Donker Farm is Conserved!!!

DONKER FARM

At last, the paperwork has been recorded and the deal is done!
Donker Farm is Worcester's newest conservation area!

The Donker Family, and in particular Elisabeth, has made Worcester's future a different and more excellent place, as the last farm in Worcester is now put aside and taken from the pool of potentially developable lands to remain as our tie to Worcester's deep roots as an agricultural community, even as the City works out what comes next in our post industrial mix of where we live, where we work, and how we spend our time.

Today is a remarkable day, and it is well worth stopping for just a second to contemplate there being sheep, geese, and chickens in our midst, right here in the second largest city in New England, and they are not in a zoo, but are happily ambling about the old farmhouse, as they have been doing for generations.

For land conservation geeks, it is also worth noting the Donker Farm is directly contiguous to the Conservation Area known as Cook's Pond, which runs between Olean Street and Tory Fort Lane, to its west, To the west of Cook's Pond is Cascading Waters, Cascades Park, Cascades East, Cascades West, Boynton Park, Muir Meadow, Southwick Pond, and Southwick Brook. Looking in another direction, to the north: Donker Farm is also directly contiguous to the Cooks Brook Conservation Area that runs up to and across Moreland Green Drive, right to the very cusp of Brigham Road. This is not just the last farm in Worcester, it is also a critical link in a beltway of of forest and conservation land. Just ask the deer, the coywolves, the turkeys, and all manner of critter that use this wildlife corridor.


Trailhead Conditions at 7:00 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 49.3 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 58% and steady;
Pressure is 29.50" of Hg and steady;
The air is stirring but there is no reading on the anemometer;
The skies are clear and sunny with high altitude clouds;
The Cascades are flowing, albeit modestly;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Increasing clouds, with a high near 65. North wind around 7 mph.

A Damp Start, But It Gets Better

A damp start to the day, but it is going to get better, so hang in there!

The "NED"

Last night I was able to walk the "NED."
The NED is a trail that runs along the north-west line of Green Hill Park from Marsh Street headed south.
What is remarkable about the NED is that it has been reborn.
The ALB cutting in Green Hill Park took out much of the forest cover the trail passed through, and the forestry softened up the ground considerably, as the side of Green Hill Park's slope is full of springs and seeps. The trail is reblazed, and relocated out of wetter areas. The upside of the forest cutting is the expanded views. There are now views of not just Asnebumskit, but also Wachusett Mountain, and South Pack Monadnock, as well as part of the Wapack Range. Not a bad view for in the heart of the City.

WILDFLOWERS UP!

The Trout lily are up, and the some of the flowers are now visible. With any luck they will bloom with last night's and this morning's rains. Trout lily have a yellow flower with red and purple marks in the center of the flower. They will be overlapping with the tail end of the Blood root for a nice wildflower mix!

TED

Ted is alive and well on the AT and has been reporting in! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

FARM NEWS (OR LACK THERE OF)

And I knew I should be hesitant about mentioning a potential closing in yesterday's post, and sure enough, one of the critical pieces of the documentation needed was trapped in the mail truck until 2:45 p.m. yesterday, and so the closing was delayed until this morning. Please let it close today!

CHARLTON

Yesterday also took the Trust out to Charlton, MA.
Yes, you read that right. Charlton.
You see the Trust covers "Greater" Worcester, and generally speaking that tends to extend to about a two town ring around the City, and that does include Charlton.
HOWEVER, we generally also defer to the local town land trust, and Charlton has one, the Charlton Heritage Preservation Trust.
Only, this time there was critical habitat that needed someone to step in, and the project wasn't doable for our friends at the CHPT, and we were invited to take a crack at it.
Well, this adventure starts back in the mists of 2007 or so, and the project is part preservation and part development, and the development part is getting close to happening, so we were doing a prior conditions walkthrough with a GPS and a digital camera.
Even though there will be some 12 plus acres set aside as preserved land, some of it important State listed habitat, it can be a little hard to walk the site and look over the areas that will soon become cleared, regraded, and paved, all as part of a new neighborhood.
The important part is to focus on what will be left untouched, the habitat that will be preserved, and the forest that will enrich the lives of the families that will soon live here.


