Lovely day

It is a lovely day out today: sunny, clear, warm, light breeze. It's finally starting to make winter seem far away. Having those DPW signs notifying us of brush collection finally go up doesn't hurt, either!
At 9 am, it is 60.6 degrees and rising
The humidity is 49% and falling
Barometer stands at 30.30 inches of mercury and steady
The stream is starting its summer fall: it's down to 4 inches even. It is (like most New England brooks) a seasonal stream, so much of it goes dry for the summer.


On Monday it was 47.7 degrees and steady
58% humidity and steady
30.15 inches of mercury and steady
And the brook was at 4.4 inches

Sorry for the gap

Sorry that we haven't posted this week; today's front page of the local section tells you where our heads have been lately.
I believe we have a posting to go up for Monday, and we'll be sure to get one for today.

A Fabulous Day!

9:17 am, and it is magnificent out there.
Hikers have already been through.

61.8 degrees F and rising;
64% humidity and steady;
30.12" of mercury and steady;
no recorded rainfall yesterday;
sunny with a gentle breeze.

Chance of thunderstorms tonight.

Like a rainforest

The humidity this morning is up to 96% (quite a change from earlier in the week); be glad it isn't warmer!
That will take the fire danger right down.
At 9 am it is 58.3 degrees and rising
Barometer stands at 30.21
We have received no measurable rain since midnight; yesterday's total was 0.08 inches.
The Cascades Brook stream measurement is at 5.0" today.

Rainy and gusty (CORRECTED)

Every so often a small front goes through and the wind kicks up dramatically. There's a line of rain squalls coming through today. It doesn't look like anything serious, but it's raising the humidity, and if you're out on a hike, there's a good chance that you'll get damp!

The sign work continues, as Will has a post entirely squared off as of today!

At 9 am, it is 56.5 degrees and rising.
55% humidity and falling (at 9, it was not raining; at 2 pm, it's back up to 83%)
30.30 inches of mercury and steady
The stream stands at 4.8 inches
Fire danger is MODERATE

Clouds moving through

One minute it looks like rain; the next, it's sunny.

At 9 am, it is already 60.8 degrees and rising
48% humidity and falling
30.30 inches of mercury and steady under mostly clear skies
The stream is still flowing with 4.8 inches of water.

Right now, the black flies have largely subsided, and it's a bit early for mosquitoes, so you're in between bug seasons. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Spring visitors

I think we failed to mention that when we awoke on Sunday (at 6 am; Mothers' Day comes early around here!), we found a groundhog happily nibbling away at the plants around the house (nothing we planted). He was a bit disgruntled at being disturbed from his breakfast, and he waddled away under the house.

At 9 am, it is 54 degrees and rising
51% humidity and falling
30.03 inches of mercury under clear skies
The brook is steady at 5 inches

I'm not clear on where the rain forecast for today went, but it does look clear all down the coast.

Clear skies

Lovely right now!
At 9 am, it is 51.3 degrees and rising
55% humidity and falling
29.34 inches of mercury and steady under clear blue skies
Light breeze
Stream level is 5 inches

Hikers moving through steadily. Our Dynamy intern Will has one sign pole nearly squared off in the driveway. We had to re-rig his tent this morning, as yesterday's strong winds took it out!

A Fond Goodbye to the SCA Trails Crew!

Today ends five days of intensive trail work by the intrepid SCA crew (shown here with their fashionable GWLT tin camping cups). They were cutting access for hikers between the Trust's Brigham Road parcel and the City of Worcester's Conservation Commission "Cook's Woods" property.

Most nights it rained. Most days it did not. Overall it was very wet.

They tented out here in the great City of Worcester at Cascading Waters.
They cooked over camp stoves.
They removed numerous ticks.
They moved rock, chain-sawed trees, and setup erosion controls.

They were excellent workers and perfect guests.

They will be missed.

Today's weather has been fabulous.

As of this morning at 9:00 a.m. the weather was:
61 degrees F and rising;
81% humidity and falling;
29.77" of mercury and steady;
the Cascades Brook was at 6";
yesterday's rainfall was 0.98"!

Presently at 4:10 pm it is:
72.5 degrees F and falling;
44% humidity and steady;
29.71" of mercury and steady;
the sun is out and there is a light breeze.

Sunny again, but rain is coming back!

The SCA Trails crew is out blazing in the sun, which is a whole lot more pleasant than yesterday's conditions.

The Dynamy Signage Intern is chopping away doing timber shaping.


The conditions as of 9:20 am were:
48 degrees F and steady;
96% humidity and steady;
30.00" of mercury and steady;
0.31" of rain yesterday;
5" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
the sky is trying to clear and the apple trees are in bloom.

The rain is great for the trees we planted a week ago. Hopefully they made it through the drought to enjoy it.

Presently it is 1:30 pm and the conditions are:

63.9 degrees F and steady;
67% humidity and falling;
29.97" of mercury and steady;
and sunny! with a light breeze.

Raining

After a long day's work (they didn't come back until nearly dark), the SCA gang slept well in their tents and were out for another day's trail clearing before 8:30 this morning!
At 9 am, it is 52 degrees and steady
85% humidity and just starting to rain.
As of 9, we had not gotten enough rain to measure. At 2pm, we've gotten 0.08 inches.
The stream remains at 4.4 inches.
Barometer is at 30.12 and steady.
The current storm is moving offshore.

We've had an enormous amount of leaves come out over the past few days. The forest is really filling in!
Yesterday afternoon, we planted two forsythia bushes, one red maple (I know, I know! but it came free from the Arbor Day Foundation!), and ten mountain laurel. The laurel is down by the street. We're hopeful!

SCA Trails Crew on the way

9:35 a.m. weather and conditions:

57.9 degrees F and rising;
30.00" of mercury and steady;
73% humidity and falling;
overcast, light breeze, partial sun.

Presently we are awaiting the arrival of the SCA Trails crew who will be living at Cascading Waters for the week doing trails work in NW Worcester and SW Holden. Good work should ensue, though the forecast for the week is not in their favor with on and off rain all week long.

Cool, cloudy, overall pleasant

This morning it has been cooler, cloudy, and overall pleasant.

As of 12:03 p.m. the weather is:
63.5 degrees F and rising;
42% humidity and steady;
29.77" of mercury and steady.

This morning saw two teams from the Greater Worcester Land Trust out doing Earth Day Cleanups. One was over at Crow Hill and the other was over at Bovenzi conservation Park.

A nice day to cleanup the woods of old debris from past generations and set things aright for the next.

Misty

We can't tell if the rain gauge is broken or the rain has been too light to measure, but we've definitely had some rain, and we definitely don't have a measurement. We may need to go back to an old-fashioned, non-digital version for the summer.

The mist hasn't stopped the hikers--looks like a grandfather, father, and son--who just came up the trail during lunchtime.

