Wildlife thrives year-round in the forests of southern Maine; we can better understand these outdoor critters by studying the tracks (animal footprints) they leave behind. There is no better time to go out tracking than the winter and spring, when freshly-fallen snow and mushy mud give way to feet, leaving depressions behind long after animals are gone. Without words, nature tells us who/what was there, where they were going, and sometimes, for what reason.  When we venture outdoors to read animal tracks, it’s often an enjoyable and educational pastime. There was once a time, though, when the ability to read tracks truly meant life or death. Tracking can show how food is found, a means of understanding predator and prey relationships, and a tool for reading the environment. Studying tracks is a way for us to get closer with the environment, especially when it’s so easy to become wrapped up in our daily grind and forget about the other living things that help keep balance in our world.

Tracking is a science, a study of the environment.  It can deepen our understanding about clues that exist all around us. A variety of goals may be met by studying tracks, whether we are identifying or locating specific animals or aging tracks in order to discover how long since the animal was there. In the woods of southern Maine, some of the most easily identifiable tracks belong to white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, and striped skunks. Each wild animal leaves behind its own unique track, made up of claws, toes, and pads (in the case of a bobcat) or shapely hooves (white-tailed deer, etc.) It’s through the study of evolution that scientists have found these two distinct foot types develop in mammals. No matter how feet look or the print they leave behind, tracks can always tell us something about their creators.

Identifying tracks is a skill that takes time and practice to master. To get started, it’s important to consider what you already know about different animals in your nearby woods and to understand how an animal thrives and meets its needs in the wild. For example, a domestic dog and a coyote have tracks very similar in appearance; however, a coyote track will show distinctive sharp claws (used for survival in the wild,) while a domestic dog’s track will show blunter claws.

When you go out tracking, there is plenty to see; many New Englanders like to share their experiences using websites and blogs. There is a wonderful tracking community all around us, and their shared experiences are fascinating. Be sure to check out the following blog for more information!

http://animaltrackersofnewengland.blogspot.com/

Portland Water District trails are a great place to get outside and use your new tracking knowledge. Check out our web site at www.pwd.org or follow us on Facebook to learn more about the Sebago Lake Land Reserve, various trail events, and our occasional snowshoe treks.

By Megh Rounds

As snow falls, it’s easy to wonder how creatures that live outside survive when bombarded with so much precipitation. Adaptation truly is a wonder of science; all living things, by nature, do what they must do to stay alive. Humans wear warm clothes, stay within the comfortable confines of our homes, or sometimes escape to the warmer climates in the south. Similarly, mammals grow thicker winter coats, cozy dens are constructed, and songbirds fly to their neotropical winter homes. Fattening up, hibernating, and migrating are all well-known winter survival tactics for wild animals. Yet, there is much more to hibernation than just going to sleep for a long time and more to “fattening up” than just eating lots of food. To look closely at these two winter survival methods is to better understand how the animals living in our very own Maine backyards prepare for the cold, snowy season.

 With the arrival of colder temperatures comes the need for warmth; as animals begin to eat more, their bodies store the excess fat underneath their skin and around their organs. This fat does the same thing for the wild animals as a winter jacket does for us. But our winter jackets don’t offer us sustenance. Because winter weather reduces the availability of food for the animals living in our woods, wild animals utilize their fat stores for nourishment. Raccoons and deer, although hefty in size at the beginning of winter, are often slimmest when spring arrives.

At sub-freezing temperatures and signaled by diminishing daylight, an animal may seek shelter and enter a state of torpidity, meaning its metabolism slows down. In this state, less oxygen is needed for body function and body temperature can decrease to the minimum needed for survival. In the case of a woodchuck, body temperature can be as low as 6 degrees above freezing, with its heart beating just 4 -5 times in a minute. Slowing things down like this is a hibernating animal’s way of reserving its energy throughout the winter. When torpid, an animal looks to be sleeping, but it’s actually just a quiet, calm state of being. Woodchucks, field mice, and chipmunks are true hibernators, meaning that when hibernating, they are nearly unresponsive to what happens in nature around them.  Surprisingly, bears are not; bears enter a torpid state, but do not hibernate, as they can be aroused from their winter slumber, particularly females who give birth during the cold months.