Trailhead Conditions as of 7:30 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 43.3 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 83% and steady;
Pressure is 29.59" of Hg and rising;
Wind is stirring, but no reading;
Cloudy skies;
Cascades are flowing;
Cascades brook is flowing in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE.


National Weather Service Forecast:

A slight chance of showers before 9am.
Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 56.
North wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%

Cool, with Showers Coming

It was a busy weekend!
From Friday's Ecotarium Festival to the Saturday Crow Hill Cleanup, with some training thrown in for good measure!
The Tatnuck Island Club had a CleanUp of Cook's Pond this past Saturday as well!


This week promises to be a big deal as well.
Theoretically, within the limits of human ability, this should be the final step in the conserving of Worcester's Last Farm.
I am almost too skittish to write it out, but there it is.
Cross your fingers hikers, photographers, animal lovers, cultural historians, gardeners, and hearty local folk. This is the moment, God willing.


The hiking should be great today, cool, not terribly wet (yet!) with Bloodroot, and Skunk Cabbage livening the landscape, and the Trout lily leaves (a varigated green and purplish mottled color) are emerging, and the yellow flowers should not be too far behind.


Hopefully the rains will hold off for our friends at the Clark Outing Club, as tonight is their end of the academic season Marshmallow Roast, which they have on the Clark Common ("Red Square") tonight.


Mostly we are just holding our breath to see the big project through to completion though. That is the primary focus.



Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature 46.2 degrees F and steady;
Humidity 53% and steady;
Pressure 29. 47" of Hg and steady;
Wind is siring but not registering wind speed
Skies are overcast;
Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Showers likely, mainly after noon.
Cloudy, with a high near 53.
Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 60%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Overcast With Birds

The skies are overcast but the birds are singing away.
The Blood root is in bloom and the the Cascades are flowing.

CROW HILL

Yesterday was a busy day for the Trust!
Our Volunteer, Nick, was our on the ground manager for a cleanup at Crow Hill.
The Worcester geocachers agreed to take on Crow Hill as a CITO event (Cache-In, Trash-Out.)
They were joined by a team from Holy Cross students as part of Holy Cross Cares Day.
They got a ton of work done!

GRIPHOIST TRAINING

Yesterday also saw Colin out at Wachusett Mountain with the Appalachian Mount Club Worcester Chapter taking a Griphoist Class. More or less this is the art of moving enormously heavy objects and getting rocks to fly through the air.


TED

Ted reported in from "The Barn" restaurant and is continuing his trek up the Appalachian Mountains. tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 39.5 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 51% and steady;
Pressure is 29.50" of Hg and steady;
There is movement of air, but no mph registering;
Skies are overcast;
The Cascades are still flowing;
Both channels in the Cascades Brook are flowing;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

A chance of showers, mainly after 3pm.
Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 30%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 

Chilly but sunny

Still chilly and windy here today, 'though we're running out of April. Nice day for a hike, but layer up, as it will be a chilly start.
At 7:30 am, it is 35 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 51% and steady.
The barometer is 29.62 inches of mercury under clear skies.
Wind in the observed period ranged from 0.5 to 2.5 MPH.

The US Forest Service Fire Danger for today is HIGH.
Today's NWS forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind around 11 mph.

We'll have a crew out today with Working for Worcester, and we're also getting some experience in with using a grip hoist out at Mount Wachusett. 

Grey, Cold, & Windy

Well, it is a cold, grey, and windy start to today.
But, it will warm up some.
It is honestly a great day for a vigorous hike that will push you physically as the cool and wind will help you from overheating. Just be careful if you stop for a break!

Oh, and yesterday a chipmunk was making the most of the bird seed raid, when he found himself noticed, only he was at the bottom of the seed bin! So he just stayed as still as possible and pretended he wasn't really there, hoping we would catch on!