At 9 am it is 59.4 degrees and steady
92% humidity and steady with mist in the air
29.83 inches of mercury and falling
The stream is a bit up to 4.6 inches
We're expecting rain on and off during the day today, possibly with some thunderstorms.

As we were coming home just before lunch, we scared a woodchuck who'd been hanging out somewhere in the yard at the Lodge. He skittered across the driveway, and then he stopped to take a look at us. Not the big guy we've seen before, either.

Yesterday, we had a total of three yellow-shafted flickers in the backyard. They're a member of the woodpecker family, a good size bird (the size of a blue jay), big enough to make you wonder what they are. Their relationship with the woodpecker isn't apparent until you see them on a tree, where they hop up the truck like any other woodpecker.

And we had a good turnout yesterday for platform moving, so if you're on the trail this weekend, you'll see that the big canvas tent is up behind the Lodge. We're having a work crew in next week; they bring their own sleeping tents, but we're providing ours for eating and such.

Red flag still up

The red flag warning (see below) is still posted. The only hope of escaping that is for the rain that is forecasted for this evening to amount to something.

At 9 am, it is 58.3 degrees and rising
38% humidity and steady
30.36 inches of mercury
Stream stands at 4.4 inches

We really could use some help tonight with the tent platform if you're free!

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

At 5:30 this evening, we're going to be moving the tent platform at Cascading Waters--not far, we hasten to add! Just back into the woods. We've got a work crew coming next week who are going to be using it.
There's PIZZA (of course) for those who come.

Please email Anne at anne@gwlt.org if you can come. The more hands, the easier it will be!
Thank you!

Another Red Flag Fire Warning

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EDT
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

THIS WARNING INCLUDES SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE... MUCH OF WESTERN AND
CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS AND NORTHERN CONNECTICUT.

VERY LITTLE RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND OVER THE
PAST WEEK. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY BETWEEN NOON AND 2
PM IN THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY. THEREAFTER...THE INCREASING WIND
WILL SPREAD INTO THE WORCESTER HILLS AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE
BETWEEN 3 PM AND 6 PM.

Hikers hiking

Two hikers are coming down the trail as I type this. Nice day out there...unlike the past few, it isn't so hot that you can't stand the idea of moving.
At 9 am, it is 53.2 degrees and rising
39% humidity and steady
Barometer is at 30.39 and rising (very high)
The stream is down to 4.4 inches
The fire danger is high. You may have caught the front page article in today's T&G about the danger of fire. It has been a very dry and warm spring with an early snowmelt. We are not usually having red flag dangers this early in the season, and unless things turn wet, it could be a dangerous summer.

Red Flags, Purple Trilium, and Seedlings

First, as to the Red Flag Fire Danger:

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS

ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

Out walking the bound lines of Cascading Waters and watering the seedlings planted on Saturday. And the wicked low humidity, high temperatures, and breeze to high winds mean that the seedlings are in a tough spot to keep their moisture and properly establish themselves. Yesterday the Bovenzi Consv. Park seedlings were watered, and if time permits they will be again today.

On the good side, all sorts of things are in bloom! In addition to the Trout Lily, which are quite abundant, there is also some purple trilium coming into bloom. These warm temperatures have put the trees into overdrive and the leafing out over the course of the last 24 hours has been dramatic. The forest is once again green, almost overnight. Pretty wild stuff.

On the negative side there was at least a trashbag's worth of litter collected from the abutters on the north bound line before I ran out of room. It is less than last year. No real litter on the abutters to the south line this year. All in all incremental progress.

Lovely Weather

76.8 and rising degrees F
41 and steady % Humidity
30.06 and steady inches of mercury
0.00 for the Rain
4+11 for the Stream Level
At 9:00
RED FLAG FIRE DANGER it might go as high as 90!

Frog in the brook

Monday, April 27,2009
62.2 degrees F and rising
49 % humidity and falling
30.30 inches of mercury and steady
0.00 for the rain
and the stream is at 5
9:00
I saw a green and brown frog in the brook by the little falls!

More Beautiful Weather

Presently it is sunny, blue skies, decent breeze, and as yet still cool.

The 9:02 a.m. weather conditions are:
74.8 degress F and rising;
51% humidity and falling;
30.09" of mercury and rising;
no reportable precipitation yesterday;
no USFS Fire Danger Status is available.

Last night the Lodge was still full of the day's heat even as outside cooled off, so up into the crawlspace for the screens and this morning was the sound of breeze, birds, and running water in the Cascades Brook. What a great start to the day.

Lots of hikers yesterday, and we expect more of the same today.

So at one point today in the Lodge we looked over at the weather station and it read "91° F" and our immediate inclination was that something was amiss. Maybe the sun was directly on the remote sensor, or......

Nope.

It really was that warm today, and not just here but across the north-east.

If it can get to 91° F in April, what can it do in July and August?

Trout Lily in Bloom

Spring is moving on here at Cascading Waters, and the trout lilies (above, from the north side of the stream, taken this morning) are now in bloom. They're easy to spot this time of year, with the bright yellow flowers standing out against the dry leaves of last year. The rest of the year, you can find them by the mottled leaves that give them their name.
The bloodwort have largely stopped blooming now and have only their shamrock-shaped leaves out.

Treees, trees, trees!

Today was tree planting day for the Trust!

At Cascading Waters the WPI fraternity ΑΧΡ (Alpha-Chi-Rho) planted trees along the north and south bound lines.
They planted a mix of:

• 25 Eastern Red Cedar (good in wetter soils);
• 10 American Red Pine;
• 5 Eastern White Pine;

for a total of 40 trees.

Meanwhile, across town, at Bovenzi Conservation Park (in the Sunrise Ave section) the Bates Alumni Club of Central Mass. planted trees.
They planted a mix of:

• 25 Balsam Fir;
• 10 American Red Pine;
• 5 White Spruce

for a total of 40 trees.

Both groups started at 9 a.m. and finished at 11 a.m.
80 trees were planted in Worcester on the kick-off of the Worcester Tree Initiative planted by the Greater Worcester Land Trust on Trust lands thanks to the academic volunteers! Thank you so much!

All the trees, save the 5 White Spruce, are native to Central Massachusetts and they are all non-ALB host species. The White Spruce were a free-bee we didn't ask for and managed to get into the ground when no one was paying attention. Sneaky trees.


WEATHER:
And now for the glorious weather!
Warm! Sunny! Gentle Breeze! Idyllic!
Presently at 12:45 p.m. it is 83.1 degrees F, and 31% humidity.

As of 9 a.m. the weather was:
66.6 degrees F and rising;
49% humidity and steady;
30.12" of mercury and steady;
no rainfall yesterday;
the USFS fire danger server is still down.

