 BTV Conservation News Winter/Spring 2022 / Issue No. 21   Vermont Master Naturalists do squats to warm up on a chilly winter tree walk at Ethan Allen Homestead in February. Photo by Deena Frankel As we begin to prepare for spring, we offer some reflective opportunities of the beautiful winter we have been experiencing. Winter in Burlington invites all of us to be outside in our snowy fields and forests. What are animals up to this time of year? Many of the smaller ones from voles and mice to ermines shelter under the snow, alive in a world we barely glimpse. Click here to read the article Life Under the Snow. Another mystery that lies beneath our feet is our bedrock geology. We have five major rock types in Burlington and Gustave Sexauer has created a scavenger hunt for you to go out and find them. His map shows you where to find the different rock types that are outcropping and visible in the City on public land and also some of the historic structures that were made from them: walls and foundations and even towers, churches and schools. Once you have a chance to play the rock hunting game, read more about how our bedrock formed in this article by UVM Field Naturalists Hayley Kolding and Charlotte Cadow. BPRW is creating descriptions for our public lands here in Burlington to invite people to visit them. Visit Rock Point with us in the first of a series of articles edited by Eva Pepe. Grow Wild is continuing the work to bring native plants back to the City. During the winter, the team is focusing on our mission and goals and designing public events for the spring. The creation of new habitat for our insects and birds in one of the most effective way to take climate action through nature based solutions. Watch for ways to get involved in the Grow Wild effort in our spring newsletter when the cycle of seasons turns us again toward growing native plants. Alicia Daniel Field Naturalist, BPRW Dan Cahill, Land Steward, BPRW Life Under the Snow, Burlington Rocks! Beavers at Arthur Park, and A Close Up View of Rock Point Life Under the Snow   Have you even seen a long tunnel melting out of the snow on a warm winter day? Many small mammals live under the snow–eating, sleeping and hunting out of sight. Sometimes by luck, we see these animals (like the ermine on the right) or their tracks above the snow. Find out more about who we share the winter landscape with and how they survive here in Burlington. Click here to continue reading the article by Alicia Daniel Photo by Sean Beckett  Burlington Rocks! Have you ever wondered where to find the the different kinds of bedrock in your neighborhood? Whether your rock type is Dunham dolostone, Monkton Quartzite or something else, now you will know where to look. And find out some of the historic uses of these rocks and where you can see them in walls, buildings (like UVM Redstone campus), towers and more. Use this map to go on a scavenger hunt for rock outcrops and stone structures all over town. Click here to find the map by Gustave Sexauer Click here to read a brief history of the geology of Burlington  Beavers at Arthur Park If you have been skating this winter in Arthur Park, you may have had an audience. Beavers are living in Long Pond. The pond was created in the 70s when Route 127 was build through the Intervale. This new wetland has proven to be good habitat for mink and a beaver family. BPRW team member, Kelly Richards caught these and other animals in action on a trail camera. Photo by Kelly Richards  Rock Point Revealed The story of Rock Point is one of geological, ecological, and cultural significance. The natural and social histories of this piece of land are woven together to create a tale of agriculture, religion, recreation, education, and conservation. Learn about what makes Rock Point so unique in this first installation of a series of articles about the natural areas in Burlington, authored by UVM students during their NR 206 service learning project. This series will include pieces on community gardens, public parks, pollinator plantings, and other areas managed by Burlington’s Conservation Team. Stay tuned. Click here to read the article edited by Eva Pepe Photo by Wikimedia Commons Conservation Partners: Grow Wild  Grow Wild: Bringing Habitat Home Grow Wild is spending the winter months clarifying the mission and goals and preparing for planting events in the Spring of 2022. “Grow Wild is a partnership that promotes biodiversity and climate resilience by creating more native plant habitat across public and private land in Burlington, Vermont.” Goals Replace 30% of mowed turf and introduced species in Burlington with regionally native plants by 2030. Create corridors of native keystone trees and site-specific pollinator plants across the city to provide crucial host plant and floral resources necessary for insects and other wildlife to thrive. Support ecologically sound landscape management to foster self-sustaining habitat. Stay tuned for ways to get involved! Champlain Elementary School students prepare a site on their campus for a native plant nursery. Photo by Aziza Malik. Climate Change Work Burlington City Council Adopts Plan to Enhance and Support Nature Based Solutions to Climate Change The Burlington Conservation Board in partnership with City staff have worked diligently over the last 18 months to develop an addendum to the Open Space Protection Plan that focuses on climate change solutions using nature. This plan will serve as an important guide and resource for the community in the coming years. Check out the Plan  In the Garden  Life long community activist and organizer, Megan Humphrey gardening with residents of Cathedral Square in 1980. Through the Years Learn more about the history of community gardening in Burlington! Special thanks to Jim Flint who has been thoughtfully pulling together this archive. This blog is being updated regularly, so be sure to check back in frequently. Visit the Blog Want to get Involved? Have a story to share? We welcome anyone from the community to join the 50th anniversary planning committee. If interested please contact Meghan O’Daniel. In partnership with The Media Factory and UVMtv, members of the 50th planning committee are developing a documentary, and archiving garden stories. If you have a story to share, or have an idea to support the storytelling efforts for community gardening, please reach out to Dan Cahill. Golden Jubilee Celebrating 50 years of community gardening in Burlington – the story of how a community grew gardens, and how gardens, in return, grew a community. This growing season will mark 50 years of community gardening in Burlington! To celebrate and acknowledge this milestone, we will be offering a variety of educational opportunities throughout the season, as well as season-long interactive activities and documentary story gathering that will culminate in a large celebration at the end of the summer. Stay tuned for more information! But for now, below are some ways to engage as the anticipation of Spring begins to grow: Upcoming Workshop Opportunities Part of celebrating 50 years is the special season long workshop series, “Garden Like A Farmer.” Check out the April workshops! Seed Starting Thursday, April 5th, 5pm – 6:30pm At the Intervale Center sign up here Season Extending Thursday, April 21st, 5pm – 6:30pm At the Tommy Thompson Community Garden sign up here Golden Jubilee Harvest Festival Mark your calendar for Sunday September 11. More details to come! Winter Happenings Burlington Wildways Bingo Card Burlington Wildways outdoor bingo board serves as a monthly scavenger hunt for experts and amateurs alike! To play, use the board below as your guide to species found in Burlington and Winooski right now. Take a photo or record a sound of these species and post your observations to iNatualist.org. If you find the most species in a month, you just may be rewarded… Track your progress on the iNaturalist project page. If you aren’t on iNaturalist, just check off the species you find and see if you can get five in a row before the species reset next month!  Wildways BINGO |