Crow Hill Fire

This past week there was a brush fire at Crow Hill, a roughly 35 acre area.

Now, the reason it got State money for preservation was that it is a habitat called Black oak Savannah.

Black oak Savannah requires fire to continue to persist. It is called "pyrophytic" or fire-loving and is characterized by open low growth, like grasses and blueberry bushes with an overstory of oak trees. Fast burning ground fires burn any poplar or birch or pine trying to join the party and the blueberry make opportunity of the full sun and ash chemical mix added to the soil.

This is what used to be much more prevalent as the landscape in Worcester.

We were starting to see this situation slip away at Crow Savannah with the undergrowth getting thick and threatening to dominate the site. We were beginning to have a conversation about mechanically, and laboriously, needing to cut it back.

And then, one hot dry spring, helped or not, Mother Nature took over and she did her thing!

The paper estimated 4ac. burned.
Yesterday, the Trust's Americorps Dude went out with the Dynamy intern and a GPS.
Make that more like 10 acres!
We will have a final number next week.

This is truly exciting!

To identify a natural system, to speak of it, study it, to lead walks on it, to preserve a piece of it is all great. BUT to see it jump to life and actively transform itself like a caterpillar to a pupae, to a butterfly... a butterfly big enough to see on aerial photos! Is quite amazing.

Way to go Crow Hill Savannah!

Still rising

We've raised the fire danger sign again this morning to VERY HIGH. This is very,  very unusual for central Massachusetts, let alone for March.
At 8:45, it is 59 degrees and rising. 87% humidity and steady.
The barometer is at 29.41 inches of mercury and steady.

I should also note that we are lucky enough to have some excellent sign work going on this week, thanks to intern Jacob!

Sign of change

As Crow Hill reminded us yesterday, it is drying out! We've posted a (very rare) HIGH fire danger for today.
The Worcester Fire Department would also like to remind us that yard waste burning is not permitted in city limits.

Records & Yard Waste

Today set a temperature record.

Yesterday did too.

Tomorrow has a chance to do so as well.

For today it was 78 degrees F up at the Worcester Airport.

The prior record set in 1894 was 71 degrees.

In the old order when we used words like "usually," we might have said that the temperature would "usually" be 44 degrees F. Last year was a little warmer than the "usual" as it was 47 degrees F.

Tomorrow's record is 77 degrees F.

The prediction is for 76 degrees F.

You never know... anything is possible.

Yesterday was another temperature record.

74 degrees F up at the Worcester Airport.

The prior record since 1892 was back in 1999 at 65 degrees.

Crazy days.

=====

With all of the warm weather folks are out gardening.

Some folks have grown tired of the Christmas tree in the backyard and are looking to get rid of it.

Some have new bags of leaves and clippings.

Please, please, please resist the temptation to illegally dump your yard waste in the park, or conservation area.

There are a couple of problems with this, some you might have thought of, and some you might not have.

On the more obvious side:

• It looks really ugly (imagine selling a post card of the White Mountains, or the beach, with mounds of yard waste);
• While things may eventually compost over a few years in a managed compost operation, dumping in the woods takes much much longer as it is not tended to, not to say that looking at mounds of yard waste for even a couple of years is not at all wonderful;
• It is considered dumping, and thus is an illicit act;

On the things you might not have thought of:

• Illicit behavior encourages others to do the same. This gets overwhelming and out of hand very quickly! Especially in a city. Imagine one Christmas tree turning into 5, OR 1 day's labor of grass clippings and leaves each month for the spring, summer, and fall being multiplied by you and your 3-4 neighbors! or more! It gets pretty crazy pretty fast!
• The stuff in your yard honestly has no place in the woods. Folks grow exotic flowers, bushes, and trees in their yard because they look pretty. Heck, even the grass folks grow really doesn't honestly belong here. More of the seeds and cuttings from those items survive and make a new home in the woods. They choke out the stuff that belongs in the woods and destroy the homes, food, and camouflage needed by all sorts of birds, beasts, and slithering things. Patches Conservation area is turning into one giant stand of Japanese knotweed;
• The sheer volume of yard waste poured into brooks, wetlands, ponds, and lakes fills them in and reduces the water quality. Why might you care? Well, this is a bummer for folks who fish, or like to see fish, or to imagine fish might be able to live here. It reduces the presence of wildlife. Since Worcester closed its neighborhood pools all of the yard waste dumping right here along the Tatnuck Brook messes up water quality of the swimming area at Coes Reservoir for everyone.

But more than all of that, The world now requires each of us to know where we get our stuff and to know where it ends up.

Making our yard look pretty by making somewhere else look ugly is an act that is selectively blind to everyone and everything around us.

But we are Lucky!

Our trash is incinerated to create electricity. What remains, much smaller by volume is recycled or landfilled.

Our recyclables are picked up from our curb for free, and we don't even need to sort them any more!

Our yard waste is received for free and magically transformed into something good.

The old world notion of "out of sight, out of mind" is dead.

We own the responsibility for what we use and what we discard.

Even our leaves and yard waste.

We are blessed with a very progressive City that twice a year comes and clears the streets of leaves and small branches for free, and then, miracle of miracles, composts it, and then much like a dream, offers the compost back to its citizens FOR FREE!

Three areas of the City have public days designated for yard waste drop off FOR FREE, and again, these things all become free compost!

If those times do not work out for you there is a central City drop off for yard waste where you can make an appointment to bring your stuff.

Don't like that for convenience? The City frequently sells backyard composting kits for a reduced rate. No kidding!

To think that you can walk across the street, or push it over the back line of your yard and it "goes away" is to play a game of pretend, and one that we can no longer afford as a community. But with all of the options we have it is an act of selfishness not to try. It is an act of violence against others.

But it takes a different mind set.

It takes thinking beyond our yard.

It takes caring about how we leave the world.

It also takes neighbors willing to speak to their relatives, friends, and neighbors about all of the great options, and unwanted impacts folks tend not to think of.

This last part is the most complex.

I know.

I have to face it frequently.

I had to do so today.

It is a pretty tense moment even with a gentle touch for some folks.

But if we love our trails, our parks, our streams, our forest, the fish, the hawks, the swimming holes, the beavers, even the crazy bears and moose who come by to visit our City from time to time,

If we want others to see the natural beauty in where we live and to want to join us and stay,

If we want to leave this place better than we found it,

We have no other option.

It is worth it.

That much I know.

Outrageously beautiful!

I ought to be more worried for larger climactic changes, but I can not help but enjoy today!

Clear & Windy

Peak wind as of 9:15 - 9:17 is 31.5mph!
Skies are blue;
The sun is full;
The temperature is 31.6° F and rising;
The humidity is 48% and falling;
The pressure is 29.62" of Hg and steady;
No prior measured rainfall.

New Chip!

This past week there has been a crew of really amazing Clark students at Cascading Waters whipping up a storm of activity! They have been:

* stenciling, routing, painting, and sanding signs!
* cutting and moving brush!
* hewing timber!
* building stone wall! &
* raking out chip in the parking area!

Their generous gift of their break has left Cascading Waters looking truly fresh and ready for spring.

This whirlwind of action is what is most heartening about today's students. They really do see the nature we live in as important and they give of themselves.

Thank you guys!

Come and see their work!

BEAUTIFUL!

Well, folks, if you were waiting for spring, you've got it!
We are expecting that it will be in the mid-sixties by noon today, so get out there and enjoy it!
Should you be coming through here, do know that several days of melting means that trails are extremely muddy. In the places where the line between trail and brook is somewhat foggy (Silver Spring comes to mind), expect water. So long as you're prepared for that, great weather for it!
We also are lucky enough to have a spring break crew here from Clark for a second day, doing some timber shaping. This is in addition to our stalwart "every other Thursday morning" volunteers, who are routing some signs.
At 10:45 am it is 58.8 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 60% and falling.
The barometer stands at 29.35 inches of mercury and steady.
We currently have about 9 mph of wind
Enjoy!

Crunchy!

Yesterday's drizzle and melt froze solid overnight creating an interesting footing with a cereal 'crunch' to it.

