by: Rory Larson, Conservation Science Manager A firmly held tenet of our management approach is that the public's enjoyment of the preserves derives directly from their natural character and diversity of flora and fauna. Lucky for you, there is no better time than now to experience...
Much more stirs in Steep Rock Association (SRA) preserves nowadays, and no, I am not referring to the recent influx of hikers seeking respite from COVID-19 constraints. Breeding season is underway for many of the wild inhabitants that call SRA preserves home. It is an especially...
July 8, 2016 The buzz of bees catches my attention while on the trail above the Tunnel in Steep Rock. I give a quick look around the ground to confirm I haven’t disturbed a yellow jacket nest. Yellow jackets usually are aren’t a concern until late...
A few stubborn oaks still cling to brown leaves, but for the most part, trees are rid of foliage, giving forests a different look and feel. Landscapes are more intimately studied, their layers and intersections well within view. A low sun pierces empty crowns, illuminating...
Many water bars have been installed on Steep Rock trails to divert water and prevent erosion. These bars fill with sand, leaves, sticks, and other organic matter, which needs to be cleaned out periodically so they function properly.Several inches of rain fell two weeks ago...
It’s that time of year again when thrushes and warblers serenade forest dwellers, buds burst, and a rejuvenated environment even teases of summer with an occasional tree frog sounding off. For Steep Rock Association, these cues trigger a certain stewardship action being the monitoring of...
Essay and photos by Peary Stafford It’s January… and there’s precious little nature to study in Steep Rock. Few birds, no insects and for sure no flowering plants. But there’s always something and these desolate winter days, BK and I (OK, mostly I) have taken to investigating the...
A winter’s day awakens with a burnt salmon sunrise engulfing the horizon and a fresh snow blanketing the landscape. A frigid breeze rattles frozen limbs. You pull up the sheets and pity all wildlife, for they must be hunkered down in coniferous stands, reserving stores...
A cattail falls to the blade of my brush cutter, grudgingly smacking my face and exploding into a cloud of seed. Reed canary grass, invasive by nature, has also colonized this wet meadow of Macricostas Preserve that parallels Route 202, and its eradication is the...
Winter is primetime for owl prowling since many species’ breeding seasons are either underway or quickly approach, and they act accordingly. Great horned and barred owls hoot in declaration of their territories as well as to communicate with their mate. Eastern screech owls whinny and...