MORE EARTH DAY
Today GWLT will be having a table and a presence at the latest of the local Earth Day events. It is more like an Earth Fortnight than a 24 hour day!

Today's location will be the Ecotarium, which is exciting given the land conservation work the City, the Trust, and the Ecotarium have been engaged in. Crow Hill, across the street from the Ecotarium has become a considerable City conservation asset!

If you are going to be there stop by to say "Hi!"

TED
Ted reported in from the AT having passed through the Grayson Highlands! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 35.8 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 51% and steady;
Pressure is 29.56" of Hg and steady;
Wind is blowing from 1.0 mph up to 6.5 mph in the observation period;
Skies are overcast;
Cascades have flow;
Water is flowing in both channels in the Cascades Brook;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50.
Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Windy, Sunny, But Overall Pleasant

Funny weather for the next several days, with an unlikely, but possible, chance of frost, of all things.

It is pretty great weather for hiking though!

Last night some mid-sized, and very clever, mammal decided to explore our front porch, and managed to pry the lid off of the metal canister that contains bird feed. Being the middle of the night, we heard it, but managed to think of a thousand completely innocuous reasons for the noise before dozing back off. The impressive part of this feat is that the lid is pretty challenging to remove, and that is with the benefit of opposable thumbs! The lid is also tight enough where its removal may have been entirely speculative, as it is hard to believe that there was much, if any, scent getting through there.

The squirrels finished off the feast, and there is nothing to cleanup.

Another crisis averted!

This is a good reminder that birdfeeders are now out of season as it is bear season!
(I don't think ours was a bear, though I can't prove it.)


Trailhead Conditions at 8:30 a.m. at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature 42.4 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 55% and falling;
Pressure is 29.47" of Hg and steady;
Wind is variable between 1-2.5 mph;
Skies are a mix of mostly clear with some clouds;
The Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Isolated showers, mainly between 2pm and 3pm.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49.
West wind 14 to 16 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Earth Day (actual date, not Worc. Earth Day observed)

So, Worcester is a funny place.
We celebrate the 4th of July on the 3rd,
We celebrate First Night on the last night of the year,
and, among other things, we almost never celebrate Earth Day on Earth Day.

I love the reason why!

I don't know about your email box this morning, but mine had advertisements to buy something for Earth Day, and non-profit promotional pitches to feel good about the Earth.
Worcester's Earth Day is a City Wide Spring Cleaning of trash, especially in our public open places, like forests, rivers, ponds, parks, even median strips!
This means that our Earth Day will always be on a Saturday to maximize volunteer participation, and to make the might of the DPW available to bear on the effort.
We go after new debris, and old problems, and little by little, decade after decade, we have managed to dig our way out of a lot of accumulated funk.
For us Earth Day is synonymous with CleanUp of the outdoors!

At Cascades East alone we managed to haul over 2100 lbs of old metal out of there, and dozens and dozens of bags of assorted debris, and the site has never looked better.
That is just one location in a City of locations.
THAT is Earth Day!
So, happy Earth Day! real or observed.

EVENT

Today GWLT is at the Earth Day Festival at the UMASS Med Campus on Lake Quinsigamond with Gordon and Mary working the table! If you are down there say "hi!"


WEATHER NOTE

CHANCE OF HAIL LATER TODAY!!!


TED'S AT TREK

Ted's AT Trek Blog is now full of photos again thanks to his stop in Damascus, VA! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters at 11:00 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 65.5 and rising;
Humidity is 34% and steady;
Pressure is 29.59" of Hg and steady;
The wind is moving along with a max at 9.0 mph;
The sky is clear;
The Cascades are flowing nicely!;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels and there is good volume!;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm.
Some of the storms could produce small hail.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 60.
South wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 60%.
New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Mother Nature Takes a Well Deserved Drink

Yesterday and last night saw considerable rain, and some of the rain and thunderstorms last night were quite impressive!

Our farmer in the Tatnuck Valley was commenting yesterday, as we fed the chickens and geese, that after the snows we had what amounted to a small drought. Warm and dry with little rain to speak of.

True enough!