8:00 am conditions at the Lodge:

Overcast skies;
The anemometer is covered in snow and ice so it is out of commission but there appears to be stillness with no wind;
31.3° F and rising quickly;
87% humidity and steady (very damp!);
28.85" of Hg pressure and steady;
The rain gauge has a reading but what is drizzle from yesterday and what is melt is unknown;
The fire danger is NONE.

the forecast calls for overcast, warm, with a breeze. Expect funky footing out on the trails but pleasant temps to enjoy them.

Snow at last!

Snow Coming!

9:30 am conditions at the Lodge:

35.1° F and steady;
44% humidity and steady;
29.50" Hg pressure and steady;
No recorded precipitation;
Cloudy overcast with occasional sun breaking through;
Fire Danger is LOW;
Gentle breeze moving through on occasion.

The folk wait expectantly for the promised snow, should or materialize.

More sun, but Chilly

The sun is nice, as is the occasional breeze, but as it is just barely 40 out there it is nicer in theory than it looks from the other side of the window. If you keep active and in motion it is glorious, but if you stop and linger....

This Thursday a new trail information sign went up next to the falls. The traffic on the steep slope was too much for the trail and frequently too much for the hikers careening down, whether or not that was their intended direction. Sure, crazy folk will still want to go straight up avoiding the switchback trail, but honestly, hopping the rocks in the brook is safer these days than trying the eroded bank.

Plenty of hikers out there!

Also, yesterday's volunteers did burn the brush in the meadow. Nuts!

Today's conditions at the Lodge at 3:30pm:
Sunny with clear skies;
39.2°F and falling;
30% humidity and steady;
29.50" of Hg of pressure and steady;
No measurable precipitation despite the snow squalls yesterday;
Fire Danger Class is MODERATE;
There is some pretty ice from the spray and splash on the rocks of the Cascades.

Snow Squall!

What a crazy weather day!

Sun,
40+MPH gusts,
Snow Squalls!

Wild!

Windy!

10:10 a.m. conditions at the Lodge:

Very Windy!
We just saw 41mph and know we have felt stronger!;
Snow flakes intermittently go by horizontally;
The sky is hazy / broke/ overcast;
Last night we received 0.60" of rain (the rain and wind blew down a downspout on the Lodge!);
Temperature is 39.2°F and steady;
Humidity is 46% and steady;
Pressure is 28.65" of Hg pressure and steady;
While the official USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW, on account of the extreme winds, sun, and leaf cover, we are posting it at MODERATE.

We are frequently having wind over 35mph and dry leaves are swirling.

Presently there are WPI volunteers and our Americorps dude up at the Cascades West meadow cutting brush so we can mow. If you see them please thank them.

They were supposed to be burning the brush but these winds make that impermissible.

Vernal Pools! & Signs!

Those night-time, warm, drumming rains.... they mean one thing!

The vernal pools are about to become active with late winter/ early spring!

In an effort to safeguard the specially state designated vernal pools at Cascades West, and the species that are entirely dependent upon them, GWLT is putting up new informational signs tomorrow.

We are asking folks within 500' of the pools to: Keep to the trail; Have your faithful dog leashed (so they don't go for a swim!); and Pack out any trash or waste.

Thanks so much!

We all look forward to the egg masses, the 'cheep' of the wood frogs, the colorful salamanders, and the rest of the vernal pool gang!

QUESTIONS? Please feel free to send us a message on Facebook or an email at gwlt@gwlt.org

(Thanks to Americorps Dude Tyler Maikath for the incredible informational signage!)

Hike through the Cascades

A few photos from a walk back from West Tatnuck School yesterday...

This first is actually in Cascades West. There's a little corner of Cascades West that you cross when you go from Worcester Public Schools property (which much of that red maple swamp down the hill is) to Cascades Park.

Here's that stream you cross on rocks:


Here's the top of the Cascades

And the shot you're more used to, from Cataract Street.

Damp

We did get a bit of rain overnight, but as of right now, nothing is falling. It is quite overcast, though, and humidity remains at 84% and steady.
At 9:30, it is 35.6% and steady.
The barometer is at 29.32 and steady.
The USFS Fire Danger rating is NONE (need to change the sign!)
The stream did build up some ice around the edges yesterday when it was a bit colder, but continues to run, as do the Cascades.

More Sun!

OK, it is chilly, but still, you have to love the sunshine!

8:50 am conditions at the Lodge:

23.9°F and rising;
63% humidity and falling;
29.47" of Hg pressure and steady;
No recorded precipitation;
Variable breeze to 3.5 MPH;
Clear jazzy skies;
Fire Danger is MODERATE;
Ice on falls and brook but less than yesterday.

In short, a great day for a hike.

Grey Skies, but promising!

Conditions at the Lodge as of 8:05am:

29.3°F and rising;
74% humidity and steady;
29.15" of Hg and steady;
No recorded precipitation;
No recorded wind;
Grey skies (with some promising breaks);
There is flow in the brook an on the Cascades even though some ice lines the path of each;
USFS Fire Danger Class of MODERATE.

It remains an oddly good year for hiking without snowshoes, cross-country skis, or shoe grips. The odd shoulder season conditions continue.

Today GWLT volunteers are tabling at a UMass Med fair to call attention to the East Side Trail next to the hospital campus in the hopes of getting staff and students to venture out and use this great trail. Good luck guys!

Blue Skies

8:35am conditions at the Lodge:

31°F and rising;
56% humidity and falling;
29.15" of Hg pressure and steady;
Wind gusting to 10mph;
Blue skies;
No precipitation;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

Cold

Back to cold again today.
At nine am, it is 26.8 degrees and rising.
We have 52% humidity and steady.
The barometer is at 29.56 inches of mercury and rising; shaping up to a clear day.
High blue skies and frigid!
We have ice back along the edges of the brook and there is ice forming along the Cascades, which are running.
Fire Danger remains LOW.

It's Groundhog Day!

And yes, Phil has declared we'll have six more weeks of winter. To which we say: what winter?

Phil's part of an old tradition. While North American groundhogs hibernate for the winter (and thus, Phil excepted, would generally not be awake in February), this stems from a European tradition of the observing the weather and animal activity on Candlemas (February 2) to forecast an early or late spring. Candlemas, at which the medieval church blessed the candles for the year, is an observance in the Catholic tradition of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (as it's 40 days after Christmas). It also, not coincidentally, falls right next to the pagan feast of Imbolc, observing the swing in the calendar towards spring. In all cases, this is about getting more light and reassuring ourselves that we're getting there: spring will come again!

At nine am, here at the Lodge it is 35.6 degrees and rising.
We've got 81% humidity and steady.
The barometer is 29.27 inches of mercury and steady.

The Fire Danger remains LOW.

Weirdly warm

Happy February! Our unseasonably warm weather continues; we're seeing lots of mud this year.
At 9 am, it is 39.9 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 75% and steady.
The barometer currently reads 29.03 inches of mercury and steady.
Gray skies.
Not a bit of snow to be seen.

Good stuff... eventually.

Yesterday was "trash day" here at the Lodge. I took the opportunity to grab some construction debris that drifted over from the construction site next door and then, for good measure, grabbed some more trash that seems to migrate over from the other neighbor's pristine lawn. However, as I was in a good mood, trash pick up is not new to me, and progress is progress, I grabbed the stuff and moved along.

Things got more complicated this morning as the construction site billowed more debris, and some neighbor's recycling and newspapers succumbed to the winds of yesterday across the woods. Not optimal. Grabbing the debris revealed more debris from the pristine lawn and I ran out of hand and arm space for all of the trash. The positive energy of the day before and any sense of the "progress" was at a low ebb.

And then, just when considering various really foul attitudes, nature intervened.

I was scanning for trash when what should I see but a spruce tree.... and a fir... and then more!

Each about knee high, green, healthy, and unmistakably trees we had planted some years back.

As there is strongly overshadowing over story of older maples and ash these trees don't grow all that fast. In fact I had assumed this batch hadn't made it and succumbed to the hard conditions. I had seen little evidence of them since a walk through a whiles back in a drought season where the gang of seedlings looked to be checking out.

But there they were, years later, growing right along, on their own, slowly adding screening, adding species diversity, making Cascading Waters home.

