Students volunteers spruce up the Livingston Campus trailhead
Student volunteers came out to help spruce up the Livingston Campus trailhead kiosk area. New gravel was spread and woodchips raked to make a path down to the Ave E Roundabout.
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
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…
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.