Newsletters

August 2016 - Redfin Pickerel, Rabbitfoot Clover, Al Lima

WELCOME TO GREEN FUTURES !
AUGUST, 2016

“The ‘control of nature’ is a phrase conceived in arrogance, born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man. “

- Rachel Carson

 

 

“Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.”

- Gifford Pinchot

 

 

ROCKY WOODS, WOODS NO MORE – King Philip's Cave loses its forest

Then the solar company came with chainsaws and shovels
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they drilled for their footings till the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.

- With apologies to John Prine (Paradise)

 

Photo – Sera Bray

 

Actually, at the moment, maybe, the oak and pine forest is still there because Borrego Solar jumped the gun and began mangling trees and the forest floor with heavy equipment before they had the proper permits in hand. That's being sneaky and for now the forest has a stay of execution.

 

One would think that a company growing fat off taxpayer and ratepayer funded incentives and subsidies would always do the right thing, but that's not always true. Here's one example:https://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/0270E75D8613A66385257EF900550F31

 

On a recent Rocky Woods visit we spotted this beautiful juvenile box turtle just a few short yards from where the heavy equipment had been working. A Massachusetts listed “Species of Special Concern” our eastern box turtle is on a slow, one-way trip to extinction. 

 

Global climate change necessitates we move toward alternative sources of energy. That doesn't mean we should foolishly site these facilities on finite forest land, food producing agricultural land or on historically significant properties. There are hundreds of thousands of industrial, business and residential roofs in Massachusetts. Thousands of acres of parking lots, capped landfills, highway medians, urban brownfields and other areas better suited for such installations.

 

 

Isn't she beautiful! This Rocky Woods juvenile female box turtle will probably soon be dead. Allowing forest destruction for short-term and meager-gain solar “farms” will result in many more unseen forest deaths. 

 

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU AID IN DESTROYING THE CREATION? - Do you go to Hell?

Shame on Saint Vincent's and the Diocese of Fall River. Shame on the prevaricating mayor of Fall River too.

 

For some background, read this: http://www.greenfutures.org/?content=sgCnCw2BMo0B8DLw

 

The monarch butterfly is another of our iconic American species heading for extinction. The large, Saint Vincent's hay field, that fronts Highland Avenue in Fall River, has been neglected since the Diocese of Fall River decided to sell the farm. The hay field has become a wonderful milkweed meadow feeding our remaining monarchs and raising the late-summer brood of these beautiful butterflies, those that will migrate to Mexico come late September, early October.

 

Since the land sold this spring to a developer, who plans to stick dozens of ticky-tacky houses in that milkweed meadow, we thought the monarchs would have use of it at least until the end of this summer. Nope! 

 

Although of little if any value, since mlkweed is poisonous to cattle and horses, Saint Vincent's or the developer mowed the milkweed killing the monarchs in their meadow. 

 

Monarchs going extinct: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/monarch-butterflies-extinct_us_56f6e5c9e4b0143a9b48699a

 

Monarchs endangered: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/monarch-butterfly-01-05-2016.html

 

At the start of mowing. Note the robust milkweed.

 

Mowed down and monarch caterpillars dead.

 

 

OUR RESEARCH DIRECTOR – Invaluable Al

A bit of good news for a change.

 

Alfred J. Lima, Green Futures Director of Research, was recently honored by Fall River with an exhibit of his planning maps and illustrations/delineations and his oil paintings.

 

Al is an excellent land planner, community visionary, fine artist and all around wonderful person.

 

Congratulations Al!

 

Photo – Barry French

 

 

A BROKEN STATE AGENCY – In need of repair

One reason the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a broken agency is because unqualified people are constantly appointed by the Governor based not on competence, but on crony connections. 


We've found that most DCR staff on the ground knows what needs to be done and how to do it, yes, even with limited resources. It's the political hacks at the top that embarrass the agency.


Still waiting, approaching four years now, for someone responsible at DCR to say, “Yes, we will properly repair the damage to the brook, hillside and trail caused by our negligence.”


This summer they didn't have the funds to repair the damaged brook, hillside and trail, but did have the funds to replicate part of the Appian Way across a portion of the wetlands at the head of Terry Brook. 


They also had the funds to hire a contractor to cut back the wood roads at the wrong time of the year opening more of the forest to invasive cowbirds and destruction of song birds nesting in the shrubs along the roads.


More money wasted, probably federal money, on burning a dozen or so acres of huckleberry on the top of Breakneck Hill to train “burn crews.” The hilltop was already cleared from a large biomass cut of gypsy moth, winter moth and forest tent caterpillar killed oak and beech. Instead of encouraging the return of the forest, they decided to make a mess running heavy equipment all around the burn crushing rocks and tearing up the soil allowing invasive European thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and other alien plants to thrive.

 

 

European thistle invading after DCR burned huckleberry and ferns and heavy equipment disturbed forest soil.

 

Rubber/plastic and wire tubing discarded by forest road where brush was being cut back and where burn took place. No one thought to pick this up?

 

A single track trail brushed back making it ideal for illegal OHV trespass.

