From the Field - Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

Bear Video on Friday Night

Let me start off by saying that I am nuts about black bears.  Over the years, I have been fortunate to watch several bears foraging unaware of my presence while hiking (not at Mariton).  I have even bumped into a few bears on the trail.  Each encounter is a treasured memory.  (This photo was taken by my friend Fred, in his back yard.)

For some decades, Pennsylvania has led the nation with its bear research.  "On the Trail of Pennsylvania's Black Bears" will be the featured film this Friday night at Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary.  This video was produced by the PA Game Commission, and highlights some the ground breaking research that was started in the 1980s.  The film is still timely and introduces you to the seasons of a black bear's life.  There are still many misconceptions about black bears and this film addresses them concisely.  The wildlife photography is spectacular (you will crawl into a bear den).

I plan to start right at 8:00 p.m., as the movie is 100 minutes long.  We will take a short break in the middle.  We will serve popcorn and lemonade as refreshments.  Please call (610-258-6574) if you plan to attend, so we can plan accordingly. 

More Rainfall Trivia

I recorded 1.94 inches of rainfall at 8:30 this morning, and it was still raining.  That is about one inch more than Mariton received for the entire month last year.  Granted, March '06 was extremely dry.  (The 10 year average is 3.87 inches.)

In February, we received 2.13 inches of precipitation.  (2.82 inches is average.)  What is interesting is that we received 2.13 inches in February '06 also.  That is the first time I have recorded the same amount of rainfall for a given month.  The idea that it came in consecutive years is even more unlikely.

When it stops raining, today's total (less than 24 hours of precipitation) could come very close to the amount received for all of February.

Bio-diversity Film on Friday

"Pennsylvania:  Conserving Nature's Diversity" is the feature film on Friday evening at Mariton.  If you are trying to get a handle on what Biodiversity really means, this video explains it very well.  What is really great is that it uses specific examples from Pennsylvania.  This was produced by Pennsylvania's Wild Resource Conservation Fund and has some great video of stunning landscapes.  This is a short film, about 30 minutes long.

Following the film will be a Night Walk.  The trails should be well lit by a full moon, but we have flashlights available.  (In case of inclement weather, I will show another short video.)

The film starts at 8:00 p.m.  Please call if you plan to attend (610-258-6574).  We will serve popcorn and lemonade.

Instead of Science FICTION...

This Friday evening will be our second movie night at Mariton.  We are featuring two videos from Dr. Ron Goor and the folks at NatureFlix Productions.  These are educational videos, but are also entertaining to watch.  (You probably won't be screaming, "Don't go down in the basement!")

"How Birds Eat" will be shown first.  It looks at physical adaptations (bills, feet, etc.) as well as behavioral adaptations that help birds find food.  It features some wonderful wildlife photography.

Following a break, we will watch "Insect Defense".  A great companion to the first film, "Insect Defense" demonstrates different ways that insects have evolved to avoid becoming food.  This film stars some intriguing looking insects that were made for the camera.

Each film is about 30 minutes long.  We will start at 8:00 p.m. on Friday.  If you plan to attend, please call Mariton at 610-258-6574.  We will have popcorn and lemonade and want to plan accordingly. 

Parking Lot Cleared

Yesterday, I put off plowing the snow until the sleet and snow had stopped.  Because of the road conditions, I really didn't expect anyone to be driving to Mariton.  So, I had the luxury of being able to wait.  I knew that the sleet and freezing rain would turn the driveway and parking lot into a skating rink.  Since a couple inches of snow fell before the sleet and freezing rain started, I preferred to let the snow absorb all of that moisture and then remove it one time. 

It paid off, the snow peeled off fairly easily once I got started.  Even though we only had a few inches of snow, it was very heavy because of all the wet precipitation.

So, the parking lot is open.  The local roads seem to be in pretty good condition.  There is about an inch of powder on a firm crust.  It should be ideal for cross country skis.  Snow shoes would be fine, but with the crust it is almost as easy walking without them. 

Stewarship Assistant Positon

Natural Lands Trust has a job opening for a Stewardship Assistant.  You can view the full job description by clicking on this link(http://www.natlands.org/categories/subcategory.asp?fldSubCategoryId=42).  The Stewardship Assistant would be working at Mariton one or two days each week, and working the rest of the week at other preserves near Doylestown and Ambler.

Until recently, Mariton was without a Stewardship Assistant.  In the fall, Joe Vinton was promoted to  Preserve Manager of Hildacy Farm, and Rebbecca Shields Moose left to pursue another career.  While I missed the extra help, their leaving came at a time when I was able to get by.

Sean Quinn is now working at Mariton a couple days a month.  Sean was an intern at Crow's Nest Preserve, before moving up to the Stewardship Assistant position for northern Chester County.  Sean presently spreads his time between 5 Preserves, because of the vacant position.

The Stewardship Assistant is a good entry point to Natural Lands Trust.  Right now, about one third of our Preserve Managers started with NLT as Stewardship Assistants.  Besides doing rewarding work in the conservation field, you get exposed to the different Preserves and equipment.  Let's face it, the Stewardship staff has been doing this for a long time, so a Stewardship Assistant has access to almost 200 years of collective wisdom and experience in land management.  Additionally, since different Preserve Managers also coordinate information on what's new in invasives, wildlife management, restoration, etc., the Stewardship Assistant learns cutting edge techniques, as well as the tried and true.