And then with a glad heart I brought the trash out of the woods, and happily hummed to myself as I went up the cart path.

Visitors

Raccoons.

Gorgeous

Really nice (if complete unseasonal) day out there today: As the hiker who just came through, sat down on a rock and turned his face to the sun: get out and enjoy it!
At 11 am, we are just about to break 50 degrees F (49.6 and rising).
We currently have 78% humidity, though with a wind of about 11 mph, that is falling.
The barometer is steady at 29.15 inches of mercury under blue skies.
The brook is running between and under banks of snow. Trails that have been active will be a bit slippery, and by this afternoon, the edges will be mud.

Coyote Tracking

MAP

So, about 9:40 am my daughter and I are waiting for a school bus on Olean Street. The street is quiet and there is little traffic as a result of the 2 hour snow delay. And then we see it! A full grown coyote pops up from the Cascades Brook, crosses the street in broad daylight right in front of us, and heads up Cascading Waters and out of sight.

It was big enough where your first impressing was not "scrawny coyote" but "big dog." This was a healthy critter! Its shape, posture, coloring, and gait all were clearly coyote and before it was half way across the street you are thinking "wait a minute!"

Now, we all know coyotes live among us. Some of us hear their howls. Some of us see their scat. Some of us see their prints. And from time to time some of us see them in person. My last good clear sighting of a coyote was in the middle of a hot summer night some years back when a coyote had managed to separate a baby raccoon from its mother and had it cornered under the Lodge, and, as fate would have it, under the bedroom window. The horrific screeching of the baby raccoon got my interest and attention, and that was more than the coyote was willing to deal with. But then nothing. No coyotes. For a real long time. Until this morning.

So my next thought, after all school bus issues were addressed, was to follow the coyote tracks to see where they came from. This led me down and out onto frozen Cooks Pond, around a few of the minor islands, and to a place where the coyote had clearly bed down on a smaller island. It was really cool to see that. Then following it back further in time out to the Cooks Pond beach and up the driveway. I was struck by the way the coyote used other tracks when available to mask its own. Once I managed to track it to a mess of prints around the driveway entrance on Tory Fort Lane I changed my path and headed back to Olean Street to see where in the Cascades it was headed.

This was also interesting. The coyote used other tracks when available, be they tire tracks, foot prints, or other dog prints. The coyote happily mixed following the brook and following the trail. Once up at Cataract Street the coyote headed north on the cart path for a while, then hopped up the slope and found a prominent stone wall with a view to scope things out.

When moving through the woods the tracks are a straight line, but when approaching a street or an area of activity they zig, pop up to a spot, return down low, and are more tentative.

Here is one of the coolest things for a trails designer, builder, maintainer, hiker. The coyote used the dang switchbacks up the Cascades slope! How crazy is that? Following the switchback for a better grade and to double up on other prints when possible.

Then we took off through the woods and headed over to the Chatanika / Wild Rose / Navasota neighborhood where the coyote used the back lines, and side property lines to weave its way through the neighborhood, with more of the careful zig and pop when getting to an active area.

I finally lost the tracks at the corner of Middle Mower Street. I walked up the street and down the street to find where the tracks started again, but found nothing. It must have walked the street for a ways before ducking back into the snow and the cover. By this point I had wet boots and socks from being heavier than a coyote on a frozen stream so I was ok with letting the adventure stop there.

More Arctic Cold!

Wow!
You gotta love this!
Winter tundra returns to Central Massachusetts!

As of 8:00 am the temperature out there was 7 degrees F and steady.
Pond hockey folks, we keep this up and you might be able to skate somewhere other than a state rink!

Conditions as of 8:00 am:

7 degrees F and steady;
45% humidity and steady;
29.71" of Hg pressure and steady (think High or good weather);
0" of precipitation overnight;
USFS Fire Danger Class of NONE (totally unsurprising);
The sky is clear and it is sunny;
The ground with its snow and ice mix is crunchy;
There is no recorded wind movement or stirring at present.

Today there will be a crew of Americorps folks up in Cascades West's Meadow cutting back the saplings trying to grow in to forest in celebration and commemoration of MLK day. The idea being that service would be the way MLK would have wanted us to commemorate his birth and life. There may also be folks working on cutting back the saplings that are constricting the Silver Spring Road that runs through the property. It is a very cold day out there folks, so if you see them thank them. If conditions cooperate they also have a burn permit from the Town of Holden and may burn those saplings, and possibly gain a little warmth from that while they are at it.

Thank you Americorps, and thank you Tyler Maikath for organizing this worthy event!

By the way the overnight low up at the airport was 5 degrees F.

Cold!

It was 5 degrees F as of 8:00am!
That's real ice-freezing, ground-hardening, invasive killing cold!

The dog walkers are in Carhart full body suits!

Now that's my NewEngland!

Weather at 8:00am:
5 degrees F and steady;
Wind was 0mph at that moment bout had been stirring,  it has since been at least as high as 15 MPH;
47% humidity and steady;
29.38" of Hg and rising (good weather!);
Sunny w/o clouds;
No recorded precipitation overnight;

65 mph!

That last gust measured 65 mph here!

Wind!

WIND:

UPDATE: 49.5 mph!

So, wind was predicted by the National Weather Service for this afternoon... up to 50 mph gusts.
Thus, we weren't surprised by the howling winds here up at the Lodge.
But the cascades wall, the forest, the valley here along the Tatnuck Brook, usually all of these afford us a great degree of shelter, so we rarely see these top predicted wind speeds.

So imagine my surprise when I saw "42 mph" on the anemometer read-out!
And that was just one peak, it may have been and get higher.
Pretty amazing!

Hang on tight!

SNOW:

Yesterday was good fun, with the rain/snow lines from the weather map not panning out.
We stayed colder longer, we got more snow, longer, and as a result, when it did finally warm up, and even when it rained for hours, we still had snow to show for it.
To our west they had rain in Palmer so truly the temperature profile anticipated just didn't pan out.
Lucky for us, we get a small visual of snow.
Unfortunately for our school buses it was a long sloppy slog and waits at bus stops here on Olean Street were an hour or more.
That is more like winter!


The snow plows were throwing a wall of slush when they plowed yesterday afternoon. A wall of slush big enough and heavy enough to hit and throw the mailbox and its post down to the ground left us with frozen group and no mailbox.
We did a classic New England and got a 5 gal. bucket, a 60 lb. bag of sand and whipped together a quick and dirty repair job.

Yesterday we opted to not shovel.
This morning, with the world coated in fresh ice, this turned out to be a very good strategic move.
Things might be a little crunchy at the parking area, but there is more traction for tires as a result.

SNOW!

Just a dusting, but we haven't seen any since October. At least this makes it look a bit more like winter, instead of that extended brown of late fall we've had.
We're just breaking the freezing mark at 8:50 am, and the temperature is still rising.
It is 68% humidity and steady.
The barometer is at 29.06 inches of mercury and steady under overcast skies.
The brook is running through edges of ice, as are the Cascades.
The trails are nicely passable today, with a bit of snow on the ground, and the mud frozen.

Frigid

There may be no snow, but there's no mistaking the season this morning: it is COLD outside!
At 8 am, it is 22.5 degrees and steady (brrr).
52% humidity and steady (it's getting too cold to hold much water in the air)
The barometer is 29 inches of mercury and steady
The stream is running steadily, with some ice around the edges. The Cascades did some melting and refreezing over the weekend, and continue to run.
Fire danger continues to be NONE.

Yesterday, we were cutting trail and flagging a new trail loop at Kinneywood at the Dawson Road. We had a big enthusiastic crew for a great start to the new year!

Work project today

Volunteers are out at the end of Dawson Road this morning, starting off their new year with trail clearing on the KinneyWoods property. Much lopping and clearing going on 'til noon!

Cascades West sign

Colin, Tyler, and William braved the cold and got the new sign up. Look for it at the property bound with Boyton Park on Silver Spring Road!

Sign going up today!

