BTV Conservation News
The Pulse of Burlington's Green Heart
March/April 2017
A Letter from Dan & Alicia

Welcome to the first issue of the BTV Conservation News. Six times a year, we will post events and news about what's happening in Burlington's wild places. you can join area naturalists on seasonal walks-tracking wildlife, spotting birds, savoring wildflowers or pondering geology. Or go on a hunt for clues of Burlington's land use history like fence posts and quarries. You are receiving this issue because you have shown an interest in Burlington's natural history.
 
Burlington has a rich natural heritage with habitat ranging from floodplains and sandplains to calcareous outcrops. Diversity underfoot gives rise to over a dozen distinct natural communities resulting in an abundance of rare plant species. Moose, bears, bobcats, coyotes, beavers, deer and red and grey foxes either pass through the City or live here year around. In the spring of 2016, birders recorded 135 species of birds in Burlington from Blackburnian Warblers to Bald Eagles.
 
We have many organizations devoted to celebrating Burlington's wild green heart. In this issue you will find walks and talks offered by Crow's Path's Corvid Community Naturalists, UVM's Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning Program, BPRW's Conservation team and more.  Please let us know if you have an event to post or a story to tell.
 
If your interest in natural history runs deep, consider joining the BPRW Master Naturalist Program. The Master Naturalist BTV Program is a close-knit team of naturalists with specific training in Burlington's natural history across the earth, life and social sciences, who understand and can "read" the landscapes of Burlington's conservation lands. There is a description of the program in this issue. Applications for the MNBTV training beginning in August 2017 will be available in the May/June issue. So stay tuned.
 
Hope to see you in the woods,
 
Alicia Daniel
BPRW Field Naturalist
 
Dan Cahill
BPRW Land Steward
Save the Date: Field Walks

UVM 2017 Friday Field Walks:
  • March 18th: An Afternoon of Maple Sugaring. 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr. 
  • March 24th: Tour the Cultural Landscape of Shelburne Farms. 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr. 
  • March 31st: A Tale of Two Caves. 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr. 
  • April 7th: Glacial Geology of Bolton Notch. 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr. 
  • April 14th: Vernal Chorus. 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr. 
  • April 28th: Trilobites of the Tropics - Chazy Fossil Reef of Isle La Motte. 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr.  
  • May 5th: Spring Ephemerals. 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. James M. Jeffords Hall, 63 Carrigan Dr. 
Click Here For More Information

Corvid Community Naturalists:

 

  • April 8th: Bird Language. 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Rock Point, 10 Rock Point Rd. Hosted by: Sophie Mazowita. 
  • April TBA: Bonus Breeding Amphibians. 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Rock Point, 10 Rock Point Rd. Hosted by: Teage O'Connor. 
  • May 13th: Wildflower Bonanza. 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Rock Point, 10 Rock Point Rd. Hosted by: Ross Doree. 

Burlington Geographic & BPRW Talks & Field Walks:

Branch Out Burlington: 
  • April 6th: Tree Keeper Training. 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. City of Burlington Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, 645 Pine St.
  • May 6th: Tree Planting and Tree Sale Pickup. 9:00 am - 11:00 pm. UVM Horticultural Farm, 65 Green Mountain Dr. 
  • June 10th: Annual Tree Walk. 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Lakeview Cemetery, 455 North Ave.
  • June 13th , July 11th, August 12th: Love Our Trees. 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. UVM Horticultural Farm, 65 Green Mountain Dr. 

The Burlington Mammal Tracking Project

There's a murder scene before our eyes: red and gray feathers, sheared and scattered across the ground. Paw prints everywhere, from raccoon and domestic cat and red fox. The fox's tracks are the most numerous and the most worn into the snow, revealing it as the culprit that lingered to ingest its meal, pushing its feet into the snowpack as it tore feathers out with its teeth.

The Master Naturalist BTV Program
Learn About the Basics of the Master Naturalists

The Master Naturalist BTV Program creates a close-knit team of naturalists with specific training in Burlington's natural history across the earth, life and social sciences, who understand and can "read" the landscapes of Burlington's conservation lands. Burlington has a rich natural heritage with habitat ranging from floodplains and sand plains to calcareous outcrops.
 
Click Here To Read The Program Description
I Had the Chance to Sit Down with Master Naturalist, Remy Crettol

T he candidates for the Master Naturalist BTV Program come from the North End of Burlington to its southern borders and range in age from twenties to seventies. Each of these master naturalists has a background in at least one discipline of natural history. Remy Crettol, the AmeriCorps Environmental Educator and Resource Specialist for the Winooski Valley Park District, has two concentrations: tracking and tree identification. 
 
Click Here To Read the Article By Garrett Chisholm 
Photos & Highlights from the February Seminar
The third training session for the Master Naturalist BTV Program took place on February 12th. The training started off with a presentation by Allaire Diamond on Native American presence in Vermont, followed by a meeting to identify projects and project teams, ending with a field walk through Durway Island in order to examine winter trees and animal tracks.
Click Here To View The Photos & Highlights
Spring Amphibian Migration

Wildlife lovers, in low elevation warm spots of Vermont, frogs and salamanders have started to emerge from their wintering sites and move to their breeding ponds, pools, marshes, and swamps. The earliest amphibians move when the snow is reduced to only patches, the ground and roads are thawing and wet, and night-time temperatures are above freezing.

Conservation Board Corner

The Conservation Board is comprised of nine Burlington residents appointed by the City Council.  This board of citizen volunteers has the responsibility of advising the City on matters regarding natural resource conservation and environmental protection. In every issue, you will hear from a different member of the Conservation Board about issues important to conservation efforts in the city of Burlington.
Click Here To Read The Article By Zoe Richards

Contact Garrett Chisholm at [email protected] to add names to the BTV Conservation News.