Unfortunately, my old site is no longer accessible now that there is snow, so I’ve moved my location to a spot in centennial woods. You can reach my site by following the main trail at the entry for about half a mile until you arrive at a relatively large clearing where the trail splits in two. If you follow the trail downwards instead of up the hill and cut to the right about 200 feet off the trail, you will arrive at my site. The coordinates are (44.478182, -73.184995), and a picture of my sites location is included below.
My site is largely dominated by eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, and yellow birch trees. Most trees are relatively large, with around 60% of living tree species in the overstory. There is also a large amount of fallen logs and snags, potentially offering a good habitat for surrounding wildlife and other plant species. There was not much evidence of wildlife activity at my site, as much of the snow was fresh. However, I did notice clusters of holes in some of the snags, likely left by woodpeckers. These holes could offer shelter for birds or small mammals, such as squirrels. I also noticed two sets of tracks around my site, as can be seen in the photos below. I think that one set of tracks is just from a dog passing through the area, but the second set I haven’t identified. I think that there is a good chance they were left by a cottontail rabbit because of the size and close proximity of the prints. The tracks were around 9 cm in length and distanced about a foot apart from each other, like the animal was hopping.
