BTV Conservation News
The Pulse of Burlington's Wild Green Heart

December/January
Issue No. 5
 
 

A Letter from Dan & Alicia 

Winter is upon us and one of the best ways to sink into the season is to look for animal tracks in the snow.  And while you are out there you may see the tracks of Sophie Mazowita who has been collecting mammal track and sign data for Burlington with a diverse pack of volunteers for the past two years.  Her map of the movement of animals throughout City wild lands is a thing of beauty.  Get a sneak peak in this issue and click on the link below for a better look.

Winter is also the time to get to know trees by their bark.  Red, orange, yellow, green and purple are just a few of the bark colors you can find in the winter woods.  The beautifully rich purple of the inner bark of Eastern Hemlock seems like something that would be more at home on a butterfly, bird or flower.  Join BPRW naturalists for a tree walk on January 20th at 10 a.m. at 5 Rock Point Road to explore the world of trees in winter.

At BPRW, we continue our adventures with the Vermont Master Naturalists.  Learn more about Chuck Hulse's journey to become a Master Naturalist.  And watch for an application in the spring issue of BTV Conservatiion News for the class of 2019.  We will start a new training series in August 2018.

Hope to see you in the sno wy woods,
 
Alicia Daniel
Field Naturalist, BPRW
 
Dan Cahill,
Land Steward, BPRW
Mammal Tracking, Winter Trees and Rare Plants 
Burlington Mammal Tracking Project:  Otters and Fishers and Bobcats, Oh My

For the past two years, volunteers with the Burlington Mammal Tracking Project have fanned out across the City to document the tracks of wildlife recorded in the winter snow and mud. Sophie Mazowita, the project's founder, shares some highlights of what they have found.
 



Where The Wild Things Are

BPRW Field Naturalist Alicia Daniel and Mammal Tracking Project Founder Sophie Mazowita shared the latest news and whereabouts of our animal neighbors last March. This presentation includes amazing animal behaviors caught on trail cameras in our own backyards. 

Click Here To Watch The Talk                                                 
                                                                                            
Photo by Sean Beckett
Barking up the Right Winter Tree

Winter forests may seem monochromatic, but if you look closely there is a rainbow of colors in tree bark.  Burlington is home to dozens of trees that can be identified by their distinctive bark (Red Pine in photo.) See which ones you recognize!  And join the BPRW Conservation Team and Vermont Master Naturalist Kate Kruesi for a winter tree and shrub walk on January 20th at 10 a.m. at 5 Rock Point Road.                                    Photo courtesy of Karren Wcisel

Rare Plant Conservation Update

The BPRW Conservation Team partners with State Botanist Bob Popp and Vermont Master Naturalist and Plant Conservation Volunteer Kate Kruesi and others to manage rare plants in the City.  Volunteers (at right tugging on a long root) met on a windy day in October to pull up Coastal Beach Grass which competes with the rare Champlain Beach Grass for habitat on the sand dunes at North Beach.                                                           Photo by Dan Cahill

How Seeds Survive the Cold

Saving the seeds of rare plants is a labor of love.   Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth (UVM Field Naturalist '91) wrote this article on seed banking.  Before her sudden death last month at the age of 54, she worked in plant conservation for nearly three decades.  "She was that rare human being who was talented in both the sciences and the arts, who excelled in everything she did," said Bill Brumback, Director of Conservation at the New England Wildflower Society. Read Elizabeth's article about what goes into saving seeds for future generations of plants.

Click here to read How Seeds Survive the Winter
  Photo by Erika Norden
The Master Naturalist BTV Program
Meet Chuck Hulse:
Vermont Master Naturalist

Chuck Hulse  grew up roaming within one square mile of his home from a young age. That square mile included ocean dunes, salt marshes, scrub pine barrens and a well-stocked library of nature guides and natural history references.  Find out what Chuck is up to now. 
Master Naturalist Training on Oct. 8

A surprise rain squall on the beach did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the latest class of ten Vermont Master Naturalists.  People explored the glacial history of Burlington while scaling sandy cliffs and getting muddy in an Arms Forest stream. The VMN Burlington candidates and 3 trainers compared soil pH across a transect running from a stream bed           across a sand delta and up a rocky ridge.  BPRW will will accept applications in the spring for the class of 2019.
Save The Date: Field Walks & Talks

Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront: 
  • January 20th Winter Tree and Shrub Walk. 10:00 am- 12:30 pm.  Meet at 5 Rock Point Road.
Tracking Club
  • December 10th: 10:00 am at Rock Point.  Meet at 5 Rock Point Road.  
  • January 14th: 10:00 am at Rock Point.  Meet at 5 Rock Point Road.
Click Here To Join The Facebook Group

Branch Out Burlington

 
This issue of BTV Conservation News edited by Eileen O'Connor  
Banner photos of winter in Burlington also courtesy of Eileen O'Connor