All of the tree buds were waiting for rains to swell and pop, and everything has been in a state of arrested spring.

Well! We took care of that!

You may note that the woods smell different today.
It had been so dry that there was little activity of the fungus and bacteria that are prolific in the forest floor, and suddenly they have been brought back, and the air is different.

Trail Work

Despite yesterday evening's trail work getting rained out, earlier in the day some great work got done!

Yesterday a crew of Dynamy students worked on fixing a wet trail crossing on the East Side Trail, and oddly enough had the perfect conditions to do it, RAIN!

Seeing where the water stands, flows, is blocked, and naturally was supposed to go is so much easier to do in the rain!

Ted's AT Trek

Ted reported in from the AT yesterday, and we are sorting through the photos he sent back. They should be going up over the next day or two. tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


8:30 am Conditions at the Cascading Waters Trailhead (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 51.4 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 98% and steady;
Pressure is 29.38" of Hg and steady;
The air is still;
We have fog, lots of fog!;
The Cascades are roaring away nicely!;
The Cascades Brook is swollen and flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is an unsurprising LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

A chance of showers, mainly between 1pm and 5pm.
Patchy dense fog before 2pm.
Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 62.
West wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 40%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday Post

Yesterday there was quite the swarm of activity around here!

We had a Clean Up at Cascades East, Coes Reservoir, & Sherer Trail, while our buddies just to the south had a Clean Up at God's Acre. We even ended up with an impromptu Clean Up of KinneyWoods!

Still Early On - There were MANY more!

Just SOME of the Scrap Metal to be Recycled

There were folks from the Clark University Outing Club, the WPI Beta Theta Pi, GWLT Volunteers, and Tatnuck Neighbors!

Thanks to everyone who made all of this possible! Without so many hands and so many wheelbarrows none of this could happen!

Then there was a BBQ.

Finally, after some minor straightening, all became still.

Blood root

Right now the Cascades have been hopping with folks out for a short walk to see the falls! A small "neighbor-debris" walk-the-line pickup (a distasteful (in that it does not put one in a neighborly frame of mind), but necessary aspect of stewardship.)

While it is sunny, it is cool, and there is a wind.

The Fire Danger chilled out a bit to just MEDIUM.

Enjoy folks!

Earth Day! Come join us at a clean up!

We're up bright and early today for the 26th annual Earth Day Clean ups, organized by the REC! GWLT is running clean ups starting at 8:30 am at Coes Reservoir (off of Englewood Ave) and at Cascades East (right off Olean Street).
And yes, Cascades East could use wheelbarrows still!
And at noon, come back to Cascading Waters for a cookout!

It is a GORGEOUS day!
At 7:30 am, it is 51.8 degrees and rising.
77% humidity and falling
The barometer is 29.8 inches of mercury and steady
Very light wind: 1.5 mph during period observed.
Fire danger is HIGH

NWS out of Boston is forecasting: 
Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.

Rainy Start, But We Needed It

Today is off to a rainy start, but with the ground so dry, and the leaf litter unchecked by green growth, we really needed it!

Besides, now all of the buds and flowers will pop, the grasses will re-emerge, and the moss will turn deep green.

EARTH DAY CLEANUPS

We need wheel barrows!
If you can spare or share a wheel barrow for a day, please know that they are absolutely CRITICAL to being able to extract the craziness from up on Casacdes East!
We will be out at Cascades East from 9-12 on Olean Street and heading in and dragging out all manner of interesting stuff!
Your help would be great too!
Afterwards there will be a BBQ at the Lodge just down the street!

Ted is BACK!

Ted checked in yesterday and has been cruising right along and is now 418.5 miles into the ST and is done with North Carolina! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 51.3 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 80% and steady;
Pressure is 29.88" of Hg and falling;
The skies are overcast and it is spitting rain lightly;
The Cascades are flowing, though with only a little water;
The Cascades Brook is still flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM.


The National Weather Forecast is:

Showers likely, mainly before noon.
Cloudy, with a high near 62.
West wind 10 to 16 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunny Day and Flowers Blooming!