Windy, sunny

Presently the conditions as of 9:12 a.m.:
Sunny, passing clouds, windy;
47.5 degrees F and steady;
64% humidity and falling;
29.65" of mercury and rising;
USFS Fire Danger Class is hard to get out of them. (Their server service was supposed to be completed by the 21st);
Yesterday's (Wed.) rainfall was 0.16"
The Cascades Brook is at 6" even.

Yesterday's conditions as of 9 a.m. were:
55.8 degrees F and rising;
81% humidity;
29.65" of mercury and steady; and
the total rainfall from Tuesday was 0.98" (Quite a lot! for one day)
The secondary stream channel was running.

A series of observations on the brook proper and the secondary stream channel.
The instances of the secondary channel running are increasing, and the size of the storm it takes to get flow in the channel is decreasing. The stone walled edge of the primary channel appears to be breaking down a little bit in its effectiveness.
In addition, as you stand on the Cataract Street Bridge and look east the fairly straight channelized segment is seemingly less straightforward with low to moderate flow. The whole of the channel is still straight, but the stream is taking a less than linear path along the bottom of the channel. High flow and it is definitely straight, but in less than high conditions you begin to wonder when the channel will erode a little here and build up a little there.
It would seem, at least anecdotaly, that the stream is beginning to reassert itself on the Cascading Waters site. We have no problems with this. No public safety is involved, no structures are threatened, and the bridges continue to function admirably. It is kind of nice to know that the Cascades Brook wants to run wild, and that it is more in a position to do so unchecked than it has in decades.

Cascades are RUSHING!

That's what some rain will do for you! The stream is back up to 6 inches, and we expect the fire danger to fall today.

At 9am, it is 44.8 degrees and steady
97% humidity and steady (and raining)
Barometer is at 29.74 inches and falling
The fire danger is below, but expect it to change.

As of 2 pm, we've had 0.43 inches of rain.

Fire Danger Update...

While the USFS Fire Danger is impossible to get from the Forest Service WebServer,
Google Earth's got the WFAS basic station infromation.

And we are in a band of between HIGH and VERY HIGH fire danger.

The rain tonight and tomorrow will be a big help.

Great Weather! but hurry!

A beautiful weekend, and a beautiful Patriot's Day!
The trails are in ever increasing order, the bloodwort is in full bloom, the Cascades Brook is running.
Carpe Diem!

As of 10:47 a.m. the conditions were:
48.4 degress F and rising;
54% humidity and falling;
30.18" of mercury and steady;
A storm system is bearing down on us and will move in this evening (a warning is associated with that.);
The USFS Web Server is all messed up so a fire danger class isn't accessible, other than Maine being MODERATE, and a decent inference is that we would be similar.


National Weather Service Hazardous Weather Warning for Tonight:

THERE WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. ALSO...THERE WILL BESOME HEAVIER DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY CAUSE URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING.

And now for the less dramatic part of our report

At 9 am , it is 53.2 degrees and rising; it may top 70 today!
38% humidity and falling (and there, plus wind, is the fire danger)
Barometer is at 30.15 inches and steady
Stream is at 4.6 inches
Fire danger, you can read about below.

BEAUTIFUL DAY! Just leave your flames at home!

RED FLAG WARNING!!

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BINGHAMTON NY
1052 AM EDT FRI APR 17 2009

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING.
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE MET ACROSS THE WESTERN CATSKILLS AND SOUTHERN TUG HILL PLATEAU THIS AFTERNOON.

WEST WINDS WILL AVERAGE 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 35 MPH... ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THESE WINDS... COMBINED WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DROPPING BELOW 20 PERCENT AND DRY FUELS... WILL CAUSE ANY BRUSH FIRES THAT DEVELOP TO EASILY SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL.

THE MOST CRITICAL TIME FRAME FOR FIRE CONCERNS WILL BE FROM MID AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING WHEN WIND SPEEDS WILL BE HIGHEST. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL BEGIN TO RECOVER BETWEEN 8 AND 10 PM THIS EVENING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY... AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

And now it's spring...

Yes, we finally got around to changing the top photo. The pansies went in earlier this week!

Still Sunny!

48.0 and rising for the temperature
38% and steady for the humidity
30.21 and steady for the pressure
0.00 for the rain
4+111 for the Stream Level (that's 4.6 inches)
Fire danger is still HIGH
(at 9:00)
Not many hikers.

Trail report in

A hiker stopped by yesterday to let us know that in his travels through Cascades East, Cascades West, and Cascading Waters, he'd only found trail blockage on the switchback section of the Cascades trail heading down slope to Cataract Street; all else had been cleared up.
If anyone's got new or different information, we'd love to hear it!

The Worcester Landscape

We thought this might be of interest to our local hikers.

In honor of National Library Week, come hear Prof. Owen Sholes speak about the Worcester landscape on Thursday, April 16 from 7-8PM. The lecture will be held on the first floor of the Assumption College Library. Refreshments will be served.

From Ice Age to Duck Pond: The History of the Worcester Landscape

Assumption College’s Duck Pond has not always been as we see it now. Twenty thousand years ago, all of New England was covered by a huge sheet of ice. After the ice melted, Worcester changed from tundra vegetation to conifer forest to deciduous forest, and the last species of tree to arrive was chestnut (which was wiped out by a blight in the 20th century). Native Americans populated New England shortly after the ice was gone, and were here to greet (and fight) people from Europe. Settlers cleared up to 90% of the trees by 1850, then abandoned most of the land over the next hundred years, allowing trees to grow back where their farms had been. In the 1950s, the old farmland at 500 Salisbury Street was converted to Assumption College, and the stream was dammed near the street to form the Duck Pond. Fifty years seems like a long time, but it is just the latest change to this little piece of central Massachusetts.

Sunny Day !!

45.3 and steady degrees F
50 % Humidity and falling
30.00 and steady Pressure
0.00 for the Rain
5+1 for the Stream Level
VERY,VERY SUNNY!
I am hopeful it does not rain.

WARMER TODAY

48 and rising degrees F
38 and falling % Humidity
30.00 and steady for the Pressure
0.00 for the Rain
4+11 It's so warm I didn't wear my coat.

Hopeful

Out and about, one sees more crocus, daffodils, even an occasional tulip. We're getting there!

At 9 am, it is 39.2 degrees and rising
42% humidity and steady
29.97 inches of mercury and steady
Clear blue skies and a steady wind

As stated below the fire danger is HIGH, and expect it to remain so, as long as the wind and lack of rain continue.
Otherwise, nice weather!

Fire Danger

The weather we will post later, but.....

The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH!

No smoking or fire craziness in the woods folks.

Weather in Transition

Presently the USFS Fire Danger Class is Moderate, but any second now it will begin to rain and wipe that away.