You know you have intrepid volunteers when people show up even when it's 17 degrees! The sign at Cascades West has been brought up the hill and will be going up today.
It is COLD: at 9:30, it is just breaking 20. With the wind, which we're getting about 7 mph of right now, it feels like zero.
Bright and sunny, however.
The Cascades, after the rain earlier this week, continue to run through the ice. If you've never seen them like this, come by! It's really quite lovely.
The fire danger remains NONE (though it is low to the east of us).
If you bundle up and account for the wind, nice day for a hike! The mud that's been plaguing us has frozen!

Wind Advisory!

The National Weather Service wants you to know that there is a wind advisory today.
Winds may gust up to 46 mph.
Ordinarily that isn't too too bad,
but recently we had an ice storm and there are still limbs hanging here and there, so if you head into the woods be extra aware of your surroundings please.

Yesterday the GWLT volunteer crew and a kindly dog walker who loves to dig holes headed up into Cascades West.
After digging down to the bedrock (and that wasn't very far down at all) we stood up the massive timber frame property sign holder, and set it in place.
The property sign is completed and should be following along shortly.

You can't tell by the weather

You'd never know that it's November 27 from the weather outside!
At 9:30, it is 40 degrees even and rising.
Beautifully sunny with a light breeze.
The Cascades are still rushing from the rain earlier this week.
The fire danger is NONE.

An excellent day to get out and hike! We are still taking reports in from the trails, so let us know if you run into anything.

After the storm...

...a rose blooms.
Enjoy the sun today!

Tree Branch Down

First of all, things here are quiet at the moment.
Earlier we had "pop" noises, followed after a few seconds by a crash.

The most exciting was accommodated by a "bang" as something hit the roof.
No holes (checked from the inside), and the most puzzling orientation.
We will have to head out in the morning light to see which tree it came from and how it could possibly come to rest the way that it did.

Well, all is well for now!

8:10 pm conditions:

USFS Fire Danger rapidly decreases from MODERATE to NONE! (surprise surprise);
(Another "pop" pause..... "crash"!)
32.4 degrees F and steady (that means heavy and wet/melting);
98% humidity;
29.12" Hg Pressure and falling;
looks to be approaching 3" of snow in places;
no record-able wind-speed presently.

We are going to have an interesting night once the wind cranks up, or if a lot more snow is added to the equation.

Trees Bending to the Ground

It is barely a white thin coating of snow on the ground and already the trees have branches bent full over to the ground.

This could get interesting.

SIDE NOTE: Most of our "typical" trees,like Red maple, Sugar maple, Ash, Hickory, have all lost all of their leaves already. They are used to this whole crazy bit about living in New England. The trees with the most leaves in general, with exceptions, are the invasive exotics, like the Norway Maple. This is Mother Nature's way of showing ecological zone preferences for particular species. For example: Late leaves are an advantage for extra photosynthesis and energy storage, right up until the early season snow storm breaks the tree. End of advantage.

The Storm Rolls In...

Flakes are falling here at Cascading Waters!

1:35 pm Conditions:

USFS Fire Danger Class is MODERATE;
The Brook is running at 4.1";
37.4 degrees and steady;
71% humidity and steady;
7.5MPH max;
29.32" of Hg Pressure and falling;
Overcast sky;
No measurable accumulation YET!

Unseasonably Warm!

A nice day for a hike, but dress for the weather!
At 8:59am,
-the temperature is 65.5 F and rising,
-the humidity is 65% and steady,
-the pressure is 29.59 and steady.

More Drying Weather!

First of all, the stream gauge is out of commission for the foreseeable future.
The sizable rock that slammed into it has pulled the bracket part way off of the tree and the metal measuring rule is bent quite a bit and bending it back may not be possible.

Also of great interest to me is that while there have been quite a few days now since peak flow in the Cascades Brook the second stream channel is still running!

It has always puzzled me that the second stream channel does not run more regularly as the topography would seem to dictate. There is a rock berm along the primary channel that somehow has managed to hold the flow back without the water seeping through. Whenever you try to make an effective rock berm like this water simply flows through in between the rocks, but not here, and this continuously causes me great wonder.

Perhaps the force and flow of the latest storm breached that rock berm and now the two channels will run as the slope of the land would seem to have required all along?

It will be fun to watch and wait and see what the stream has in mind.

Today's Conditions as of 8:00 am:
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW;
No recorded windspeed and there is a mist that has hung in the air this morning;
Pressure reading of 29.18" of Hg and level;
63.7 degrees F and steady;
96% humidity and steady (dang that is high for a non-rainy day. Must be the mist!);
The skies are clear and sunny;
The trails have mostly dried out though the mud is still soft.

Also of minor note here at the Lodge yesterday, the old fieldstone chimney got some attention to the flashing, mortar, and water seals to keep it in fine working order heading into the winter.

Yesterday also saw the GWLT Volunteer Trail Crew out and cutting their way through downed storm debris that has accumulated over time. More bow saw work was required than any trail I have worked on in years! The end effect was wonderful with the path re-drilled right through the dense thick woods.

Wood aster season

And yes, that's a bumblebee.

Hard rock

What happens when you get two feet of water in a stream channel?
It can be tough on the stream gauge. This rock is probably 8 inches across, and there was enough water running down the channel that it got smashed into the gauge and bent it out of shape.

Our stream measurements may be a little off for awhile!
This morning, while everything is a bit muddy, most of the water is back in its normal channels.
It is 98% humidity under the trees.
It's 64.9 degrees and rising.
The barometer is 20.09 and steady.
We've gotten no rain since midnight; yesterday's total was an impressive 3.11 inches!
Dry off!

At the height of the flood

Stream photos

A few photos from 8:30 am.
Here (with rain falling in front of the lens)  are the Cascades. If you've been there, especially during flooding, you know it's basically impossible to get a photo that represents how impressive they are. They're in full spate now.












And this is the source of the flooding. This culvert goes under Cataract Street. As you can see, at 8:30am, it was full. By 9, it had overflowed the basin, run across Cataract, and down the hill. By 10, the Lodge driveway was gone.

Culvert has FAILED: UPDATED

At 9 am this morning, the amount of leaves and water overwhelmed the culvert. There is now water coming through the backyard and heading for the driveway.
The brook is running at between 2.6 feet and 2.72 feet. We've now gotten 3 inches of rain since yesterday noon.
We here there's flooding all over the city; think about your route today!

UPDATE: At 10 am: the driveway is gone.

Water!!!

Rain!

The Cascades are ROARING!
There is standing water everywhere around the Lodge.
The street, Olean Street, has around 4" of rain running down it.
The parking area is slowly going under.
The Cascades Brook is running 1' 7.2" at least, but we are having a hard time gauging this as the water is surging with an eddy around the tree the gauge is mounted on. It might be more.
The second channel is open and running fast.
There are substantial puddles on the trail.
The "optional" swamp has magically appeared on both sides of the brook and the access road.

NOT a fabulous day for a hike.
It is however a fabulous time to view the Cascades from Cataract Street.

8:20am Conditions:
2.87" of rain since yesterday noon;
56.8 degrees F and steady;
98% humidity and steady;
29.38" of Hg pressure and steady;
1' 7.2" of Stream flow (or more);
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW (We are keeping it at NONE under the circumstances);
Occasional breeze, no reading.

Today's sign work is postponed.
There is no safe place to park around here and the shed of tools and supplies is surrounded by standing water.

Rainy

As you'll see below, we've had enough rain that the secondary stream channel is open. The stream is up to 6 inches (and muddy) with the 1.06 inches we've had since midnight on top of the half an inch from yesterday.
At 8 am, it is 58.6 degrees and steady.
98% humidity and raining steadily.
The barometer is at 29.47 inches of mercury and steady.
The fire danger remains NONE.

Rocks!

Ever get so caught off guard you have no clue how to respond?

So this afternoon I look down the access road from the Lodge and see a white sedan.
Cool! It is dreary and raining on and off and there are users out there!

Then I see the owner,
lumbering up from the trail by the brook,
with a significantly big stone on his shoulder,
clearly heavy based on his frame,
which he loads into his trunk.

What the...?

So I mosey down the access road slowly sort of gathering my thoughts, trying to figure out the situation, deciding how to respond.