More flowers are blooming!
We now have native Bloodroot!
The ornamental crocuses and others have been popping up in the yard as well!

(photo of Periwinkles)

This morning is sign and timberwork at Cascading Waters from 9-12!

Saturday is Earth Day Cleanups at Cascades East from 9-12!
   Followed by a BBQ at Cascading Waters!
   We will be meeting at the Cascades East property sign on Olean Street near the Holden Line! Come join us, and if you can't make it please consider loaning a wheel barrow!

Amusing Aside: Today the Fire Danger is less extreme, though it was amusing to see that someone made the paper down south of us for having a burn pile without a burn permit on a Red Flag and Very High Fire Danger Day! Yeah, surprise surprise, it got away from him and required over 15,000 gallons of water. (That sounds like a lot, but is more or less a typical backyard swimming pool's worth.)

 Still waiting on word from Ted on his way to VA tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 36.5 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 52% and steady;
Pressure is 30.30" of Hg and steady;
Wind is still;
Sky is sunny and clear;
Cascades are running;
Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 64.
Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Red Flag Warning : Fire Danger VERY HIGH

Red Flag Day!
Today is forecast as a VERY HIGH Fire Danger!
Today would be a very bad choice of a day to have a brush pile burning or an outdoor fire.
BUT, the exciting part is we get to hang out the orange sign!

Tomorrow is Sign and Timberhewing at Cascading Waters from 9-12!

Saturday is Earth Day Cleanups at Cascades East on Olean Street at the Holden line from 9-12 with a BBQ at Cascading Waters afterwards!

No word from Ted tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

Trailhead conditions at 6:30 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 39.2 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 51% and steady;
Pressure is 29.91" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring but not registering in mph;
Cascades are flowing, but light volume;
Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
Skies are clear;
Fire Danger is VERY HIGH!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 10 mph.

Soft Rain, Open Water

About 6:30 a soft rain started to fall and the dry soils, exposed to the winds and the sun, are now happily taking it all in, even if it isn't all that much.

This time of year even a modest amount of rain makes all of the plant life turn an iridescent green, and that would be wonderful! If it rained hard we would get to see the buds swell, but I don't think that is in the cards today.

This morning Cook's Pond is almost entirely open water, with almost no traces of ice remaining. That was a very quick melt off for the pond! Even this weekend there was a partly submerged coat of ice nearly covering the pond. Poof! Spring!

SIGN WORK & TIMBERWORK - THURSDAY

This Thursday is going to be sign and timberwork at the Lodge, and we start at 9:00 am and run until noon. It is supposed to be a beautiful day, so come on by and chip in on some trail signs and property signs and other assorted signs that make the woods intelligible for folks.

EARTH DAY - SATURDAY

This Saturday is our Annual Earth Day Cleanup!
There will be folks at Coes Reservoir, Sherer Trail, and Cascades East!
Our primary enterprise is YEAR 3 of the Cascades East cleanup work!
9 am - noon, followed by a BBQ at the Lodge at Cascading Waters for the Volunteers!

Now, Cascades East was preserved in a little "rough" shape, and has been an ongoing restoration project...
Don't get me wrong, there was a certain "cultural history" to the rusted tricycles and upside down bread truck deep in the woods, but that "je ne sais quoi" isn't really great in terms of land management and conservation practices.

REQUEST!!!!
We could really use WHEEL BARRELS/ WHEEL BARROWS!!!
Even is you can not join us Saturday morning, if your wheel barrel could it would be much loved as an instrument of extracting the debris out of the woods.

Cascades East Factoid: in between last Earth Day and this Earth Day (what we call the "off season") 5050 lbs of metal were recycled out of Cascades East!

If you count the metal and tires and debris taken out in the past 2 years of Earth Days, and count the large metal hauler who took out the vehicles, a huge mount of work has been done up there!