This morning the conditions were sunny and blue with a strong breeze.
As of 9am it was:
48 degrees F and rising;
49% humidity and falling;
29.97" of mercury and steady;
no recorded rainfall;
The Cascades Brook was running at 4.8".

Presently it is densely overcast with a decent breeze.
As of 5:06 pm it is:
59.5 degrees and steady;
33% humidity and steady;
29.91" of mercury and steady;
as yet no recordable rainfall.

Spring is here and the bloodwort are in bloom in the western half of Cascading Waters!

SCA Visitation

The SCA MassParks crew were here this afternoon scouting out trail work projects at the Cooks Woods Conservation Commission property in NW Worcester. They hopefully will spend five days this spring working on implementing a trails strategy called for in the Massachusetts Forest Stewardship Plan for the property. They are a highly trainned college aged crew who work and live at the site to implement access, erosion control, and recreational amenities.

This could be a great leap forward for Worcester's trails!

Colin

Nice one!

Nice one out there!
At 9 am, it is 46 degrees and rising (it may break 60 today)
51% humidity and falling
29.74 inches of mercury and steady
Fire danger is LOW
stream level is 4.8 inches

Both the stream and the brook are running well. We're getting good reports of clear trails up through the Cascades. Enjoy!

YESTERDAY:
36 degrees and rising
54 degrees and falling
29.5 inches of mercury
The stream is at 5.4 inches

Clearing for now

It's clearing out a bit this afternoon, but don't trust it!

At 9 am, it is 42 degrees and steady
98% humidity and steady
29.09 inches of mercury and steady
From midnight on, we've received 0.04 inches of rain. Yesterday's total was 0.59 inches.
The fire danger is NONE
The stream has risen two inches overnight to 7 inches.

The sky gets darker and darker

April 6,2009
42 degrees F and steady,
73% humidity and falling,
29.62 and steady pressure,
0.00 for the rain,
5 for the brook,
Very overcast ,and it gets darker every second!
(NOT AT ALL A GOOD DAY FOR A HIKE) or if you want to, bring a rain coat!

The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.

Incoming!

A friend in upstate NY sent along a word of warning.
Weather coming.
For them it is snow.
For us it will be rain, tomorrow.
A LOT of rain.

How much?

The National Weather Service says:

"LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY INTO MONDAY EVENING WILL LIKELY PRODUCE AREAS OF URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING. SOME RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL COME CLOSE TO BANKFULL FROM THE RAINS."

That could prove interesting!

It has been a busy weekend in the Cascades.

On Saturday two crews from Clark University came in to clear ice storm debris off of the trails.

The first crew was a group of hardy folk some Clark some neighbors bearing chainsaws.
I followed their trail of sawdust through the woods.
Incredible amounts of work!

The second crew was a group of students with had tools who followed a chainsaw bearing GWLT president and moved debris, particularly from the brook by the Sanctuary/Amphitheater.

I walked the River Trail from the playing field to the Meadow Ridge, and it is still buried, though the Meadow Ridge, the Cascades Trails are both in fabulous shape! So another project is in the offing....

On Sunday we saw tons of hikers at the Lodge, and for that mater we saw tons of hikers as well, though the squirrelly nearly spitting rain all day meant that it was a bit restrained.

Presently it is:
10:10 p.m. and
42.3 degrees F and falling,
66% humidity and rising,
29.68" of mercury and rising,
The brook and Cascades are flowing,
and the USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

Rain and fog continues

While it still looks pretty miserable out, it's rather pleasant, in fact, so if you don't mind the wet, take a walk!

At 9 am, it's 50 degrees and steady
98% humidity and steady with mist hanging in the air
Barometer is at 29.62 inches and falling
The brook is up to 5.2 inches
Fire danger is LOW
So far the rain isn't enough to measure for today.

Rain clearing out today!

We've had a chilly couple of days, but the rain forecasted for today has now moved out and left us with a pleasant afternoon!

Yesterday at 9 am:
38 degrees and steady
76% humidity and falling
30.18 inches of mercury
the stream running with 4.8 inches of water

Today at 9 am:
44 degrees and steady
98% humidity and steady; we had quite a bit of fog this morning, in addition to rain
from midnight to 9, we had 0.04 inches of rain
30.00 inches of mercury
the stream is up to 5 inches

As of 3 pm, the temperature is up to 64 (!) and we've accumulated no more rain.

We are pleased to report that we have a fabulous new Dynamy intern. Will has been working this week in the GWLT office on a sign for Cascades West which will go up along Howard Street (which should, among other things, clarify things for those who think that's all Boyton Park). The sign is routed on both sides, has been polyurethaned, and is being inked in this afternoon. Go, Will!

This is the nice one!

We spent a bit of time in the stream this morning (in boots, I assure you!) enjoying the nice weather. There's another line of showers coming through tomorrow, so get out there today!

At 9 am, it is 43 degrees and rising
69% humidity and rising
Pressure is 30.03 and steady
The stream has 5.2 inches of water running happily through it; the secondary channel continues to run, and we've got a nice stream of water coming over the falls today.

At 6:15 am, we had a very joyful cardinal letting us know that we dare not miss a moment of the day. Or so we assume.

rainy Monday

42 and steady degrees F temperature
98 and steady % humidity
29.32 and steady pressure
0.00 and yesterday 0.51 of rain in total
5+1111 for the stream (that's 5.8 inches)
9:10 am

The sun came back!

And it is a lovely afternoon out there right now (we're showing 65 degrees here at 2:30). Last night we got a total of 0.24 inches of rain, which raised the stream back up to 4.8 inches and lowered the fire danger back to LOW.
At 9 am, it is 44 degrees and rising
The humidity is 91% and steady
Pressure is 29.85 inches and steady

We had a group from Mass Audubon come through this morning for a hike up into the Cascades. They came just in time for the clouds to break.

The animals think it's spring

I came back from the bus stop today to find a little red squirrel on the side of a maple tree, lapping up sap! I guess that isn't just a legend.
We also saw, just walking down a block or two, a very happily singing cardinal, a quacking duck, and a hopping robin.

At 9 am, it is 43 degrees and rising.
49% humidity and falling
Pressure is 30.00 inches and steady
Stream is still running at 4.4 inches
The sun is shining and the sky is clear
The fire level has been lowered to MODERATE as we are expected to get some rain this afternoon.

ALB survey tomorrow!

You know you want to do your part against those little critters that are defoliating the city. Here's your chance!

Meet tomorrow at noon at the Green Hill Park golf course parking lot for Asian Longhorned Beetle Survey. We'll be out until 1:30!

This is, as always, weather depended. If it rains, you can't see much up high. So far, it looks as though the rain is going to hold off until later in the afternoon, though.

Another deceptive day...

You look at the thermometer, it says 50, you walk out without a jacket, and wow! Not so warm!

