The Cure for Cabin Fever at Fort River

Winter fun for everyone!

Winter is here, and so are cold temperatures and snow. During the winter months in the Northeast, many people find themselves feeling restless with “cabin fever”. Thankfully, the National Wildlife Refuge System provides fun winter activities at the Fort River division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Hadley, Massachusetts throughout the winter! Whether it be snowshoeing the trails of the refuge, tracking wildlife through tracks and signs in the snow, wildlife viewing and photography, learning about the subnivean zone, hunting, or visiting the Connecticut River exhibit and watershed demonstration table at the Springfield Science Museum, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge provides winter fun for everyone!

Snowshoeing at the Fort River Division trail allows you to continue your outdoor adventures all year long, and get a first hand look at wildlife in the winter. Snowshoeing is a great way to access and explore areas that would otherwise not be accessible during the snow-covered winter months in New England.

Who goes there? Winter is a great time to find out! While exploring the trail of Fort River, keep an eye out for animal tracks and sign in the snow to discover the wildlife present and their behavior. Tracking may reveal an animal’s size, gate, diet, and habits, and is a source of wonder and imagination. A 2 page animal track identification guide will be available for viewing in the main kiosk at the start of the trail – use this visual to help you identify the wildlife tracks left in the snow.

Evidence of an owl hunting prey under the snow.

Raccoon tracks.

When planning a visit to the Fort River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, don’t forget to pack your binoculars and camera! The Fort River trail offers picturesque views of birds and other wildlife, providing us with the opportunity to see the natural world differently through a camera lens. Allow yourself to be still, silent, and humbled at the multiple overlooks along the trail, where you’ll have the perfect vantage point for wildlife viewing and photography. A bird identification guide is in the main kiosk at the start of the trail – use this visual as a guide for identifying the birds you see from the trail.

Male and female northern cardinals.

For the winter months, the story book kiosks along the Fort River trail will feature “Over and Under the Snow” by Kate Messner, a children’s book that explores the secret kingdom under the snow where animals live throughout the winter – the subnivean zone. Be sure to check the Friends of Fort River Facebook page to keep updated on books featured in the story book trail kiosks!

An illustration of animals living in the subnivean zone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hunting is a fun activity that offers a sense of freedom and self-reliance that cannot be matched.” The Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge offers regulated hunting opportunities at Fort River and other divisions of the refuge, including the Nulhegan Division in northern Vermont and the Pondicherry Division in New Hampshire. It is essential that all hunters understand and comply with both refuge-specific and state hunting seasons and regulations. Wondering how regulated hunting contributes to conservation and the mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service? Check out A Non-hunter’s Guide to Hunting to learn more!

A mother and calf moose at the Nulhegan Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge.

On days where you’d prefer an indoor expedition, check out the Connecticut River Exhibit at the Springfield Science Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts! The exhibit features 5 interactive educational kiosks, including a salmon game, a grip strength comparison between your hand and the talon of an American Eagle, and fun facts about the Connecticut River Watershed. Don’t miss the Conte Refuge’s watershed demonstration table, where you can learn what defines a watershed, how watersheds are formed, what ecological services watersheds provide, and how you can do your part in ensuring watersheds stay healthy and clean for wildlife and people alike.

Part of the Connecticut River Exhibit at the Springfield Science Museum.

 

Beach Day for Beetles!

The largest-ever reintroduction of an endangered tiger beetle happened quietly in the morning of October 19th, 2017, on a foggy beach in the Connecticut river. These beetles are the rare Puritan Tiger Beetle, Cicindela puritana , or “PTB” as tiger beetle experts call it. This species is listed as federally threatened and state endangered due to a century of human use that has changed the Connecticut River’s flow. This change has reduced desired habitat, and left only one viable population of PTBs in New England. This reintroduction of more than 700 laboratory-reared PTB larvae is only part of a multi-year, team-project to establish sustainable populations of PTB in the Connecticut River.

Endangered Puritan Tiger Beetle male.

This project, which is supported by the Cooperative Recovery Initiative program and based at the Richard Cronin Aquatic Resource Center in partnership with Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, unites a seasoned team of over 30 Federal & State wildlife officials, professional Biologists, Academic partners, students, and generous volunteers. Together, this group is pioneering methods to acquire land, captive-rear larvae, manage habitat, and use field-techniques to ensure the survival of PTB throughout one of the largest rivers in the Northeast.

