Happy New Year!
With NR 1010 behind me, I am now 2 weeks into NR 1020. With the beginning of classes comes the start of the phenology project once more.
I have decided to choose a new location for this semester. Rock Point was a beautiful location, however it became a struggle to bus there, then walk from the bus stop to our selected natural area. The whole ordeal took about 45 minutes, one bus change, and a lot of walking. It was fine when it was warm, but as it grew colder and snowier, the walk became increasingly more dreadful.
My new location is a little ways down the trailhead at Casavant Natural Area in Winooski, VT. It’s about half a mile closer and only takes about 20 minutes to get there from campus (by bus).
This past visit I was lucky enough to drive there with my boyfriend, but the bus route is super accessible as well. Hop on bus 2- Essex Junction to Fort Ethan Allen at the UVM Medical Center loop, then get off at Abenaki Way at CCV. From there, its about a 3 minute walk to the trailhead, 190 E Allen St. It doesn’t look like much of a park from the road, the parking lot is right next to a house and before the railroad crossing. The specific location is about a minute walk down the trail, near the little bridge.
The snow cover has been pretty consistent since winter break, so we found plenty of tracks. There were some birds we spotted overhead, and I was able to record their calls (whether not you can hear them through the wind is debatable).
The dominant tree species included black cherry, ash and sumac. I was having a difficult time without being able to see the leaves to properly identify the other trees.