At 9 am, it is 37 degrees and rising
49% humidity and falling
30.33 inches and steady for pressure
The stream stands at 4.4 inches with the Cascades continuing to fall.


We're heading out for a hike this afternoon; we'll comment here if we find anything.

Everybody knows it's

windy...
Yes, indeed, 18 mph or more. Amazing how much that brings down the perceived temperature. At 3pm, it's up over 50, but you'd never guess it if you're outside!

At 9 am it is 36 degrees and rising
41% humidity and steady
The pressure is 30.24 inches of mercury
The stream is running at 4.4 inches
Fire danger is HIGH

We've had some steady traffic on the trails again today.

Sunny and back to chilly

The wind and sun are baking the moisture right out of the forest; you can watch the humidity fall. Fire danger right now is HIGH, and with no rain forecasted, expect that to get higher.

At 9 am:
Humidity is 42% and falling (to 35% by noon)
Temperature is 26 degrees and steady
The stream is running with 4.4 inches of water.
Barometer stands at 30.18 inches--the nearest clouds are over Ohio.

Fire Danger ALERT!!

So....
The U.S. Forest Service server has been all funky on us as of late.
No predictions, other than my guess that without rain it has to be going up.

Well, there is always more than one way to skin a cat, and so I went to the US Forest Service Fire Prediction Center and went poking around and found this:


Forecast Fire Danger for here tomorrow is HIGH! (Yellow is HIGH)
No real rain forecast till Wednesday, and an EXTREME reading just to our northwest (small orange pocket), makes it look like we may see it rise even further.

So, unlike last week, this is now a time to over-react to smoke or fire in the woods.
You have now been warned!

Overcast, but still busy

The hikers, the dogs, the bicycles keep going by. It's a bit overcast now, as some cloud cover moves through, but it isn't supposed to amount to much, so enjoy the time outside!
(and we've really got to change that photo!)

At 2 pm, it is 46 degrees and falling
40% humidity and steady
Barometer stands at 30.06 and steady
The Cascades and the brook both are still running.

Busy day out on the trailhead

It was a busy day out on the trailhead!

Folks coming and going.
Lots of hikers.

Moving pine tree ice storm debris from the trail.
And there was more of that there than you could have guessed!
Layer upon layer, upon layer of flattened white pine tree branches matted together.
Moving ice storm debris from the glen in which the Lodge is situated.

The secondary brook has water in it, though not much flow.
The Cascade Brook was running at 5.6".

A terrific day once it warmed up.

Beautiful Day!

As of 11:12 a.m. here at the Lodge at Cascading Waters it is:

41 degrees F and rising,
39% humidity and steady,
30.42" of mercury and steady,
there is no recently recorded rainfall,
the Cascades are running,
it is sunny with a strong breeze.

The USFS server is down, so no forest fire danger predictions, though I would list it as low to medium, and likely to rise in the next few days.

Vernal equinox

The equinox tells us that we've got an equal night and day lengths today; from here on into summer, the days are longer than the nights! This should be good news for any of us sure that winter would never end! Spring started at 7:44 this morning, and noses here started itching just about the same time.

At 9 am, it is 34 degrees and rising
51% humidity and steady
30.18 inches of mercury and steady
The fire danger map is still down...
Cascades are running!

Line of rain

The radar shows a dramatic line of clouds running down and west across the country. Not much rain has fallen here, but it is NOT good beetle hunting weather, so this afternoon's search has been called off. Next Thursday, same time, same place!

At 9 am, it is 42 degrees and steady
67% humidity and rising
29.94 inches of mercury and steady
As of 9, we'd received no measurable rain (just some sprinkles)
The brook stands at 4.2 inches (it's going down!)

Hunt the ALB!

It won't be as easy as it was on Sunday, where you could find a giant one riding the back of the Mass Audubon truck, but you can go hunt that destroyer of Worcester's forests, the Asian Longhorned Beetle, this Thursday!

Meet at noon at the Green Hill Park Golf Course parking lot at noon for hunting!

Not quite 60

and windy, but lovely!

We just had another person trying to drive on through to the falls; sorry, guys! You've got to walk!

This is the spring melt, and the falls are getting less and less as the week goes along. If you haven't been out to see them running, get out there! You won't see it again until the big thunderstorms of summer.

At 9 am, it is 45 degrees and rising
62% humidity and steady
Barometer is at 30.08 inches and steady
Fire danger map is down...I'd expect that to rise, as the wind keeps up and the humidity falls.

Fire department at the falls

Great excitement here as we looked out the back window to see Engine 9, lights blazing, parked at the edge of the falls. Being as nosy as anyone (and also feeling some sort of responsibility should anyone be hurt who was hiking), I wandered up to see.
Someone called in a brush fire "about 20 yards beyond the falls" to 911. The firefighter who hiked up found a fire (looks like in the firepit that's up there) that had been recently started and abandoned, perhaps even as recently as the sounds of screaming sirens coming. And he put it out (they still use brooms for that, did you know?)

And, we repeat, the fire danger is LOW.

Lovely

The skies are blue, the sun is shining, the trail is busy!
At 9 am, it is 35 degrees and rising
77% humidity and falling
Barometer stands at 30.24 inches and steady
The stream has 5.4 inches of water; it and the Cascades are running nicely.
Fire danger is LOW

Where is spring?

We went out for a hike this morning with that question in mind, and we came up with two signs of spring. The first is the amount of activity out in the forest: there just are more birds around (in particular) being busy than there are in winter. We heard two woodpeckers (caught sight of one, a little black-capped guy), and saw plenty of busy chickadees and such.

The second sign is this:
That's the Cascades this morning.

At 9 am, it is 30 degrees and rising.
Humidity of 44% and falling
Barometer is at 30.25 inches and steady under clear and sunny skies
The brook is running at 5 inches even.

A hike up the steep section of the Cascades trail and then on over the Newton trail today shows that we need to get up there with a bow saw; there's definitely a bit of clearing to be done on the slope, and then a whole section of tree across the Newton Trail. In the meantime, try to go over or through the trees rather than around them, as the bigger the trail gets, the worse the erosion.

If the melt holds

we may need to post a spring photo above!

Sunny Day

30 degrees F and rising
48% humidity
30.34" of mercury and rising
0.00" (no rain)
the stream stands at 6"
The secondary channels are running in the Cascades Brook.
The Cascades are running.
It is sunny and breezy.

Rainy

The stream is up to 6.4 inches this morning. The Cascades are rushing, and we expect both to increase over the course of the day, as more storm is coming!

At 9 am, it is 38 degrees and steady
98% humidity and raining and steady
29.97 inches in the barometer and falling
So far today we have received 0.16 inches of rain with more expected

The fire map is down today (it must have been all of you following the link from yesterday!), but we're guessing it's low and heading down to none if the rain continues.