I mean, like, what if the dude had a moment of deep personal epiphany and it involved this rock? Or what if he is about to become an internationally known sculptor and this rock has moved him so deeply to his artistic core as to open up a new vision on the world for us all? I don't know, what if his great great grandmother lived here and the family is trying to reunite a dying elderly member with a place of their past before they leave this plain... (I really think odd things like this.)

So I am predisposed to be a bit restrained.

Then he heads back into the brook for another one... Ok, um, maybe not.

So after asking twice if I can help, and introducing myself, he volunteers that these are for an aquarium. (First thought: My Lord! an aquarium the size of a house?! (I mean these are seriously BIG rocks, and I have worked with aquariums since I was a wee tyke.))

So then begins the conundrum,
How to address this to him as inappropriate behavior?

My first thought is the old saw: "Leave only footprints, Take only pictures."
But there is a whole host of other thoughts and ideas tangled up in that statement that getting to what amounts to a philosophical bumper sticker of a conclusion of personal behavior seems daunting.

My second thought involved the direct impact to the environment. You have a host of possibilities: erosion, macro invertebrate habitat disruption; stream course alteration; and a whole host of unknown "butterfly effect" ideas that make one pause and worry or pray before taking action. But again this is a host of ideas boiled down into a conclusion after deciding that the environment and its constituent portions have values that impact my personal choices of action.

Then I go into deep philosophical territory as a third foray. Cumulative impacts of human action repeated over and over, and especially on a small urban piece of property set apart as a reserve, conserved for future generations. Notions of "passive" and "active" recreation whirl in my head. Explanations of the core difference between the two, with "active" being an extraction from the property leaving it less than it was for others who come after, and "passive" attempting to be more neutral in its impact over time. And then I realize MAYBE I get two sentences with the dude, tops.

So, now, out of time, and not interested in offering a lecture or a philosophical treatise, I settle for over simplified "rules."
There are "rules."

I am sorry, but this land was invested in by the public and as a result there are rules. Folks aren't supposed to take things away from the site but leave them in place. Perhaps you might find a place not subject to these sorts of rules? I am very sorry.

He left with only his first rock.
I left deeply dissatisfied with my final answer.
And now I turn it over and over in my head seeking a more elegant and effective approach.

So far my best thoughts involve asking him questions, questions that might lead him to consider a more philosophical contemplation of him, his world, his place and role in it, and our responsibilities resulting from that. Alas, if only Socrates had done land management...

Rain again!

And so, last night, after having been dry for a week, it began to rain.

The vivid green on the plants always makes it look as if they are outwardly expressing happiness with the return of the rains, but perhaps it is a trick of the light.

Conditions as of 8:10 am here at the Lodge:

0.47" of rainfall measured here for this storm;
5.76" of flow in the Cascades Brook (up from yesterday's 4.8");
USFS Fire Danger is NONE;
No wind;
59.7 degrees F and steady;
96% humidity and steady;
29.21" of Hg pressure and steady.

Busy Day!

Today was a busy day!

First, there were the three crews of the Clark Outdoor Club who came to hike the Cascades and based their walk out of Cascading Waters. 32 folks in all.
Then there were the Clark students who just happened to show up on their own for a hike more or less about the same time.
And then there were the two Clark students (one past Intern, and one present Intern) who just showed up because they really wanted to cut trail! Phenomenal!

This was all on top of the typical busy shoulder season weekend traffic we see when school is in session and trips to far away places become more complex to set up. Hike local!

All of the traffic, particularly with the Clark Outdoors Club stopping for orientation on the way up, and for drinks and cookies at the conclusion of the trip, and the Interns crashing for trail work and then a well deserved dinner, was a whole lot of fun for all of us here at the Lodge.

Thanks to all!

Noting that there was inadequate seating for folks, we took the trunk of the Hemlock tree that was cut last year and cut it into sections, and split one section with wedges to produce some rustic seating. The longer stem was harder to split (time wise) and wasn't done in time for the crews but will be available for later.

The present conditions 9:22 pm:
73.9 degrees F and steady;
85% humidity and steady;
29.15" of Hg pressure and steady;
presently no wind recorded although the air does stir from time to time;
no rain has been recorded in days at this point (soon to change!);
USFS Fire Danger Class NONE.

= = = = = = = =

(And thanks to the generous cook who whipped up multiple bathes of oatmeal, raisin, chocolate chip cookies for the Clark folks!!)

Cloudy Morning

The Trust will have a presence at the Spencer Fair on Friday as we are sharing a booth with the Common Ground Land Trust and Massachusetts Audubon Society regarding the preservation of a 325 acre property on the Spencer/Leicester bound that includes the venerable interstate "Mid State Trail."

On Sunday we are expecting a crew of hikers from the Clark Outdoors Club in their annual pilgrimage through the Cascades.

As for today...
Today the state officials with the Division of Conservation Services come to Worcester to examine the Esper Ave property. This would protect priority habitat here in Worcester, it would very nearly link the God's Acre area to Patches Reservoir land held by the Worcester Conservation Commission, and it would serve as a trailhead. But that is all geeky technical stuff. The land is gorgeous! Stone walls, sloping hillside, glacial erratics, stream, wetlands, some big old oak trees.... It looks and feels like old New England, and is right off of Mill Street.

7:57 am Conditions here at the Lodge:

62.4 degrees F and steady;
95% humidity and steady (way humid considering there was no rainfall);
29.47" of Hg pressure and steady;
No rainfall;
No wind;
Skies are cloudy;
5.52" of flow in the Cascades Brook (leveling out);
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

And the Stream Goes Down

The Cascades Brook keeps going down and down with each day without new rains.
That being said, the brook would generally be lower than it is even now without Irene, so it will continue to go down unless we get new rains.
At the moment that isn't supposed to happen until Saturday.

Other fun and exciting things are afoot!

Some number of years ago the idea came up of working on pedestrian links between open spaces in the City. A neat idea to be sure, but how would you go about it?
Not so way back in June there was a City Council order, responding to a petition forwarded by District Councilor Bill Eddy, exploring the possibility of a cross walk on Olean Street to link GWLT's Cascading Waters to the Cook's Pond Conservation Area.
Subsequently City DPW staffers explored the request, the reasons, the existing infrastructure, and the crosswalk rules.
Last night the item made it to the Traffic and Parking subcommittee of the City Council where it was approved.

So....
At some point in the not too distant future there will be a crosswalk connecting these two conservation areas.
The hike from Tory Fort Lane, Worcester to Rte. 122 and Camp Street in Paxton is about to get even more pedestrian friendly!
Thank you City of Worcester!

7:33 pm Evening Conditions:

No wind;
No rain;
5.52" of flow in the Cascades Brook (way way down);
70.7 degrees F and falling;
85% humidity and rising;
29.44" of Hg pressure and steady;
USFS Fire Danger Class of LOW.

Clear

We've got another clear day here at the Lodge.
The water is still flowing over the Cascades. We've had a report in from the trails that, while there is debris from the storm on the trails, there are no trees down. Thanks, Tina!
65.1 degrees and rising
81% humidity and falling
29.35 inches of mercury and steady
No rainfall since yesterday
The stream is at 6.12 inches, which you'll note is a whole FOOT less than Sunday!
No wind
Enjoy!

Post-Irene calm

Certainly the post-storm calm out there this morning!
At 7:30 am, it is 58.3 degrees and steady, rather chilly actually.
84% humidity
29.06 inches of pressure and rising.
In total, we had 3.66 inches of rain during the storm.

We avoided most damage up here in the Lodge. We've got several sizable trees down: one across the driveway, one across the trail, one behind the shed.
We are asking all hikers and walkers to please report in with downed trees or blocked trails.

We need to know what trail, and where/about how far in.
If you can try to classify what is bowsawable (up to 10" or so) and what is chainsawable (=or > 12") that would be great. Many thanks!

Cascades, Worcester: Tropical Storm Irene: 8/28/2011

For those of you who didn't get a chance to hike the Cascades Trail today and see the rainfall from Tropical Storm Irene roaring down the Cascades and Cascades Brook!

5pm update: beyond the eye

It was fairly calm there for some time, and then the wind picked back up. We're seeing gusts of up to 30 mph again now.
The brook has also somewhat subsided; it's down to 13.2, surging to 14.4 inches.
It is 68.4 degrees and steady.
Still 98 percent humidity
28.26 inches of mercury and falling
We've had a total of 3.66 inches of rain here during the storm.

