Sue Morse, founder of
Keeping Tracks and a recognized expert in natural history and wildlife tracking in New England, spent several hours with the HOWL Collective walking our land with us to help us identify core wild life habitat and to evaluate our on-going stewardship of the land.
Many important trees were identified such as Pin Cherry, Hawthorne, Apple, Service Berry, Quaking Aspen and many other shrubs and trees that wild life depend upon for food. We identified core habitat through recent evidence of coyote, bobcat, moose, white tail deer, black bear on the land.
The day after our walk, Vanessa observed a young black bear walking along the stream near the south meadow. Days earlier she spotted a red fox on the meadow near the pond. Nightly we observe white tail deer movement across the land. Porcupine, racoons, short tail weasels, bats and a plethora of small critters in the rodentia family as well as hawks, owls and other birds and critters have been observed and make their home with us here.
HOWL land abuts the Camel's Hump State Forest land and benefits from an abundance of wildlife associated with the huge tracts of undeveloped, conserved land. HOWL places a high value on the maintenance and stewardship of the 50 acres of fields and forest that we maintain as open women's land.
Sue discussed the importance of the sustainable activities of
Stark Hollow Farm's stewardship of the land. Wildlife corridors are maintained open with no permanent fencing anywhere. Constant rotation of livestock and the use of highly visible temporary fencing which can be seen by deer and other wildlife ensure nature's critters can pass freely and safely through the land. The farm also maintains areas of rough meadow along field perimeters and works to open the crowns of important food trees.
It was a great visit and will support our enrollment in the State of Vermont's new conservation program.
Getting ready to head out...
Rough meadow along the field border...great habitat for fox, rabbit, grouse..
Vanessa leading the crew at the top of the south meadow...
Juniper shrub...produces small berry (cone) that feeds birds, loves the dry sunny top of the south meadow..
Sue Morse with HOWL Collective in south meadow...
Sue Morse and HOWL Collective...
Red eye vireo nest...
Hundreds of Painted Lady and Monarch butterflies adorned this patch of golden rod...
Quaking Aspen...provides an excellent protein source fruit for grouse and even black bears...
Buck rub...white tail bucks leave their scent on the trees...
Vanessa & Sue consult the map at the stone walled edge of a field...
Evidence of porcupine claw marks...
Sue speaking to the collective about food source trees in a field that has gone back to woodland in the last 20 years...
Black bear bite mark pattern demonstrated by Sue Morse on a rural electrification pole in the woods...
A lone eastern red cedar on the south meadow...definitely a keeper!
HOWL crews trekking through fields...
