Like the Eastern Chipmunk, we have been busy at Newfound Lake Region Association as the fall season has arrived. Being out in the field, the changes that fall bring to the ecosystem are quite noticeable in a range of different aspects. From the changing of foliage to the slow decrease in animal activity, fall is becoming more prevalent each day that passes. This also means our term as AmeriCorps volunteers is beginning to come to a close. There are a number of projects we still aim to complete before this deadline but it’s always good to look back on the work we have accomplished to this point.
One of the big projects we completed was our work at the Circle Program Camp in Groton. Over the last five weeks, Colleen and I have been working to clear various brush and emerging plants from the trail to allow for future use by campers. It was essential to clear the large amount of leaves and brush that was obstructing walking trails before a whole new layer drops down. With the camp situated right on Spectacle Pond, there is a great sense of natural beauty hidden away in the back parts of Groton. We got some good looks at various wildlife in the area, mainly deer and a couple Eastern Newts as well. It was fulfilling to be able to volunteer for Circle Program and hopefully through our work we opened some doors for collaboration with them in the future.
Moving forward, a majority of our time in the last few weeks has been spent at Grey Rocks Conservation Area, the flagship location of NLRA. If you happened to visit the property within the last few weeks you may have noticed some updates to the landscape of Grey Rocks. One of the biggest updates was to our picnic area directly next to the parking lot. Colleen and I edged the outer rim of the picnic area with composted mulch. Creating this edge cleaned the picnic area up and the rock border really established it as its own section of Grey Rocks. The fall cleanup continued as Colleen and I worked to resurface areas of our walking paths with crushed stone and gravel. On top of this, we removed a number of downed trees and pruned smaller plants on the property. It’s a humbling feeling looking back at when we first started improvements at Grey Rocks and to look at it now. Every time we make a difference there, it becomes a more refined recreational area for people to enjoy and display what the Newfound Lake Watershed has to offer ecologically.
Finally, we have made it a priority to get out on the lake and take an aquatic plant survey to analyze the kind of plants present and if there are any invasive species we should be concerned about. This was a great opportunity to get out on the lake and take in all the scenery while also doing a beneficial task for the watershed. It has been a little while since I used a kayak so it was a bit unnerving at first. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to really see the watershed from a different viewpoint, exploring over to Hebron Marsh and up the Cockermouth, even seeing a few painted turtles and varying fish species as well. I would definitely recommend kayaking from the Grey Rocks property if you get a chance. Overall, there’s a number of tasks ahead of us and we hope to bring more beauty and sustainability to the watershed before our term is over in late October. I’m excited to see what comes next and what challenges we can overcome to better benefit the Newfound Watershed.