Noon update: gusts of 58 mph!

While we off at church this morning, we had half a tree come down across the driveway. We've also got some birches along the south property bound down, and a sizable one right along the back of the shed. Narrow misses!
The brook is 18 inches surging to 20.4 inches.
While we are very sheltered here between the trees and the hill, yet we are still seeing wind gusts of up to 58 mph (Note: I've had to change that FOUR times while typing this!).
It is 69.4 degrees F and steady.
98 percent humidity and raining steadily.
The pressure is 28.35 inches of mercury and FALLING.
We've had 3.58 inches of rain during the storm.
The Cascades are ROARING!

Morning update: 7 am

The Cascades are running!
The brook is up to 8.4 inches, and the secondary stream channel is open and flowing.
So far, for this storm we' ve gotten 2.09 inches of rain.
The wind has picked up, with a top speed thus far of 15 mph.
It is 71.9 degrees and steady.
The humidity, with rain falling, is 98 percent.
The barometer is 28.67 inches of mercury and dropping.
I'd say Irene is here!

10:30 pm update

Not really raining here at the Lodge right now, and the frogs are singing full blast.
The brook remains at 6 inches.
There is still no wind.
The pressure is at 29.12 and steady.
It is 69.8 degrees and steady.
98 percent humidity and steady
We've had 0.55 inches of rainfall today.

Next post in the morning, unless something big changes during the night.

As of 5:30 pm

The brook has now risen to 6 inches.
There is no wind.
We've had a total of 0.43 inches of rain.
Currently there are 29.15 inches of mercury, and that's holding steady.
It is 71.1 degrees and steady.
We've got 97% humidity.


And, yes, we've made sure that the culvert above us is clear!

Rain just started

The rain from Irene just started here at the Lodge, where our hurricane preparations have included getting the weather reporters (wind gauge, rain gauge) back up online. We'll post (so long as we have service) updates as they're interesting.
Right now it's 76.6 degrees, 78% humidity, lightly raining.
Barometer is at 29.18 and steady (the center is pretty far away yet)
No measurable wind

"Trail Angels"

There is a notion out on the Appalachian Trail that when someone does a gratuitous kind act to help others they are "trail angels." At first this sounds a bit over dramatic, like a bad Hallmark card, but when you read about the sorts of acts of kindness and the amount of trouble folks engage in it rings true.

Well, today, with the path for Hurricane Irene centered on Worcester, MA we had just that sort of wonderful act take place.

There is a giant canvas wall tent that we set up for the summer. We use this for interns, volunteers, projects driven under cover by rain, etc. Well it is up, and it is held up by a series of 32+ ropes, and it is subject to the influence and action of the wind. 35 mph wind and a canvas wall tent are a poor combination, never mind 75 mph, and if you want to be able to use the tent again you need to get it down on the ground.

No problem, there are DAYS before the hurricane hits (assuming it hits.) Only this morning it was threatening rain, and you can't put away a wet canvas tent for the season without ruining it, and taking it down wet, and trying to set it up wet, just to dry it and take it down again, is a seriously unpleasant prospect.

But then the volunteers to work on trail signs, property signs, and timber framing arrived. Despite this being totally different, somewhat tedious, and definitely heavy, they each joined in and got the tent down dry and stored it away.

In an act of less than half an hour they save days of work, and for that, to me, this morning, they were indeed "trail angels."

Then they did an immense amount of timber work, stayed extra time, and shared great stories and camaraderie.

It was a splendid morning here at Cascading Waters.

Thank you Michele, Russ, and Ron!

Another Sunny Day!

As the pink rose along the stone wall begins to mature, a red rose bed promises to expand soon!
A squirrel has decided to enjoy the vantage point of sitting atop one of the stone cairns.
It looks to be a great day out on the trails.

Conditions at the Lodge as of 9:15 a.m.:

64 degrees F;
no precipitation;
29.21" of Barometric Pressure;
a slight breeze moving through the leaves;
the brook is already down to 3.84" of flow, and receding quickly without constant rain to feed it;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

Suuny! At last!

Last week I caught sight of the local red fox crossing Olean Street at 7:30 am.
This morning there is a pink rose in bloom along the field stone wall, and there are small frogs that leap in the grass as you pass by.
Wood asters are in bloom in a delicate petaled white, while the tail end of the Jewelweed is still present with orange blossoms having grown just a little higher.
Fall may be heading our way, but don't rush it! Summer is still in bloom.

10:00 am conditions:

65.8 degrees F;
70% humidity;
Blue skies!, breeze;
rain yesterday (as of the airport readings) 0.04";
the Cascades Brook is running at 4.56";
the barometric pressure is 29.03" of Hg;
the USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

The trails are in good shape, and the short section of the Cascades Trail here at Cascading Waters was cut back this weekend to make passage easier (while dispatching some invasive exotic Winged Euonymous at the same time.)

On the rainfall front, it has been a bumper crop for wet this month!

This month alone has seen 6.58" of rain! (usually it would be about just over 2.5"!!!)
The year to date rainfall is 38.47" (usually about 30"!!!)
127% of norm for the year, and 250% of norm for the month!!

So, enjoy the sun!

Yesterday's Rains

So, yesterday's rains still have the world soaked through.

A few interesting thoughts:
1.) It didn't rain a drop over by Lake Quinsigamond!
2.) It only rained 0.26" up at the airport, very nearby to the Lodge,
3.) And yet here we had deep standing water on bare ground and a stream flowing through the grass out back.

Pretty amazing, localized, and the world is more green this morning as a result.

Also fun, driving north on Olean Street/Reservoir Road (Holden side) there were downed limbs and an occasional tree from the passing torrent of a storm.

Presently at 8:45 am the conditions here are:
69 degrees;
77% humidity;
29.23" of Hg barometric pressure;
(The Rain gauge was OF COURSE out of order yesterday (my luck!));
The stream is running at 6" of flow (up from 4.8" early yesterday);
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE;
and there is only a gentle stirring of leaves.

Now THAT was a storm!

Numerous nearby lightning strikes!
Hail, more hail, and still more hail! (usually it lets up after a minute or two.)
Rain so fast and furious that the gutters couldn't keep up and water spilled along the entire length.
The glen out front was standing water and a stream ran through the backyard towards the driveway access.
The hail created diagonal patterns or ricocheting white off of the roof angles.
And even now, with the sun out, the rain over, everything is dripping furiously and the lightning still strikes nearby!

That was a storm!

A bit chillier

An enjoyable day for a hike.
At 8:20am, the temperature is 67.8 and steady.
The humidity is 84% and steady.
The pressure is 29.23 and steady.
Outside, it is a bit chilly.

A nice day for a hike!

The trail conditions at 8:30am are as follows
The temperature is 75.6 F and steady.
The humidity is 73% and steady.
The pressure is 29.18 and steady.
The brook level is unreadable, though there is still water.
The fire danger is LOW!

Nice Day!

At 5:44 pm, the,
temperature is 70.5 degrees and falling,
humidity is 60 % and rising,
pressure is 29.29 and steady.
A nice day for a hike!

At 8:02 the
TEMPERATURE is 70%F and steady,
HUMIDITY is 98 and steady,
PRESSURE is 29.00 and steady.
It is a nice sunny day and the birds are singing.
The fire danger is LOW.

Snapper!

8:40 a.m. conditions at the Lodge:

63.1 degrees F and rising;
75% humidity and falling;
29.23" of Hg pressure and steady;
5" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
wind is stirring the leaves but no reading on the anemometer;
blue skies;
yesterday we observed some showers, but nothing to generate a reading on the rain gauge, up at the airport they got a reading of 0.01" so I don't feel so bad.

Most interestingly, when I went down to check the brook level I noted two odd things.
First, there was a car pulled over by the side of Olean Street (and folks don't just park there.) I also saw cars heading north driving really slowly. All of this peaked my curiosity so I went farther than the brook gauge.

And there I saw a gentleman step out of his car and confidently pick up a large snapping turtle by one of its legs and carry it across the street to deposit it on the other side.

