An Island Treasure

…steep rock outcroppings into Selden Creek—which is dangerous and totally illegal, so all the more a compelling right of local passage. David Wordell passed Selden by for decades on his…

Mother Trees

…the mother trees. Mother trees are the biggest and oldest trees in the forest. They are at the center of a complicated communications network between all trees. They can be…

A Beauty and A Beast

…and, thrive, with little competition. And, as we have seen before, these plants also have effective survival and dispersal strategies. Yellow iris, for example, have robust spreading roots in the…

Gardening for Good: Rethinking Weeds

…which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” —William Shakespeare Any number of dictionaries refer to the word “weed” using distasteful associations. For example, you…

Migratory Bird Act

…contentious and filled with adversity. He vainly searched for compromise solutions to get some semblance of his reform agenda passed, but in the end his reforms were defeated. He was…

Moose

Moose\n\n An Endearing Symbol of the Wild North\n\n By John Buck\n\n Moose comes from the Algonquin word Mooswa, meaning “the one who strips twigs.” To fulfill its life functions, the…

Land Trusts in the Watershed

Bascom Hollow Farm in Gill, Massachusetts, has received conservation support from the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. Photo courtesy of Dick French Land Trusts in the Watershed An Overview Editor’s…

Colt

…of company funds for bibulous dinners with potential customers. Sam also felt he should dress well on the company’s dime in order to impress clients. Clients were not sufficiently impressed,…

Maple Sugaring

…sugar making and their rich culture-specific rituals that accompany it. But all had in common the life sustaining rescue brought forth by the maple trees. Far from being a garnish…

On My Mind…

…the formidable Collins Axe Company until it closed in 1966. In its heyday, this company produced 1,300 different “edge” tools for sale internationally, items such as machetes, picks, swords, bayonets,…

Dam Removals

…bombs. Each state has an agency that regulates dams and tries to ensure owners keep them in good shape, but dam failures are common, and when a large one fails,…

Snowy Owls

Norman Smith releases a snowy owl, helped by his third-generation owl research assistants—Carmella and Alexa Nihill—at Duxbury Beach, MA. Image Credit: © Raymond MacDonald/ray-macdonald.com.\n\n Snowy Owls\n\n Fierce Predators, Beautiful Birds\n\n…

Helping Those Who Need Help in the Wild

…do,” she said, adding, “We rehabbers couldn’t do it without the support of our caring communities.” There are many other rehabilitators that are equally as committed. Grae O’Toole, for example,…

Monarch Butterflies Summer in New England

…protection from bird predators. We admire their beautiful caterpillars and enjoy the annual restoration of their numbers—which is essential to the species’ survival. But the freezing temperatures of autumn and…

Estuary for Young Readers

…wanted to start right that minute. I told her she had to wait but she could definitely come back and search with us in the spring. It hadn’t been an…

What Does the Future of Our Forests Look Like?

…East Haddam, Connecticut, for example, shows areas with complete mortality as compared to other areas where infested trees appear to be making a comeback. One hope for arresting the pest…

The Most Dangerous Animal in America

…because barberry and ticks come back,” says Williams. That research is proving valuable for homeowners, land trusts, and sanctuaries. Many state resource agencies claiming to be “stewards of the landscape”…