Trails are muddy, with residual snow here and there.

UPDATE: at 4pm, the stream is up to 7 inches even. The secondary channel is running, and the swampier parts of the wetland are under water. Spring melt!

Back to winter

Yesterday was right back into winter again:
At 9 am, it was 33 degrees and steady
95% humidity and snowing (at that point; we'd had ice before that)
29.83 inches and steady for the pressure


Both today and yesterday we have the not-often seen experience of the Cascades running between banks of snow. Lovely!

At 9am today it is 31 degrees and rising
91% humidity and steady (sublimating and evaporating)
30.24 inches and steady on pressure
Stream stands at 6 inches even this morning
Fire danger is LOW, but the real story is what the rest of the map looks like. Over the weekend, northern New England all joined us in low fire danger; the snow must have largely melted. They've had no fire danger for most of the winter.

Keep in mind that the surface is now thawed under the snow, so it's mud, even if you can't see it!

BEAUTIFUL!

And the trail is hopping today. The Cascades are running, the brook is babbling! Get out in this sunshine! Trail conditions are muddy; after all, it was only a week ago that we got nearly a foot of snow, 'though you'd never know it today!

At 9 am, it is 50.4 degrees and rising (it might hit 60 noon!)
83% humidity and falling
29.74 inches of mercury and steady
Fire danger is NONE

Signs of spring

Last night, heading out to a meeting, I smelled a skunk! March is when the males head out, looking for mates, so that's certainly a sign of spring!

Also, one of the two hawks was up and shrieking again this morning. There was a pair--no idea if it's the same one--spotted up at West Tatnuck Elementary last week. We're getting there!

At 9 am, it is 43 degrees and rising, a very mild morning

Humidity stands at 64% and falling

Barometer is 30 even and falling; there's rain expected later today

Fire danger remains LOW

Stream is running at 5 inches even; expect that to rise over the weekend.

If the weekend is as warm as predicted, the Cascades will be rushing nicely; come see!

We made the paper! again!

Cascading Waters made Mr. Southwick's interesting column on Boynton Park today:

Boynton Park is one of the city’s jewels. Located in the extreme northwest corner of Worcester, it runs into Paxton and Holden and features pleasant glades, woodlands and hiking paths. On the east it abuts Cascades East, owned by the Greater Worcester Land Trust. East of that 100-acre parcel are the famed “cascades” — spectacular waterfalls plunging and foaming down through the rocks, especially in the spring. Those used to be viewable from Cataract Street before it was closed as a public way. Today a short path from Olean Street leads to it.

You can still see the Cascades from Cataract Street, as the public way ends after the bridge. But the path is US! Thank you, Mr. Southwick. Do read the rest of the column, as it's interesting stuff!

Clear and cold this morning, but because there's no wind, it doesn't feel nearly as cold.
At 9am, it is 32 degrees and rising
51% humidity and falling
Barometer is at 30.33 and steady
Fire danger is back up to LOW

Stream and Cascades are still flowing

We're really noticing the sun coming up earlier these days, and so are the birds. They were up and singing before six this morning!

Not spring yet

At 9 am, it is 24 degrees and rising
45% humidity and steady
Pressure is 30.21 inches and steady
Fire danger is NONE
No clouds anywhere near the eastern seaboard
We've still got a breeze, but it isn't quite as frigid as yesterday.

Back to winter

We in New England should know better, but somehow "March" always sounds like spring to me. Not today! But if you haven't had enough time with your snowshoes, break them out today; it's great snow for them. You'll want to be careful of exposed skin, 'though, as the wind is fierce.

At 1: 30, it is 35 degrees (we don't do windchill, but it counts today!) and rising
42% humidity and steady
Barometer is at 29.97 and steady under bright clear skies
Fire danger is LOW
Both the Cascades and the brook are running through the snow, but the stream gauge is frozen back in.
The parking area remains snowed in, but the drive is clear. You might safely bring your 4x4 to bear!

Good Snowshoeing Snow

Observations as of 10:15 a.m. this morning:

The world is covered in snow, but as a result of the wind it varies wildly from 5" to 12"+ depending upon where you are looking.
We will wait for the official numbers from the National Weather Service tomorrow.

Temperature 22 degrees and steady;
Humidity 80% and steady;
Barometric pressure 29.71" of mercury and falling;
On account of frozen slush we were unable to get a good measurement on this, though the flow is strong in the brook right now;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NULL.

The trail from Olean Street trailhead to Cataract Street is packed by snowshoes.

The parking area is snowed in and closed presently.

Enjoy the weather!

Snow, Twice over!

Welcome to storm 1 of 2!

This is the small one, though quite pretty I must say.

As of 12:00 p.m. it is snowing, with a gentle breeze.
The temperature is 24.6 degrees F and steady.
The humidity is 69% and rising.
The barometric pressure is 30.00" and steady.
The USFS Fire Danger Class is presently unavailable, though I would list it as LOW personally.
The Cascades Brook is running at 5.8".

And the other storm is still south of us lumbering up the eastern seaboard.

Humorously, yesterday, for the first time in months, the driveway was bare and more or less ice free.
Gone is the clear driveway within a mere half-day!

Fair number of hikers and photographers running through yesterday in the clear, blustery weather. Much quieter today on the trail. Still tricky with ice in spots and more so on account of the fresh layer of snow on top.

The Stream Gauge is Free of Ice!

As of 11:30 a.m. we have managed to free the stream gauge on the Cascades Brook of the accumulated ice buildup.

Presently it is registering 8.0" of flow.

The Cascades are running.

The 11:30 a.m. conditions are:

35.6 degrees F and steady;
52% humidity and steady;
30.09" of mercury and rising.

Oh, and a safety note:
The packed snow of the trail has turned to ice, and this makes segments of trail quite treacherous. Good gripping boots are in order today.

Weather's Comin'

9:00 a.m. here at the Lodge.

We go from bright and beautiful sun, to overcast and cool, all in a moments shift.
Presently we are in a sun moment.

The temperature is 34 degrees F and steady;
The humidity is 73% and steady;
The barometric pressure is 30.00 and rising;
Both the primary and secondary stream channels are running;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM;
There is a substantial breeze;
The trails are wet and soft, please be mindful of this.

It is a good day for maple sap running, and we will let you know what we manage to pull.
The buckets we hung at Nick's Woods have thus far been quite modest in their yield.

A storm is heading up the eastern seaboard and is over the Carolinas.
The neighbors are all talking snow as they do gardening in this brief moment of spring.
(Already at 9:27 it is now up to 35.8 degrees F and rising, so warmth is the word of the day!)

Enjoy!

GWLT rolls on...

Today we are pleased to announce that approximately 20 acres of land off of Moreland Street is permanently preserved! This was a partnership with the City of Worcester with a State EOEEA LAND grant.