To know it is a snapping turtle, and then to pick it up and carry it off means one thing to my mind. This guy used to play in the woods and by ponds when he was a kid. Well, that play paid off big time for the turtle.

The car that had stopped earlier had another good Samaritan who was making sure that folks didn't hit the turtle and she was out of her car on sentry.

This turtle adventure across Olean has happened before, and generally means that the turtle is a female looking for a place to lay her eggs. We wish her, and them, luck.

National Trails Day!

That's right folks!
It is National Trails Day!

Go out, hike, enjoy the woods this weekend!

As for us and the GWLT crew,
We will all be parking up on Goddard Memorial Drive and hiking down to Deed Rock, and then hiking portions of the Tetasset Hills Trail in a roughly 3 mile out and back.
Smaller hikes will be provided as will maps!

4-7pm, Parking at the Heinrich Building on Goddard Memorial Drive.
Please come!

As for the weather conditions...

7:35 a.m. saw:

57.5 degrees F and rising;
53% humidity and falling;
29.26" of Hg pressure and steady;
5.4" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
0 mph wind reading, but the leaves are stirring with light movement;
No rainfall in the last 24 hours;
LOW Fired Danger by the USFS (but we are right on the line for MODERATE).

At least hike somewhere, even for a few minutes,
And if you can, please join us!

And then the Calm Broke

7:45 a.m. conditions at the Lodge:

29.18" of Hg pressure and steady;
53.4 degrees F and steady;
59% humidity and falling;
0-1.5 mph winds with a fairly constant movement of air;
6.8" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
LOW USFS Fire Danger Class (though the Moderate is creeping up on us...);
Blue skies.

So yesterday's post ended with little to no wind and a calm, and then the colder air came through, winds picked up, and there were some considerable gusts! At one point in the afternoon there was a sharp CRACK, but then no THUD.... Turns out that a hanging/leaning tree (still alive) form one of this winter's storms was finally convinced to come down in one of the powerful gusts. It took a dead standing ash tree with it as it went over. They both came to obstruct the Cascades Trail as it runs from Olean to Cataract. Both were cut, such that a section was removed, with a bow saw to clear the trail and the path up to the Lodge.

The development next door continues. There was a satisfying moment this morning when I went to fetch the paper and the excavator operator was out with a large hammer beating on the end attachment which appeared to not be properly seated or functioning somehow. Seeing him slamming away at the working end of the excavator while it sat in Neutral made me smile.

This Saturday is NATIONAL TRAILS DAY!!!!

The section of woods and wetlands, brooks and cliffs, cellar holes and Deed Rock will all be on display for the public to enjoy!

The event will run on Saturday from 4pm-7pm, and parking will be up on Goddard Memorial Drive at the rear Heinrich building parking lot. Direction will be provided down to the Deed Rock and food area! If you RSVP to Mary at mary@gwlt.org, or at 508-795-3838, food will be made available to you! There will be historical info, led walks, maps, and good cheer with the great volunteers who have gotten this magnificent trail into top shape for the event.

Please come!

Calm after the storm

7:40 a.m. conditions at the Lodge:

Light breeze, no reading;
59.7 degrees F and steady;
87% humidity and steady;
29.00" of Hg and steady;
blue skies;
7.6" of flow in the Cascades Brook (surging to 7.8");
LOW USFS Fire Danger Class;
Yesterday's rainfall totals from the Worcester Airport 1.52";
Yesterday we also saw hail here at the Lodge.

It is cooler, and generally more pleasant today than yesterday's wild ending.

Need to check but my belief is that the rain barrel which was bone dry is likely refilled to overflowing.

And yesterday there was not the need to head out and water the plants and trees as that was well provided for from the sky.

No downed tree or limb damage to speak of.

Sun (for the moment!)

11:22 a.m. conditions at the Lodge:

73.6 degrees F and rising;
90% humidity and steady;
29.32" of Hg and steady;
5" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
1.0-1.5 mph wind;
LOW USFS Fire Danger Class;
and glorious sun at the moment.

About 9 a.m. showers moved through, making the world damp, but not really soaking things so that they are really watered. The storm has moved back out again and sun and replaced the dark grey overcast skies of before.

Yesterday there was more planting of trees for screening the construction site. We are now up to 11 trees on the bound line. In addition there was a movement of various rocks on site to make a line of large stone along the boundary line as far as the trees are planted as a visual cue to the construction crews when they finally turn their attention to working right up to their northern bound. It is hard to be careful and precise with large earth equipment (unless you have an expert operator) and any visual cues you can use are a help. This is particularly true as they have failed to maintain the silt fences around the construction site in accordance with the Conservation Commission's Order of Conditions, and that silt fence was the previous visual cue as to the bound line, in addition to keeping storm silt from moving off site.

Yesterday's census on the Morning glories found 6 plants and the heat appears to be a real help to the development of those plants. Here is hoping they make it.

Also yesterday saw a decent amount of hiking and mountain biking thru traffic. It was a good day to be out and about, and suddenly today looks like it will have its moments as well.

Cool and Overcast

8:45 a.m. conditions:

68 degrees F and steady;
90% humidity and steady (it is practically misting at moments);
29.32" of Hg pressure and steady;
5" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
light occasional breeze w/o a reading;
LOW is the USFS Fire Danger Class;
overcast skies.

The efforts with the Morning glories hit a serious setback the other night.
2 packages of seeds, carefully planted, regularly watered, has resulted thus far in only 4 plants.
In my daily inspection of the plants I discovered that one was viciously attacked overnight by a heartless slug.
I am happy to say that after having been watered and another night it appears the Morning glory will survive this brutality.

When heading down to the Cascades Brook to read the meter for brook flow I disturbed a garter snake, very nearly 2' long!, that was resting by the side of the brook.

Yesterday became hot and uncomfortable near the end and it was wonderful to have cool weather move in and provide wonderful sleeping weather.

Yes, the construction is still smashing, digging, and pushing away in a loud metallic din, though they started a little later (8:30 a.m.) in honor of the holiday.

Beautiful morning...

Conditions as of 7:35 a.m.:

Hazy sunshine;
No wind recorded, no leaves stirring;
65.1 degrees F and steady;
94% humidity and steady;
29.23" of Hg pressure and steady;
5.2" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
LOW USFS Fire Danger Class.

Yesterday another Eastern red cedar was planted along the southern bound line with the work project. Problem was that it was an endless hole of rocks. It took as long to dig that one hole as it took to dig most of the previous 7. In the end we had a decent hole with decent soil, and a seriously impressive pile of rocks!

Last evening as the front was passing through we had some excellent wind here at the Lodge. We were registering 6.5 mph gusts, but remember that we are at the bottom of a cliff and surrounded by trees, o in order to get to that reading there is a LOT of wind moving around.

This morning the song birds are in their glory with all sorts of songs. (And as yet... no construction noises...)
{Spoke too soon by SECONDS!}

Sun with Haze

7:30 a.m. conditions:

Cascades Brook is running at 5.4";
Temperature is 59.7 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 90% and steady;
Pressure is 29.21" and steady;
No wind or movement;
Hazy skies with sun;
USFS Fire Danger is LOW.

And yes, the construction equipment is moving already.

9:05 a.m. Conditions: SUN!

That is right, the sun is out, and the skies are blue and it is glorious!

9:05 a.m. Conditions:
29.18" of Hg pressure and steady;
65.8 degrees F and rising;
73% humidity and falling;
5.6" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
Sun, blue skies;
Light breeze, but not registering a velocity;
USFS Fire Danger is LOW.

Yes, the banging earth machines are at it next door. Yesterday a visitor asked if they were creating a quarry, and I have to admit that at this second that is a fair question!

It is beautiful outside, the birds wholeheartedly concur, so head on out if it is at all possible today!

More Rain... sorta...

8:30 a.m. conditions:

Overcast grey skies, with a wet ground, but not actively raining;
Temperature of 50.9 degrees F and steady;
Humidity of 95% and steady;
Pressure of 29.32" of Hg and steady;
No recorded wind movement;
Cascades Brook is running at 5.6"; and
USFS Fire Danger Class of Low.

