Site Discussions

I don’t know about you guys I could do without the skunks. One have squirted and it really is strong and offensive.

A local farmer friend has been seeing a large mink in his barns this winter, helping out to curb his rat population. How neat is this, an all-natural rat control . PS enjoy your magazine articles. Thanks.

Great article! We own a farm in SE Wisconsin on which we have a 100 acre shallow water marsh on which we hunt waterfowl. Often on on way to our south boat landing driving on the farm driveway at 3:30 a.m. in our headlights woodcock fly up in front of us and land on the hood of my Suburban. The bird rides there for 100 yards or so and then flies off. This happened to me several times and also to my son with his vehicle. We laugh and claim since we are heading south on the driveway they hitch a ride on their migration.

I learned a lot but am concerned. There’s a pond near me that has thousands of polliwogs in different stages but mostly in the early bullfrog polliwog stage. I believe there are so many they are over-crowded but at the same time I am catching great sized shiners too both very active its Jan.23rd I set 2 minnow traps both filled equally with polliwogs and shiners. Is this normal?

Great article. It make’s complete sense. Can’t believe I didn’t piece it together. My measurements kept being way off from what our township map showed which made it difficult finding my property corners on a steep sloped forest.
By using Pythagorean A*2+B*2=C*2 the measurements came out correct. And Rise/Run for slope. The distance on the map squared + the rise in elevation squared = the actual measured distance by hand squared. Just need distance numbers and elevation which most phones nowadays can give you a decent estimate. I tried it on my own property and it worked within a couple feet.

Once in a while, something comes along that’s a game changer for the small woodlot owner(s). In the case of Southern New England, it’s the Great Thicket National Wildlife Preserve. The program will purchase outright, purchase easements or accept donations of parcels within the area of the Preserve that are deemed of value to the program.  They will manage these parcels and take the burden/responsibility off the individual owner(s), while maintaining accessibility. To some of us, it appears to be a win/win opportunity.

Do Douglas firs, pines and other evergreens actually absorb water through their needles or leaves?

Thank you for all of the research that you have done and the willingness to pass it on, to all, John

Hi, I have seen morning doves here on the feeders in my yard all winter. This morning there must have been over a dozen of them.  Don’t recall seeing them this time of year before.

Great story Dave. Deer hunting in the Adirondacks is special.

I don’t know, Troy, because “wet” and “dry” are both such subjective terms. It’s probably a safe bet that the more vigorous looking tree or trees will produce the most sap. Look especially at the quality of the tree’s crown—the more expansive the better. Of course the only way to be sure is to tap both sites and compare. Let us know what you find.

My Grandfather and Great-Grandfather worked together for the Brown Company in 1915 -1925 in an area “north of St. Raymond, Quebec”. How can I learn more exactly where the 3+ million acres the company owned was located in Quebec, presumably where they worked?

  John Prairie, M.D.

I have red maples in both wet areas of my property and in dry. Will I get more sap from the wet area maples because of the excess moisture?

Informative and entertaining. It is always fun to see how quickly the jays arrive after I put out some peanuts. They are welcome neighbors.

We have many stone cairns and other stone structures in central Massachusetts. Contrary to a comment made above, there are many historical references by colonists to Native American stone cairns and structures.  See nativestone.com.  Is it not cultural imperialism to suppose that only European neolithic peoples made stone structures with spiritual and astronomical significance, and that ancient Europeans and not Native Americans made the pre-colonial stone structures we find all around us?  This defies common sense.  Native peoples occupied the Northeast for at least 7,500 years before the arrival of the colonists.  On another issue often mentioned, we should keep in mind that the colonists were opportunistic and they would readily repurpose a Native stone structure into a pig pen or a Native stone wall into a property boundary or animal enclosure. In fact, there is well-documented evidence of this at Mystery Hill in NH. For this reason, many Native American stone structures may appear colonial when they are much older.

Upon hiring a local forester to help me with my land, he arrived with a copy of The Place You Call Home (A Guide to Caring for Your Land in Connecticut). A masterpiece. Thank you! Question: I am very interested in visiting the stone bridge pictured on page 54, part of Stephen Long’s article, ‘Healthy Rivers are Made in the Shade.’ If you can help me with that location, I’d be greatly appreciative. Thanks, Paul Belanger

Hi Cory, I have a research question for a book I’m writing. The book is set in Montana and some scenes involve a Christmas Tree farm. I’m trying to picture how the trees would be harvested and transported. Are the trees cut down in the field, loaded onto a smaller trailer, then brought to a central location to be netted and loaded on a larger tractor trailer? (To be then transported to a garden center or inner city tree lot.) Your help will be much appreciated!

Your rates for NYS are what the self insured group WJ COX would be, but with the State Ins Fund , I do believe they beat the Vermont rates.

I found two tiny tadpoles with no legs in a puddle with almost an inch of ice. They are not frogs, so I don’t know what to feed them. Does anyone know?

I grew up near this forest. It is absolutely worth a visit!