TED on the AT

No word from Ted on the AT, but that is also tied to his being in more rural terrain and his cell carrier being less excited about rural coverage. We will let you know when next we hear from him on his walk towards Damascus, VA. tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


8:00 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 52.7 degrees F and falling;
Humidity is 75% and rising;
Pressure is 29.94" and steady;
Wind is moving but not registering mph;
Skies are overcast, and there is an occasional light rain falling;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is still MEDIUM.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Showers likely, mainly before noon.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

More Beautiful Weather! Poetry Walk/Hike!

The crocuses have begun to spring up!

Finally the weather is fitting of Spring!

You really can't go wrong embracing the weather an heading outside.

At 5pm this evening, local poet Jenith Charpentier is leading a Poetry Walk/Hike with a sit down on the platform below the falls. Meet up at the Lodge at Cascading Waters to set out!

Ted had a well deserved loafing day on the AT yesterday, making the most of a magnificent spot and great weather to just enjoy the moment. tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

The temperature is 41.2 degrees F and steady;
The humidity is 64% and steady;
The pressure is 30.18" of Hg and steady;
The wind is still;
The sun is shining in a blue sky with some high altitude clouds;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 65. 

Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph.

Beautiful Sunday!

Yesterday was a busy one for the Trust!

EAST SIDE TRAIL SYSTEM

In the morning we met with Wellesley College representatives and GWLT volunteers for a Spring run-though of the East Side Trail system.

The main stem of the East Side Trail generally gets attention but the Millstone Trail and the Ghost Trail haven't had as much attention, and so that is where we started. Also, long-term, the Parks Department is going to rejigger the golf course greens out by the hairpin turn on Skyline Drive, and the yellow spur trail there is in places going under the saw, and in others just a wee bit too close to the golf hole. As a preemptive act we switched the end of the yellow spur to start just a short hop further south on Skyline Drive. The old blazes were removed, the new trail was blazed in yellow, and the whole of the spur was repainted for clarity.

We cut some blow downs, collected some trash, cleared deadfall, trimmed back branches, and generally spiffied things up!

COOKS POND CONSERVATION RESTRICTION

About a year and a half ago, inspired by Elsie Uffleman, a neighbor and member of Cooks Pond, we started to push back against the forested edge that had jumped the stone wall, marched to the curb, and began growing into Olean Street, in some cases even leaning out into traffic. Trees love sun, and these trees were on the march!

Well, there is only so much you can get done in a work day (that turned into two), and even the portion we cleared had trees that we just hadn't been able to get to. Besides, the trees never sleep, and new shoots and new branches were already making there way back out to Olean Street!

So yesterday we went out and recut the section we worked on a year and a half ago. Amusingly, the idea had been to expand upon the work done to date and to clear more of the frontage, but a half-day's work proved that holding the line and improving the work done to date would take all of the time allotted and then some!

KINNEYWOODS CAMPING:

Troop 37 out of Tatnuck Square spent Friday to Sunday camping out at Kinneywoods!

It is wonderful to have kids introduced to Greater Worcester's wilder side! And it is great to have this sort of use available for folks! If you even are curious, yes, some GWLT properties do allow for camping by permission, and yes, you can ask!

Glad the Troop 37 folks had such great weather!


Trailhead Conditions at 7: 00 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 33.1 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 70% and steady;
Pressure is 30.03" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring, but no mph are registering;
The sky is clear, and the sun is out;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 66. West wind 9 to 11 mph.

Beautiful Saturday & Mud

This morning we are headed out to the East Side Trail to do some spring maintenace, realignment work, and cleanup after the ALB logging job.
We will be out at the parking area across from Worcester Tech and next to the skateboard park at 9:00 a.m. and then will head north on the white blazed Ghost Trail (old East Side Trail's Ghost). Come join us!

The weather will be nice, but stay on the trail treadway EVEN IF THERE IS A PUDDLE OR MUD!
Walking the edges and the perimeter is bad for the trail, bad for erosion, and bad for the forest habitat.
Embrace the trail, embrace the mud!

Ted reported in again last night, and is about to hit a trail town for resupply. We may get some more photos from the AT! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at 8:00 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 45.3 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 64% and falling;
Pressure is 29.59" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring with a max observed of 0.5 mph;
Sky is clear and sun is out;
Cascades are running;
Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW


National Weather Service Forecast is:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Warm, But Wet & MUD!

