Browsed by
Author: Rick Lathrop

Northern ring-necked snake

Northern ring-necked snake

(Photo by Darrell Jones) The EcoPreserve is habitat for several different snakes species. Most commonly seen are garter snakes and northern water snakes.  This colorful snake (in the photo) is the northern ring-necked snake (Scientific name: Diadophis punctatus). The ringneck is harmless to humans. It preys on insects, earthworms, and other small herptiles. Remember: look but don’t keep.

Trail counters document EcoPreserve’s popularity

Trail counters document EcoPreserve’s popularity

Land Steward Lauren Palatini gives the new trail counter a thumbs-up Trail counters were installed at several of the EcoPreserve’s main trailheads to count the number of visitors entering or exiting the EcoPreserve. The objective is gain a better idea of the amount and location of the EcoPreserve’s usage. The counters don’t take pictures, they just count people passing by. So far the numbers are telling: for the months of October 2016 through January 2017, approximately 3,100 visitors entered or…

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Late winter snowfall slows up Spring

Late winter snowfall slows up Spring

 Buell Brook traversing a snow-covered landscape February’s warm temperatures jump-started Spring in the EcoPreserve but a mid-March snowfall slowed it down again. The 8 inches of snow provided wonderful cross-country skiing opportunities for a few days till Spring reasserted itself.

Alpha Phi Omega RUEP Clean-Up

Alpha Phi Omega RUEP Clean-Up

The sisters of the Alpha Phi Omega sorority held a trash pick-up on Sunday February 26, 2017. It was a cool, blustery day but 25+ women converged on the EcoPreserve to scour the trails and borders for litter. They collected quite a haul of trash. The question I have is why do people leave so much litter?