The land is now held by the Worcester Conservation Commission, and the development rights, through a Conservation Restriction, are held by the Greater Worcester Land Trust.

We will be working on some sign for public access over the course of this spring.

Truly cool, as this is a part of town with very little undeveloped land left!

Double post

Sorry; we're keeping records, but we aren't getting them up!

THURSDAY, 2/26:
34 degrees and rising
70% humidity and rising
30.21 inches of mercury and steady at 9 am
Cold with little wind
We saw our first mountain biker in quite some time today!

FRIDAY, 2/27:
At 9:42 it was 42 degrees and steady (though we did see it reach nearly 50 here today!)
98% humidity and steady (that was without any rain, which started much later in the day)
30.00 inches of mercury and falling (storm out in the Ohio River Valley)
Overcast skies and quite a bit of wind, increasing over the course of the day.
Fire danger is LOW

As of 8:30 it is 48 degrees and steady
96 % humidity and rising
Barometer stands at 29.80 and steady
Rain started around 7:30 here and so far we have 0.04 inches
If it stays this warm, we should be able to get a stream reading over the weekend.

Sap is running

GWLT staff are out at Nick's Woods this afternoon with some Bancroft middle schoolers, setting up a maple sugaring operation. We'll be working on sugaring for the next few weeks; if you have any interest, get in touch with anne@gwlt.org

Clear but chilly out there this morning
At 10 am, it is 27 degrees and steady
50% humidity and steady
30.33 inches of mercury and steady
We'll be working on it, but the stream gauge remains frozen for now.
Fire danger is up to MEDIUM (note the relatively low humidity)

This may cut down on the squirrel population

All morning we've been hearing the hawk outside, shrieking. We'd wondered what had gotten into him.
Might it be love?

We just saw not one, but two hawks fly into the evergreen on the property line to the south, down by the road. The hawks have returned and might just be setting up housekeeping locally. We'll keep you posted!

At 9 am it is 29 degrees and rising
61% humidity and steady
29.68 inches of mercury and steady under sunny skies
Fire danger is NONE
There's a LOT of wind out there.
The stream gauge has refrozen.
Yesterday we had a total of 0.39 inches of rain (which doesn't include the snow that fell in the middle).

Clear, Sunny, and Breezy

As of 9:30 am the conditions here at the Lodge are...

32.9 degrees F and rising;
51% humidity and steady;
29.94" of Mercury and rising;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW;
Skies are clear blue with no clouds;
There is a persistent breeze, and occasional strong gusts.

In essence it is fabulous outside.
Expect melting, and muddy trail conditions as the day progresses.

Flurries

...just a bit in the air at the moment.

We came home from our round of errands this morning to disturb a hawk. He was perched on the north side of the driveway, and came flying, low, across the driveway and over to the southern bound. He (she? don't know) has been around quite a bit lately. I've consequently felt leery of filling the birdfeeders.

At 3 pm (sorry for the late post) it is 27 degrees and steady under overcast skies
52% humidity and steady
Barometer is at 29.44 and steady
Fire danger remains LOW
And we have yet to break the new ice off of the stream gauge.

The ground is a curious mixture of bare, drifted snow, crunchy ice covered by drifted snow, and ice. You won't have to slog on the trails, but it isn't easy going either.

Snow melting

And as soon as it fell, it began melting.

The snow was wonderful falling last night and leaving a 2-3" layer on everything.
Somewhere in the middle of the night the sound of falling water joined the nightly chorus of sounds.

Presently there is enough snow to make an 8" snowman, and it being a school vacation week, so it is.

The current conditions here at the Lodge at 10:23 a.m. are:
38.7 degrees and steady.
91% humidity and falling.
29.23" of mercury and steady.
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.
There is a gentle breeze, the sky is bright and overcast.

Bring in your wood

We're pulling in more firewood now, as that nor'easter is coming up the coast!

At 9 am, it is 33 degrees and rising
54% humidity and steady
Barometer stands at 29.94 inches of mercury and steady
Cloudy skies
Fire danger has now moved up to MEDIUM

This morning we had a woman come out from the state to walk the property under consideration for state grant funds. We were joined by representatives of the White Oak Land Trust and the West Boylston Land Trust, as the 53 acres of KinneyWood, should the money come through and the project move forward, will connect property in four towns.

Rains are finished

Not that we saw much rain, but, they are now finished.

For the next 5 days the National Weather Service is saying we will have clear, windy, dry.
We certainly haven't gotten to the clear part yet.

The snows are receding everywhere.
Bare ground is poking through near tree bases, storm debris, stone walls, and anywhere that was aggressively shoveled over the past 5 weeks of snow, ice, and cold.
It is a taste of spring.

Presently conditions at the Lodge at Cascading Waters are:
30.6 degrees F and steady;
29.62" of mercury and rising (indicating higher pressure and clearer weather);
52% humidity and falling (much drier than yesterday's dawn 98%!);
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW;
The skies are, overcast, there is wind with occasional gusts;
but overall it is bright out there.

Hikers have already been going through.

The brook is running with snow melt and the light rains from yesterday, so the stream flow is 6.8".

Still warm...

We came home from our Clark University WaterWatch meeting to find some rain here; the first we've had in quite awhile. Last night we measured 0.16 inches here at the Lodge.

Hats off to the WaterWatchers who are using their time here in Worcester to look after the Blackstone Valley's water. We very much enjoyed their meeting (especially those maps of the Tatnuck watershed, which we're coveting); thank you for inviting us!

At 9 am, it is 47 degrees and rising; it remains to be seen if we'll break 50 again today
94% humidity and steady: between the rain, and the melting, and the dripping, there's lots of water in the air!
Barometer stands at 29.06 and falling
Fire danger is LOW

We have not gotten out to the stream yet today, 'though we expect it will be up again. Last night's rain and the continued warmth means that even more of the Cascades are visible through the snow again.

A report in this mornig that the Cascades trail is passible from one end to the other.

Lovely!

Just beautiful out there! Get outside, if only for a bit today.

At 9 am, it is 46 degrees and rising
81% humidity and falling
29.85 inches of mercury and steady
The stream stands at 4.2 inches
Fire danger is LOW
You can just catch a glimpse or two of flowing water up on the Cascades today.

We're heading out to Clark University's Water Watch this evening to talk about our stream and other GWLT streams in Worcester.

Rain Coming

Starting this afternoon, and running through Thursday evening a line of storms will be passing through.

Look out there, and enjoy the sight of snows, as they are soon to depart.

Looks to be a good day to get out and walk around up until about 3 p.m. when the chance of rains comes in.