Well, warm and wet appears to be the mix for today.
Seeing as yesterday started with a coating of ice and snow on every surface, this would seem to be more of a Spring seasonal improvement..

A truly hearty New England gardener would make the most of the combination.

MUD!!!

The tread surface is muddy.
STAY TO THE PATH,
Even if this means going through puddles and mud.
Trying to edge around the puddles and mud only expand the width of trail, the size of the puddles, and the extent of the mud.
In essence, embrace the mud, preserve the trail and the forest!
It is counter intuitive to accept the wet and the mud, but it is the right thing to do, honest. But don't take our word for it.
Vermont is FAMOUS for their mud.
The Green Mountain Club, who is the oldest long distance trail group out there, and maintains a trail that runs from Mass. to Quebec, knows their trail and knows their mud.
It is from them that we take our trail management mud lessons.
They even close whole series of trails down in mud season, it gets that bad in parts up there!

Ted reported in from the AT and has completed more than 300 miles thus far! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters at 8:00 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 36.1 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 98& and steady;
Pressure is 29.85" of Hg and falling;
Skies are overcast and it is misting;
There is movement of wind but nothing registering in mph;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The Fore Danger Class is LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

A chance of showers, mainly after 3pm.
Patchy fog before 2pm.
Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 54.
Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 40%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

A pleasant but cool start to the day here at the Cascades.
The weather will more or less hold out until this afternoon, and then it gets less pleasant.

Yesterday, shaking off the snows of the winter, we made the trek up to our sawyer, Larry Fife, to get more oak boards for making the Trust property signs and trail signs, as we ran through all the boards we had last fall.

The sky was hazy so there was no view of Boston, but the air was warm, and the sky was bright, and it was a great day to be up on Overlook with the smell of warmed soil, fresh cut tree sap, and sawdust.

Soon these boards will appear in the woods guiding folks along the paths!

Trailhead Conditions at 8:00 a.m. Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 34.2 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 71% and falling;
Pressure is 30.27" of Hg and steady;
Wind is between 1-2 mph in the observation period;
Skies are broken overcast;
Cascades are running;
Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Rain likely, mainly after 2pm.
Cloudy, with a high near 41.
East wind around 9 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Rain coming in

It's overcast only now, but there's rain due this afternoon.
At 7:30 am, it is 36.9 and steady
78% humidity and steady
The barometer stands at 30.06 inches of mercury and steady.
No wind measured
Fire danger is LOW.
The Cascades are running!

NWS Boston forecast for today:
Rain. High near 44. Northeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday was Nice, and There is a Hope of a Nice Monday Today!

Today is starting off on the colder side, and is supposed to improve considerably. Already the clouds have begun to break up a bit as the sun has been rising into the sky over the morning.

The trail was busy this past extended weekend, with many folks free on Friday. Perhaps the most unusual of the various folks who came was the small team who came in and set up a slack line across the Cascades Brook at the bottom of the Cascades. (For those of you who haven't wandered across "slack lining" it is stretching a taut piece of 2" webbing in the air and then walking across this flexible and somewhat elastic surface.) These guys had it all thought through with padding for the trees they wrapped around, and cameras to capture the excitement. Their main slackliner was practiced and managed the crossing without getting wet, which considering the water temperature was good.

We saw a fair amount of melting on Friday and Saturday and if the predicted temperatures pan out we might see a little more today.

This evening we will have a trail work project out at Sibley Farm in Spencer, MA off of Greenville Street. We will be staking hay bales to restabilize the path used for the logging equipment, and we will be rehanging the trail signs we took down next to the logging road for skidding out trees. We will be meeting at 5pm in the Greenville Street Parking Area. You can feel free to join us and if you want more information you can email mary@gwlt.org

Ted should be arriving in Hot Springs today so we likely will get an update and photos over the course of today from the AT tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


8:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 34.2 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 77% and steady;
Pressure is 30.18" of Hg and steady;
The wind is not stirring;
The skies are overcast with some breaks;
The Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the morning.

