Figures: UL – EcoPreserve Land Steward Kendall Eldredge with a drip torch; UR – team of students that participated in the RxB decked out in protective gear; LL – post-burn in the large meadow showing patchy nature of the fire. Working with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), a prescribed burn (RxB) was conducted in the EcoPreserve on April 4, 2023. The RxB was centered on the large meadow (at the intersection of the Green and Orange Trails) and…
A new bridge was constructed across Buell Brook along the Red Trail to replace an older bridge that had been showing signs of age. It is in the same general footprint but sits a bit higher. Hopefully the new height will reduce damage from extreme precipitation events. Hurricane Ida pushed the old bridge off its foundation and it had to be wrangled back in place. Over the coming weeks we will finish clean up of the site and add gravel…
Researchers swab the trunk of an ailanthus tree to then bring back to the lab to analyze for traces of animal DNA A team from Dr. Julie Lockwood’s research lab used the EcoPreserve and Jockey Hollow National Historical Park to test the efficacy of sampling environmental DNA from trees and soil to detect cryptic arboreal mammals. The eDNA results form the EcoPreserve compared favorably with the Snapshot USA wildlife cam monitoring conducted by Dr. Rick Lathrop’s and bat surveys conducted…
Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata) Our Wildlife camera trapping campaign this fall captured images of both long-tailed weasels and mink hunting along Buell Brook. Note the long skinny tail of the weasel in comparison to the thicker, stubbier tail of the mink. This is the first time we have confirmed the presence of these comparatively rare wildlife species in the EcoPreserve.