 

Crushing Mother Nature's bones. Driving heavy equipment in areas where heavy equipment should not go.

 

 

EMAILED IN FROM OUR READERS

Not enough supply for the demand. http://www.pressherald.com/2016/07/03/as-popular-acadia-turns-100-theres-no-room-at-the-top/

 

Wood turtles are intelligent, beautiful reptiles. They have been extirpated from our neck of the woods. One might think our state environmental agencies would attempt to return the species to the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioresere. Nope! Here is an article on a Minnesota wood turtle study.http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/4071254-wood-turtle-researchers-step-help

 

Acadia National Park was first Sieur de Monts National Monument.http://bangordailynews.com/2016/07/11/outdoors/acadia-was-maines-first-monument-heres-what-that-means-for-the-north-woods/

 

 

President Obama, Save these woods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MheKSkj6Rww

 

Diversity of life not as diverse. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/14/the-diversity-of-life-across-much-of-earth-has-plunged-below-safe-levels-scientists-say/

 

Largest invasive species? http://motherboard.vice.com/read/pablo-escobars-hippos-keep-having-sex-and-no-one-is-sure-how-to-stop-them

 

Bright side of solar. http://www.recorder.com/Talmage-shows-Northfield-residents-the-bright-side-of-solar-power-3468493

 

Ego to blame. Tough to leave Nature alone.http://www.centredaily.com/sports/outdoors/article86051077.html

 

 

BIORESERVE FAUNA OF THE MONTH – Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus)

Like its larger pond and lake dwelling cousin the feisty chain pickerel, the redfin pickerel is a similar, though much smaller, ambush predator living in brooks and streams where it waits for small fish, aquatic insects and other small prey items to swim or drift into range. When that happens, a quick flick of the redfin pickerel's powerful tail catapults it forward from its ambush position among the aquatic weeds, its mouth opens and dozens of sharp, needle-like teeth grasp its prey.

 

The redfin pickerel averages 5 inches in length. They are slim bodied and overall light to dark green or brown with a pattern of darker stripes from under the eye back to the tail (caudal) fin. Their undersides are plain white to yellow. Its fins are red, hence its name.

 

In the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve these small fish can be found in perennial brooks and also in some seasonal streams. In the latter these fish survive the temporary absence of water be dropping downstream to a more permanent source and returning to upstream pools when rains replenish the stream.

 

Redfin pickerel spawn in the spring. Females head upstream to pools that contain woody debris and aquatic vegetation. Males follow the females and when the females drop their eggs among the vegetation a number of males release milt fertilizing the eggs. Hatching occurs one to three weeks after the eggs are deposited dependent on water temperature. 

 

Upon hatching the baby pickerel, fry, school together for protection and feed on aquatic insect eggs and larvae and other small arthropods ...anything living they can fit in their mouths. In their second year the school breaks up and each fish becomes solitary, going off in search of its own territory.

 

Although the redfin pickerel is top predator in its small portion of the stream, lots of other wetland critters prey on them. Herons, egrets, kingfishers, mink, otters, raccoons, bullfrogs, large turtles and watersnakes all enjoy a meal of redfin pickerel.

 

 

 

BIORESERVE FLORA OF THE MONTH – Rabbitfoot Clover (Trifolium arvense)

 

 

Nothing else in our neck of the woods looks like that with its fuzzy-wuzzy flowerheads and trifoliate leaves (a compound leaf divided into three leaflets).
 
 
There are some folks that call this plant “pussytoes.” Wrong!
 
Pussytoes do exist, but look nothing like rabbitfoot clover, are not as fuzzy-wuzzy, are perennial and North American natives. Rabbitfoot clover is an annual and originally from Europe.
 
 
Rabbitfoot clover grows best in poor, sandy/gravelly soil in full sun in forest clearings, log landing areas, along trails, roads and in other disturbed areas.
 
A sunny and hot summer with good growing conditions can have a rabbitfoot clover patch reaching almost two feet in height. More often this wildflower grows from three to fifteen inches tall.
 
 
This clover flowers from late spring to early autumn. Flowers are pinkish to grayish-white tightly grouped in a dense inflorescence (cluster of flowers arranged on a stem). Individual flowerheads are an inch to an inch and a half long. Each individual flower in the flowerhead has white hairs arising from their sepals (plant parts that cover and protect the flower petals before they open). In the rabbitfoot clover the sepals are larger than the petals
 
 
Rabbitfoot clover is self pollinating, but can also be pollinated by bumble and other bees, moths and butterflies attracted by its nectar. Each fertilized flower develops a seed capsule containing one seed.
 
 
Weevils, stem borers, grasshoppers and caterpillars of some moths and butterflies feed on the leaves, stems or seeds of this wildflower. Rabbits, deer, woodchucks and other herbivores will eat the foliage,mostly avoiding the extremely hairy flowers. The clover seeds are very nutritious and important late fall and winter food for everything from tiny sparrows to large wild turkeys.
 

 

AUGUST – Hear the cicadas telling you summer is almost over?

Enjoy the last full month of summer. Click here to see what is on our Calendar. 

 

"In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke their tender limbs."

-Henry David Thoreau  

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