Presently it is overcast with a light breeze at the Lodge:
The temperature is 26.1 degrees F and rising;
The pressure is 30.24" and steady;
The humidity is 57% and falling;
The Cascades Brook is measuring 4.6";
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW (thankfully we are not like Victoria Australia on that count).

ALB infestation cutting is taking place today over at Bovenzi Conservation Park.

Brook is up!

As expected, this morning the brook is up to 4.8 (from 4 even yesterday). Lots of water coming down off the hill, 'though the Cascades remain snow covered, as does most of the brook.

We saw quite a bit of traffic yesterday (and thanks to any of you who, in driving in and out, made the parking area more passable. Stomach flu has felled much of the Lodge crew, so shoveling hasn't been high on the "to do" list.). Glad that everyone got out in the sunshine. It was lovely yesterday, and it looks as though we may be hitting the mid-40s again later this week!

At 2 pm, it is 42 degrees and still rising
Humidity stands at 42 and falling
Barometer is steady at 30.18 inches of mercury under sunny skies

Warmer

We kept most of the warmth overnight here (at 10 pm, it was still 39 degrees), so it's had no trouble in warming up this morning.

At 10 am, it is 47 degrees and rising
67% humidity and falling (that's water in the air from snow melting and sublimating (you do remember your chem terms, right?))
Barometer stands at 29.74 inches and steady under clear skies

We just saw what looked like a mother and daughter pair go up the trail with a purple saucer sled. Have fun! Trail conditions are bound to change pretty fast today, but do keep in mind that the snow will hang around in the woods a lot longer than in your front yard (well, your front yard. Not ours!)

Open some windows!

* * * * * * *

Also of note:
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE

Melting

Not quite as warm as predicted (it never broke 40 here), but we can see the ice on the roof melting, the snow pack subsiding, and the eves dripping. The big news on this is the stream gauge is MELTED!
The Cascades brook stands at 4.2 inches

At 4:30, it is 38.8 degrees and falling
Barometer stands at 30.00 inches and falling (but not very fast)
Humidity is at 52% and steady
There is, no surprise, NO fire danger.

There's been plenty of traffic on the trails today (including one junior ranger on new snowshoes).

Land Protection

Today was one of those days.

The die was cast, and we now await the outcome.

The White Oak Land Conservation Society, the Holden Conservation Commission, and the Greater Worcester Land Trust collaborated to submit a grant to expand the wildlife corridor and passive recreation corridor that make up the area stretching across Leicester, Paxton, Holden, and Worcester's NW corner.

This specific effort focuses on a 53 acre area north of Cook's Pond.

It boasts upland harwood forest, wetlands, stream corridors, stone walls, trails, and a proximity to other open spaces.

Moose, bear, and deer have been seen there.

It also benefits from state designations as a BioCore Supporting Landscape, and contains a sliver of Zone B water supply land.

What is hard to remember, from time to time, is that it all comes down to a deadline at a particular time on a particular day in a 9th floor office in Boston to get the wheels turning on a large grant for acquisition.

Today was such a day.

3 p.m. was such a time.

The run to spend 12 minutes in Boston and return, not even yet hoping of what could be, but purely focused toner cartridges running out, required packages delayed, a need for toll money, and a fearful wonderment of what traffic might throw in the way with each passing bend.

And yet, despite every conceivable obstacle, and innumerable unknown ones, once again, we threw the die.

Light a candle kids.

Still frigid

Cold enough to make your hands start to freeze if you're out without gloves. Not recommended. But it does look like the weekend will be great! Maybe some of the ice will melt. Do know that, as always, if you're out and about on GWLT property this weekend, we'd love to hear what you find!

At 10 am, it is 17 degrees and rising
54% humidity and steady
Barometer is at 30.24 inches of mercury and steady under overcast skies
Fire danger is LOW

Get out and move!

We took a short hike on the Holden Trail this morning. We ran into two dogs (and an owner) out for a hike in the sun, as well. It looks as though the Newton Trail has already seen plenty of traffic today (two and four footed) this morning. The woodpeckers were out (we only saw black-capped ones), as were sparrows. As long as you keep moving, you can stay fairly warm, 'though it make take awhile to feel your feet again!

At 9: 30 am (post hike) it is 21 degrees and rising
53% humidity and falling
Barometer is 29.8 inches of mercury and steady under bright clear skies
Fire danger is LOW
The brook continues to run under the snow, 'though it's only visible in spots.

The mourning doves are continuing to hang around. If anyone has any notions of why we're seeing them now, please weigh in. We'd love to know.

Nothing new

I'm really trying to come up with new ways of letting you know it's snowing, but I have to say that I'm running out. But there it is. Started around 10:30 here.
We had a flock of mourning doves come in this morning; there were ten or more of them. It looked as though they were getting some eating in before the storm came in. We occasionally will see a pair, but rarely in winter, and never so many at once. We also had a neighborhood cat wander through; the doves were quickly warned off the ground by a chattering squirrel, and they headed up. We had them around for much of the morning, however. We also saw a few of our white-throated sparrows this morning.

At 10 am, it is 31 degrees and steady
61% humidity and steady
29.71 inches of mercury and falling
Fire danger remains NONE
All here is snow covered, and it looks to remain so!

Phil weighs in

"Hear Ye Hear Ye,
On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day,
Feb. 2, 2009,
Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators ...
proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time,
and a bright sky above me,
showed my shadow beside me,
so six more weeks of winter it will be."

(and so far it looks like Phil's compatriots in weather forecasting are agreeing with his assessment.)
(UPDATE: Nope, it looks like the western New York Dunkirk Dave did NOT see his shadow. Dare we say that we think it's wishful thinking on Dave's part?)

But we all would have guessed that ourselves, wouldn't we?

The good news here is that it's another melting day! Heading over 40 again!

At 9am, it is 28 degrees and rising
89% humidity and steady (and dripping)
29.85 inches of humidity and steady
Fire danger is NONE

A Good Melting Day

Lots of birds,
Fair number of hikers,
A snowshoer,
and temperatures that were downright balmy.

The highest we saw was 42, but we weren't watching it as carefully as the cardinal was watching the birdseed.

The 9:15 a.m. conditions were as follows:
22 degrees F and rising;
63% humidity and steady;
29.77" of Hg and rising;
the USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

Yesterday a visitor to the Lodge got mired in the snow along the cart path up, but with the assist of gravity, a shovel, and some oomph, it was released from its imprisonment.

Trail update:
The Silver Spring Trail is in fine shape believe it or not!
The Meadow Ridge Trail is very tricky in spots with downed trees and hanging limbs though a number of workaround spurs are present.

Tonight we encountered the dastardly downdraft. Periodically cold air pours down off of the hill and makes it hard to get a fire going. That would be fine in and of itself, but it also makes it hard for the smoke to go UP the chimney, and that part is frustrating, if temporary. All is well at present, though it is something to keep an eye on on a night like this.