Rains, More Melt, & Tracks

Overnight rains have further uncovered the landscape. The degree to which there is snow that remains seems to be tied to solar exposure. The landscapes with snow patches are usually among trees and on areas with a slope.

On the topic of snow, earlier this week Jackie photographed some tracks in the snow out on Tetasset Ridge, and we have been trying to pin down a specific animal ID on that. We have our guesses here, but we were curious what others thought as well.

Today will be warmish, as will tomorrow, so this weekend will be a decent one to go for a hike. Have good traction, bring treking poles, and watch your step on the remaining snow/ice mix.

Also, Ted finished up the Smoky Mountain National Park, got to cell service, and reported in at tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 42.8 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 95% and steady;
Pressure is 29.32" of Hg and rising;
Wind is variable from 1-3.5 mph;
The sky is overcast;
The Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.

Wind Advisory:

...STRONG NORTHWEST WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO EARLY THIS EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING...
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO
8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

• WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.
• TIMING...LATER THIS MORNING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON.
• IMPACTS...WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE MAY LEAD TO DOWNED TREE BRANCHES OR EVEN A FEW TREES. UNSECURED OUTDOOR ITEMS MAY BE BLOWN AROUND AND ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 48.
Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.

Overnight Melt & Bears

Last night was over 40 with rain and after yesterday's temperatures in the high 50s with sun produced an incredible overnight melt! It is like looking at a different world here in the Tatnuck Valley.

This also has amped up the flow of the Cascades and the Cascades Brook, and the crashing water is a most welcome sound of spring!


Our Bears are Waking Up!

It is Time for The Annual MassWildlife Notice!

Take Down Your Birdfeeders- Black Bears are Emerging from Winter Dens

Black bears are now active and seeking food. If you live in Worcester County it's time to take down your bird feeders. Bears will often ignore natural foods such as skunk cabbage and head to a bird feeder for an easy meal. To avoid this problem, MassWildlife is asking property owners to be proactive by removing bird feeders and other potential food sources promptly. Once a bear gets food from a bird feeder, garbage can, or open compost, it will revisit the site and look for similar foods in other yards.

There are at least 4,000 Black Bears in Massachusetts and their range is expanding eastward. Take action by removing bird feeders and access to trash and pet food to help prevent conflicts with bears that can lead to hazards to people and bears. Do your part and keep bears wild!

Yesterday we had a crew of four sanding, routing, hewing, chipping, staining, and tracing for the signs that help us navigate the woods! Thanks for the help!


7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 45.5 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 70% and steady;
Pressure is 29.62" of Hg and steady;
The wind is stirring but not reading any mph;
The skies are overcast with some occasional hints of breaks;
The Cascades are flowing strongly!!!;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels with added flow;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast is:

A chance of showers, mainly after 5pm.
Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
West wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Weather for Today is Supposed to be Wonderful

There was pink in the sky at dawn, and presently the sky is overcast, but the weather service tells us to hold out hope and that this will be a wonderfully warm and partly sunny day. Let's run with that!

Last night a gathering of the Trust's key Volunteers and Rangers gathered at the Trust Headquarters at 4 Ash Street for homemade pizza and discussions of what we ought to tackle for the upcoming year. Thanks to the whole gang for a wonderful evening!

This morning we have timberhewing and sign making at the Lodge starting at 9:00 am and running to 12:00 pm, and that should be good fun as well!


Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 29.7 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 48% and falling;
Pressure is 30.03" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring but no mph were recorded;
Skies are overcast and grey;
Cascades are flowing;
Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 58.
Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

April at last!

We made it to April!
Don't miss the Worcester Telegram and Gazette article about Ted in today's paper! Ted's posts are updated over here.
At 7:30 it is 27.5 degrees and steady.
43% humidity and steady
The barometer is 29.74 inches of mercury and RISING! which is a good sign.
The sun is up over Cook's Pond to clear skies today.

The National Weather Service forecast for today: Sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.