Blog
When GLLT Tuesday Trackers meet at a property, we never know what animal sign we’ll need to interpret or what greater understanding we’ll gain. Today was no different and we had a few surprises along the way.
What we’ve all learned is that we need to take a bird’s eye view and consider where we are, whether it be forest or field or wetland, look at how the mammal is moving and what type of pattern it is creating as it moves, get down and count toes, look for nail marks and notice other idiosyncrasies, and then follow the trail for a ways, looking at the prints in different light, or under different trees. Often under hemlock trees we find the best prints because there’s not as much snow since the boughs hold it.
And so today’s adventure began with us following this particular animal and debating—do we see claw marks, is the overall shape round or oval, is there a lead toe, is the ridge creating a C on its side or an X between the toes and heel pad? It took some time, but we finally found a few prints that gave us confidence it was a bobcat we were following. So, where did the bobcat lead us?
For the past two weeks at Greater Lovell Land Trust we’ve had the good fortune to conduct a wildlife survey in the waters that surround the newly acquired Charles Pond Reserve in Stow, Maine. Our hats are off to Alanna Doughty of Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) for her willingness to be the lead on this project and work in collaboration with us. Alanna, you see, has conducted previous surveys for Maine Inland Wildlife & Fisheries (MDIFW) at LEA properties, and was trained by wildlife biologist Derek Yorks to set these up.
MDIFW maintains a comprehensive database on the distribution of Maine’s amphibians and reptiles, as well as terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates and the data we’ve collected will add to the bigger picture. What we discovered was just as important as what we didn’t find.
On Saturday, April 3, Lovell Rec/Greater Lovell Land Trust/New Suncook PTA sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt at three Greater Lovell Land Trust properties: Kezar River Reserve on Route 5, Heald & Bradley Ponds Homestead Trail at parking lot #4 on Route 5; and Chip Stockford Reserve on Ladies Delight Road.
We’re not sure who had more fun: the kids, their parents and grandparents, or Erika, Meg, Pam, Samuel and Leigh?
We're already looking forward to next year.
Despite their masks, you’ll see the joy in all eyes as you scroll through this photo journal.
The sun shone brilliantly, the temp rose a tad, and the community came out to play.
Greater Lovell Land Trust and Lovell Rec thank all—those who baked, worked behind scenes to help the gnomes find their forms, cleared snow for parking and skating, built a sweet sledding hill, groomed ski trails and posted signs, created maps and scavenger hunts, donated pinecones, craft sticks, twine, peanut butter, and birdseed for feeders, purchased raffle tickets, maintained the storybook trail, constructed snow people out of crusty parking lot snow, shared a fire pit and table space for hot cocoa and all those baked goods, and served as ambassadors at each venue. Without the volunteers and staff of our two organizations, and the hospitality of The Lodge at Pleasant Point, we couldn’t have pulled this off in the midst of a pandemic.
We had a lot of fun and from the smiles we saw in your eyes and thanks you shared, we know that you did as well.
Take a scroll through the day with us as we begin and end at The Lodge at Pleasant Point.