawk Hill Farm’s new tenant: The 4 Five Farm
The group hiking events planned across the state became do-it-yourself hikes to help ensure everyone’s safety. Most remain listed on the CT Trails Day website, many with videos to help plan your adventure. So in addition to the Land Trust’s trails, we encourage you to enjoy the three hikes we had planned locally to explore our community’s wildlife and scenic views.
– Wilcox Park with the Buck Property (additional video intro)
– Seabury Wildlands (additional video intro)
Update: Although mosquitoes transmitting malaria receive the most attention globally, in the U.S. the majority of vector-borne diseases are transmitted by ticks. Dr. Kirby Stafford, III, State Entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, partnered with the Land Trust and Bloomfield Leisure Services to present a webinar on the natural history of ticks and health risks of tick-borne diseases. Additional information can be found in CAES’ online brochure, Ticks, Lyme Disease, and Other Tick-Borne Diseases.
Of the 16 tick species native to Connecticut, only 4 transmit bacteria or viruses to humans: Blacklegged Tick (the most common at ~80% of the ticks submitted to the Station for testing), American Dog Tick, Lone Star Tick (uncommon here but the most common in the southeast), and Woodchuck Tick (rarely bites humans). These are most commonly associated with Lyme disease (the most common at ~68% of tick-borne illnesses in the U.S.), Babesiosi, and Anaplasmosis. Researchers also are monitoring the invasive Asian Longhorned Ticks because it can cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These illnesses can present with a variety of rashes, fevers, muscle and joint pain, nausea, fatigue, and in some cases serious, long-lasting health problems.
Ticks are terrestrial insects found on the ground and lower vegetation where they can reach animals to feed on blood during the larval, nymph, and adult stages of their life cycle, mostly small rodents and birds but also deer, dogs, and humans. Only half of adult ticks may be infected and able to transmit a pathogen during a bite, and their populations are greatest in the spring and fall. But though far fewer may be infected, nymphs cause more infections because they are harder to see and most common in the summer when we are active outside.
So reducing leaf litter, invasive plants, and small rodent habitat in our yards can be among the most effective methods to reduce our exposure to tick bites. Wearing long pants and high socks treated with permethrin (min 0.5%) repellent is the most recommended personal protection method. When that’s not possible, DEET (min 25-30%), Picaridin (min 20%), or oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (min 30%) can help. Keep in mind it can take 24-36 hours for an infected tick to transmit a pathogen during a bite, so simply checking for and removing ticks remains your best defense.
Update: No snow? No problem! On February 22 we held our annual winter hike in the Land Trust’s Speer Preserve. Led by Board member Dale Bertoldi, sixteen enthusiastic hikers (and three dogs, also enthusiastic!) enjoyed two hours of splendid conditions on the Preserve’s loop trails, across stunning cliff outcroppings, past a beautiful pond, and over three bubbling streams. While it was disappointing not to be able to snowshoe on this winter hike, the unusually mild and almost snowless winter made for great hiking in the upland forest, with little ice on the trails or streams. (Photo credit Dale Bertoldi.)
Join us at the Land Trust’s Speer Preserve for a winter outing. Come early and be prepared to be on the trails shortly after 9:30 a.m. The trail is easy to moderate and the hike lasts about one and a half to two hours.
Speer Preserve is an upland forest surrounded by open land and MDC Reservoir property. Speer is an outing experience reminiscent of winter in the Vermont woods. Hard to believe Bloomfield Center is just minutes from Juniper Road.
Please come with snowshoes if we have snow, or hiking boots if there is no snow. Wear seasonal outdoor clothing. Meet at the cul-de-sac at the top of Juniper Road in Bloomfield. Rain date is Sunday, February 23.
As twilight falls we’ll head up the old farm road to Hawk Hill for views of the Metacomet Ridge and Hartford skyline illuminated by the colors of the setting sun and the light of the rising almost-full moon. Sturdy footwear required and a flashlight recommended.
Not up for a hike? Meet at the barn at 5:00 for a warm fire and light snacks, ready to welcome back our group shortly thereafter. It’ll be a good chance to catch up with friends … and ask us about on-going Land Trust projects. Dress in layers and let us know if you’d like to bring something.
Update: Thirty-six hikers participated in our sixth annual regional hike. After being rained out last year, it was a beautiful, clear fall day with near-peak fall foliage color. From SLT’s Tanager Hill parcel we ascended 540’ through ravines, orchards, and former farm fields to Penwood State Park’s Lake Louise. We climbed to the Pinnacle where we enjoyed stunning views of the Farmington River Valley.
We then descended to WLT’s Stout Family Fields and hiked across WLT’s Hawk Hill Farm to our end-point at the Oliver Filley House in Bloomfield’s LaSalette Park. For those wanting more mileage, WLT President Vic Herson led the way to Filley Park in Bloomfield’s center.
Thanks to Kevin Gough, Sally and Don Rieger, Vic Herson, and Dale Bertoldi for planning the hike and Paula Jones for the pictures. Thanks also to Bloomfield Leisure Services for providing a shuttle. And thanks to everyone who participated in this annual event showcasing the town-to-town trail connectivity the two land trusts have created between our communities.
Why do we love our butterflies, swallows and bees, but not bats? Bats perform many of the same services, and more, yet many folks fear them or at least don’t appreciate them. Is it because they fly at night, or because of vampire myths? We can dispel these fears with some knowledge.
The average bat in Connecticut can consume its body weight each night in insects, including mosquitoes and agricultural pests such as moths. Worldwide bats pollinate over 400 species of plants, including cocoa, bananas and agave. What’s a world without chocolate or tequila? Bats eat insects that infest corn and other important crops, estimated to save $3.7 billion in reduced crop damage and reduced need for pesticides in the US.
Join friends and neighbors of all ages to help remove litter from the trails and riverbank of Bloomfield’s Farmington River Park. With enough volunteers, crews will go to nearby Griffin Brook in the Land Trust’s Merritt Preserve and canoe/kayak on the river.
The Land Trust co-hosts this event with the Farmington River Watershed Association as part of the Connecticut River Conservancy’s Source-to-Sea Cleanup. While most Bloomfield streams flow into Hartford’s Park River, some flow north into the Farmington which received a rare U.S. National Park Service Wild & Scenic designation earlier this year. The Hartford Courant’s Peter Marteka wrote about Farmington River Park recently.
The goal is to maintain water quality, improve wildlife habitat, and sustain healthy recreation in our region’s waterways. Past cleanups removed roof shingles, washing machine parts, ironing boards, glass bottles, and more from the riverbanks.
So please join us: RSVP online. We’ll provide garbage bags and gloves. We recommend pants, long sleeves, mud-worthy footwear, and personal gloves. And if you are interested in canoeing/kayaking, add a note to your online reservation.
Update: Volunteers cleaned the barn interior, picked up around the yard, mowed along the road edge, re-purposed leftover straw bales, removed felled trees, and removed invasive vines from many of the property’s 12 state champion trees. Thanks to all who helped improve the curb appeal for our neighbors and ready the site for a new farmer to occupy this bucolic farmstead.
Join your Land Trust property stewards on Friday, September 20, and/or Saturday, September 21 for a general cleanup of the historic barn and invasive vine work on the many specimen trees at the farm. Meet in front of the barn at 9:00 am and work as long as weather and schedules permit. Bring loppers, gloves, and good boots. Questions? Contact steward Pete Bartkoski.