Volunteers from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Student Conservation Association, and the University of Massachusetts prepare a plot before larva reintroduction.

To restore a healthy river ecosystem that includes these tiny apex predators, lab-reared PTB reintroductions are key to establishing new populations. To do this, the PTB team uses aerial “butterfly” nets to carefully collect adult beetles from the single source-population. The adult beetles mate and lay eggs in the lab, which hatch into larvae that grow progressively larger through 3 growth phases, called instars. In the wild, it takes about 2 years for PTB larvae to reach their third instar, but in the lab, this time can be reduced to just a few months.

Rodger Gwiazdowski moistens the top layer of soil with river water at 1 of 7 reintroduction plots.

The reintroduction sites were carefully selected by the PTB team. Finding good habitat requires expertise to determine sediment size, beach slope, and the abundance and diversity of prey that PTBs prefer. To be reintroduced, PTB larvae are transported to the site, each in their own small sand-filled vial, and released into plotted-areas on the beach where they immediately dig vertical tunnels in the sand to develop through their instar stages. 

Volunteers release PTB larva into the sand.

Over the next 2 years, the PTB team will revisit the reintroduction sites to count the number of PTB burrows and adult beetles, which will indicate the success and survival rate of the lab-reared PTBs.

Stay tuned for 2018 updates on the PTBs!

Springfield Hosts First Ever Community BioBlitz

“I work with the Sustainable Springfield Urban Refuge Partnership, and today we have our first ever BioBlitz for the city of Springfield!” exclaims Dave Sagan, Private Lands Partners Biologist with Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge. In partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, ReGreen Springfield, the Springfield Science Museum, and experts and naturalists from the state of Massachusetts, the city of Springfield hosted its first BioBlitz in Abbey Brook on Thursday, July 13, 2017.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees and interns pause for a group photo at the 2017 Springfield BioBlitz. Photo by ReGreen Springfield.

The purpose of the BioBlitz is to engage the local community in collecting data on the flora and fauna found in their neighborhood, specifically Abbey Brook behind the Springfield Renaissance School. In collaboration with host partners, participants from the Springfield community identified, counted, measured, photographed, and recorded information about the species they discovered.

Several groups of Renaissance School students had the opportunity to participate in the BioBlitz, where they were introduced to wildlife species in their community. “It’s pretty exciting to see folks that are actually coming and seeing Abbey Brook for the first time, whether it be youth or an older person, but especially youth to see them really experience nature first hand. A lot of folks see the trees and they see the woods, but they don’t take the time to go out and adventure into them. Today the BioBlitz partners will take them into the woods to teach them about the things that live in Abbey Brook, and point out what they might look for the next time they visit. The opportunity to come back and explore and look at other natural areas in the city is critical and important,” says Dave Bloniarz with U.S. Forest Service and ReGreen Springfield.

The NorthWoods Youth Conservation Corps participated in the BioBlitz, and have completed restoration projects in Abbey Brook. Photo by Kelsey Mackey.

“It’s really a cool engagement throughout the community, not only here at the Renaissance School but also the surrounding neighbors to see this little gem they have right in their backyard,” says Dave Sagan. The BioBlitz not only contributes critical data to the scientific community, but also exposes the Springfield community to natural areas within their city, often for the first time. “We found frogs, a turtle, and are also looking at some of the trees and plants that I didn’t know about, and what they do. I think that’s pretty cool,” says Savioie Mohown, a Renaissance School student and BioBlitz participant.

“This is my first BioBlitz and so far it’s been incredible. I got to meet kids from different areas, and working with partners has been amazing. Everyone is so knowledgeable, and they provide learning and education to today’s youth. I’m hoping the BioBlitz will continue to happen every year, it’s a great experience and an amazing opportunity to be able to attend,” says Crystal Leckie, Hispanic Access Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Visitor Services intern.

By the end of the BioBlitz, partners and participants successfully identified 97 bird, amphibian, reptile, and plant species! Many participants left with a greater understanding and appreciation for wildlife and natural areas in their community. The success of the BioBlitz species count exemplifies the incredible diversity of wildlife found within urban areas, and provides a unique opportunity for community members to learn about the wildlife in their own neighborhood.

Click here for more great stories like these from fellow Hispanic Access Foundation interns!