The development project to our south continues in its Xth year (honestly losing track at this point) with lots of noisy clanging of steel on the earth moving equipment.

* * * * *

On a seriously more uplifting note in general and for the Trust, last week saw the Trust receive a Conservation Partnership Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Division of Conservation Services to preserve 12.83 acres of land adjacent to Green Hill Park and to preserve a trail easement down to Lake Quinsigamond along the Coal Mine Brook!

(Or in short:
"GWLT got a CPG from EOEEA's DCS for 12.83ac. next to GHPk and a tr. easmnt. to Lk. Q. along the CMBk."
And yes... GWLT will end up with a CR.
Life in acronym land!)

Once the deal is completed there will be a continuous, permanently preserved trail from Shrewsbury Street behind the bandstand to Lake Quinsigamond that crosses two streets and one internal park road. This project commenced sometime in 1996-7.
15-16 years and a seriously intense soap opera results in a 3.5 mi. trail from downtown to the Lake!

No Rain... More Trees

Today has been overcast all day, and while we have been spared more rain, it is hard to celebrate when there was no sun to speak of. It might as well have rained if it weren't for the fact that the downtown art festival was spared.

Conditions as of 6:00 p.m. (a rare evening conditions report!):

The Cascades Brook is flowing at 5.8";
The Temperature is 57.6 degrees F and steady;
The Humidity is 75% and steady;
The Pressure is 29.41" of Hg and steady;
The Windspeed is pretty steady with a range from 1.0-3.5 mph;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

Yesterday 3 trees were planted along the southern property line as future screening of the development going in. We chose a mix of Eastern red cedar, White pine, and White spruce. Each is coniferous, keeping a green screen all year. Each is Asian Long Horned Beetle resistant (important here in the USDA Federal Quarantine area). Each is naturally found in Worcester County, and the nursery sourcing them is local as well. Today an additional 4 more trees were planted. The newly operational rain barrel is very helpful for watering the transplanted trees and helping them get established.

A week and a half ago I also planted seeds for Morning glories down on Olean Street in the hopes that they might run up the guy lines to the telephone pole, and up the telephone pole itself. I have tried this twice before with only abject failure to show for it. Then the heavens opened and there was rain after rain after rain, and sadly Morning glories do not like to be over watered. Alas... not helpful. But then! This morning! I am deeply suspicious I saw a number of leaves from shoots popping up. Yes, they were sickly yellow, but there they were! Perhaps, just perhaps, we might see Morning glories after all.

So, the brook is still flowing nicely, even as the charge recedes, the world is growing along nicely, and little by little things are slowly drying out.

Sign is up!

11:00 am conditions:

64.9 degrees F and rising;
81% humidity and falling (it was 87% just two hours ago);
29.91" of Hg pressure and steady;
partial cloud/partial sun;
light stir of breeze, but nothing recordable in speed;
Cascades Brook is down to 6.0";
USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.

A couple of fun observations.

1. The girl scout troop returned to put in place the fire danger sign they worked on (and a few of the parent chipped in with moving the beast of a timber frame that it hung in.) They did a fabulous job! Thanks girls!


2. The brook is slowing down without constant input of rain, and the second channel is still flowing but the volume is definitely slowing more rapidly.

3. After a week and a half of clouds and rain the sun is a glorious addition!

4. 15 trees arrived yesterday for screening the subdivision being built to the south. (Thanks to Mary Caulway for treking out to Gill, MA to get the trees) And they are fine looking trees, locally grown, of species found in Worcester County (Thanks Sudbury Nursery for the help on rustling up some stock for us (they usually work with big orders only.)) These need to get planted real soon.

More Notes From the Temperate Rainforest

Yesterday the Cascades Brook was at 6.2",
Today the Cascades Brook is back up to 6.4",
and the brook is loud and the Cascades are flowing!

Steady rain input day after day has put the rooted vegetation on super overdrive in growth!

Yesterday out on Olean Street during one of the drier periods we saw a tan rabbit with a bright cottontail hopping around.

Current Conditions at 7:35 a.m.:
Grey, overcast, with no active precipitation,
54.9 degrees F and steady;
98% humidity and steady;
29.21" of Hg pressure and steady;
no wind;
the USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW (But I would say NONE!, not that they asked);

A funny reflection about the stream depths:
Yes, we watch the depths and it is sort of neat to give a rough sense of when the second channel opens, when the Cascades are roaring, when we are experiencing flooding, and how big a deal any particular storm was in the overall landscape. This week it had a new purpose. We were to the NNE of Cascading Waters at Kinneywoods looking at new trail alignments. That property has a bowl like shape with streams running in from the edges to a central wetland and how you route the trail is all about where the good crossings are for the streams. We were out there looking at flow that was higher than what the dutiful Intern had seen up to that point, and we could see areas scoured of leaf litter from the spring floods to see where the high flow marks were. The question was, how often, or how unusual is the water level we were presently seeing. Is this a norm to plan around, or an exceptional circumstance we need to work hard to cross securely? And having tracked stream depths at Cascades Brook for years now I can honestly say that I had a sense of the proper answer to that question intuitively. That is pretty cool! It turns out this ridiculous logging adventure that we enjoy has real-life applications in the field. Go figure!

Life in the Temperate Rainforest

Dang is it damp!

98% humidity,
and that only sort of covers the craziness!

It has been so damp and so rainy for so long that objects aren't wet, they aren't damp, they are absolutely saturated!
If you didn't have firewood under cover, forgetaboutit.

Last night we had a fire, more for cutting through the dampness than heat.
This is especially key as we needed to dry some laundry.

But more cool is what this does out there in the forest!
It is vivid green!
The growth over the last 36 hours of everything from leaves to grass is nothing short of phenomenal!
It is WILD out there!
The plants are soaking it up and running rampant!

Conditions as of 7:55 a.m.:
98% humidity and steady;
47.8 degrees F and steady;
29.29" of humidity and steady;
no wind;
6.4" of flow in the Cascades Brook;
the Cascades are gently running and the second stream channel is open;
USFS Fire Danger Class is "LOW" (Perhaps with a blow torch, a bellows, and nuclear fuel).

As for the stream,
Yesterday was also 6.4" of flow,
But bear in mind that in order to have consistent flow in a dominantly rain fed system you need steady rainfall as an input.
We have had that!

The rain gauge is still giving me weird readings like 0.67" of rain in 36 hours and I just don't buy it.
I have not, however, gotten the graduated cylinder out there yet either.
So lets say plenty and assume that the 0.767" is a minimum value.

Another nice morning

7:15 am

Cascades Brook is at 5.4";
Occasional light breeze;
50.2 degrees F and rising;
75% humidity and falling;
29.12" Hg of pressure and steady;
Yesterday's rain registered .2", and another .04 fell since midnight
(I am a little circumspect of these readings and will pullout the old analog rain gauge;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is not surprisingly NONE.

We have red trillium in bloom, and the Trout lily is still in bloom.

This weekend I made another vain attempt to grow Morning glories up the guy lines of the utility pole by the trail head. I persist in trying, but have yet to see any success. I did manage to get some poison ivy in trying though! A week or two from now and we either have a measure of success or so passes another year. I am entranced by the prospect of flowering plants hiding the utility pole supports instead of bittersweet or grape vine (or poison ivy).


The breeze has started to pick up a little since the measurements and the dappled light in the house and on the forest floor is in motion.

Another sign complete

The outside frame for another sign was completed today!

This one will be going up on Olean Street on the Cascading Waters property.

Trout Lily!

The Trout Lily have bloomed!

These are native lilies, and their leaves are an interesting dark color with mottled lighter greeen spots all over. The flowers themselves are yellow, with red accents and an occasional purple accent. Like most of our native flowers they are small, but right now there are enough of them along the banks and woods of Cascading Waters where you really won't miss them!

As of 2pm:
The Cascades Brook is flowing at 5.2";
The increasing cloud cover is drivingdown the temperature to 69.1 degrees and falling;
The humidity is 37% and steady;
The barometric pressure is 29.44" of Hg;
The wind moves from time to time but is presently not registering;
The USFS Fire Danger status is MODERATE.

Cloudy is the watchword for now, tonight, and tomorrow.