If you, or someone you know, would be interested in the position, I encourage you to contact Gary Gimbert (who began his career with NLT as a Stewardship Assistant).

Golden Eagles and Wind Energy

I wrote recently about research that was done to find out what effects wind turbines might have on migrating songbirds (see http://natlands.typepad.com/from_the_field_mariton/2006/12/wind_power_and_.html)  The Pennsylvania Game Commission just announced on their website that they will be partnering with the National Aviary and Carnegie Museum of Natural History to research migration patterns of Golden Eagles in Pennsylvania.  (To read the press release click http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?Q=171118&A=11).  The Appalachian Mountains in PA are an important migration corridor for Golden Eagles.  Many of these ridges are also targeted for wind turbines.  So, it is great that the Game Commission and their partners are taking this proactive step to research migration patterns that can lead to informed placement for wind power projects.

Wind farms on PA ridges are increasing.  As I said before, I support wind energy, but we should be able to harness the wind, and at the same time have minimal effect on the species using these areas, whether for migration or daily travel.  We should also be able to decrease the amount of electricity that we use each day.

Caveman T.V.

This Saturday night, Mariton has its Caveman T.V. program.  We will sit around a campfire on a cold evening.  Watching a campfire is mesmerizing.  Watching it with your clan is probably more entertaining and educational than most things actually on television.  Maureen and I are still discussing what food will be offered.  No woolly mammoth, but we will have some nostalgic treats like s'mores and warm cider.

Chances are good that we will hear owls, and we might even hear foxes calling.

The campfire is from 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.  (You can arrive after 6:30 and leave before 10:00.)  Bring folding chairs and dress warmly in layers (you might want a blanket too).  The weather forecast is for a cold night.  Please call ahead (610-258-6574) if you plan to attend.  If no one calls, I won't build the campfire.

Trail Trimming

I recently finished trimming back the edges of Mariton's trails.  Using a weedwhacker with a metal saw blade, I cut back woody vegetation for three feet of both sides of the trails.  I try to do this every few years.  Of course, during winters with a snow pack, I usually can't accomplish this job.

The main reason I do this is to keep trees and bushes from growing in on the trails.  Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) in particular has a tendency to poke its branches into the trail space at eye level.  By keeping the little saplings cut back, I only have to trim back a few branches.  Tree seedlings within a foot of the trail edge will eventually become trees on the trail.  These trees are more likely to  become hazard trees because of the traffic on their root systems.  Finally, it keeps the multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) and wine berry (Rubus phoenicolasius) trimmed back.  These two tend to arc into the trail and scratch bare-legged hikers.

I do this work in the winter, so that I target only woody plants.  Cutting the edges back now means that I will have less trail maintenance during the summer (when I don't have the time).  It also means that there will be less impact on wild flowers and their developing seed heads.  Because the woody plants have much of their energy stored in their roots right now, they will grow back (just not enough to poke into the trails this summer).

One of the benefits that I have noticed from this edge trimming, is that more sunlight gets to the trail edges.  So, now we have more wild flowers right along the trails.  This is great, because now you can admire and study these beauties without stepping off the trail.  One of the tenets of the "Leave No Trace" philosophy is to stay on trails to protect plants, and to keep soil compaction in a discreet manageable location.

Right now, you might see a difference.  In May, when things green up, it will be difficult to tell that I did this work in January.  (Before on the left; after on the right.)

Rhododendron Leaves

The frigid temperatures this morning caused the rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) leaves to roll up.  Rhodies are one of the flowering, broadleaf trees in our area that keep their leaves during the winter.  While it allows them to photosynthesize year round, there are disadvantages to keeping leaves in winter.

The main liability is water loss.  During winter, access to water can be severely limited if the ground is frozen.  If a plant is photosynthesizing, it is using water.  If it has leaves, it is loosing water (through a process called transpiration).  So, water management becomes a real issue to evergreens in the winter.

Rhodies have leathery leaves that help prevent water loss through the surface.  In extreme cold (like this morning), they roll up their leaves into cigar-shaped cylinders to reduce surface area.  (Pine needles have a small surface to volume ratio.)  Smaller surface area means less water loss.  (Think of a cup of water in a glass, and another cup in a cake pan.  More water will evaporate from the cake pan because there is more surface area.)

A second liability is that plant cells contain water.  When the water freezes it expands and the cells can burst.  Antifreeze in the sap helps protect plants from freezing cells.  Conifers have a resin in their sap that acts as antifreeze (think of turpentine).  Rhodies also produce resins in their sap that protect cells from freezing.  I don't know for sure, but imagine these resins are what make ericaceous plant poisonous to animals.

Another liability for evergreens is snow weight on tree limbs.  Conifers confront this problem with a pyramid shape which encourages the snow to fall off (and also distributes the weight on the tips many limbs, instead of just a few).  Rhododendrons, with their rolled-up, vertically hanging leaves, don't provide much surface for snow to cling to.

I have spent many a cold morning perched beside cigar-leaved Rhododendrons.  Although not musical, the wind rattles the leaves like wind chimes.  It is a very characteristic sound in the winter woods.