It couldn’t hurt for humans to “walk on the wild side” a little bit and learn a thing or two from our outdoorsy friends. Once the temperature drops below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, raccoons will find a place to hibernate together. Doesn’t good company always help during cold and stormy times? So, enjoy good food and being warm with good friends, and remember – spring is just around the corner!

by Megh Rounds, Lynne Richard, Michelle Clements

by Megh Rounds & Lynne Richard
photo courtesy of Michelle Clements

Got leaves? It’s fall, after all. The air has turned crisp, bright foliage overwhelms the woods, and leaves are falling all around. We may spend time raking the leaves from our own yards, but what happens to all the ones that fall in the forest? If it wasn’t for the natural decomposition that occurs on our forest floor, we would have enough leaves to swim in! It’s the wondrous work of fungus that keeps it all in balance.

As the summer sun fades, moisture returns to the earth and temperatures cool, creating ideal conditions for mushroom growth. The mushroom, just a small part of the whole living organism, grows above ground and acts as the fruiting body for the fungus; it ejects spores, or little reproductive units, which are responsible for the continuation of fungus growth. Spores that land in a cool, moist environment will grow into mycelium, the fiber-like mesh that is found underneath the mushroom, often underground. Mycelium is active in the decomposition of the aforementioned leaves. As it moves across the ground or through a rotting log, it is breaking down leaves, aerating soil, and releasing nutrients for later use by plants. Mushrooms grow when the conditions are just right, like during fall in New England. As mushrooms pop up, they continue the cycle of growth and decomposition that fungus is known for.

 
Many fungi form special partnerships with nearby plants; this is something we can see with red boletes and oak trees. In this relationship, called a mycorrhiza, the fungus surrounds the roots of a plant, and both the fungus and plant benefit from the other: a fungus will consume the sugars produced by the plant while helping the plant to better collect water and nutrients from soil. It’s estimated that about 85% of forest plants enjoy this type of partnership with a fungus friend. Who wouldn’t want a “fun-gi” as a friend?!

Fall is the best time of year for spotting mushrooms, and a variety of species are popping up along the trails in front of the Sebago Lake Ecology Center. You may not be able to see the miniscule spores as you observe the mushrooms, but creating a spore print of an entire mushroom capful makes a pretty art project and a memento of a pleasant fall hike. Please see MushroomExpert.Com for instructions! http://www.mushroomexpert.com/spore_print.html

 

by Megh Rounds

Mayflies are clean water indicators; as larvae, they are only able to survive in fresh, unpolluted water.

If you were outside recently, you surely noticed that the bugs are back! Buzzing around and keeping busy, insects are just as happy about the nice weather as we are. It’s during the month of May that the aptly named mayfly cycles into its final stage of life: adulthood. And keeping busy is exactly what it does , as this fly has only a short twenty-four hours of adult life to find a mate and reproduce, all while avoiding predators!

Flies may be a nuisance, but as topics of study, they are beyond fascinating. The mayfly begins its life as an egg, laid in freshwater streams or brooks during May. Its lifecycle lasts just about a year, beginning and ending in the month it is named for. Mayflies remain in the egg stage for a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the species of the mayfly. It emerges from its egg as an aquatic larva.

The best way to identify a mayfly larva is by taking notice of its legs and tails. Mayfly larvae have six legs and two or three (more common) tails, depending on the species. Mayflies are clean water indicators; as larvae, they are only able to survive in fresh, unpolluted water. When shaken loose by strong currents, mayfly larvae make great meals for Brook trout, another of Maine’s clean water residents.

As the mayfly larva matures, it sheds its skin, or molts, numerous times. The moments after molting are a vulnerable time for the mayfly; it is easy prey until its outside skeleton has hardened. After its final molt, usually during an evening in May, the larva will leave its river home and crawl out of the water onto a nearby tree or hard surface.  The once aquatic insect will dry and hatch into a winged mayfly, thus beginning its short twenty-four hour jaunt in the air. Male mayflies will cluster over the water, and as the females arrive, the males will reach out and select mates. The female will lay her eggs in the water to later develop into larvae, and then the adult mayflies will die.

Trout anglers watch for mayfly casings, as trout are aware of when recent mayfly hatches create easy meals. Mayflies don’t bite people, so do be sure to enjoy their brief spring fling if you’re lucky enough to see it!

by Megh Rounds

Despite the mild winter, spirits are high (as is the sun!) as spring arrives around Sebago Lake.

photo by Moriah Borsetti

By now, loons have returned to their spring nesting grounds. You may hear their calls as they seek mates and begin breeding. Loons may mate for life and return to the same lake year after year. Sometimes, loons will even return to the same nesting area. Please take caution when observing loons; if a human gets too near a nest of loon’s eggs, the parenting loons could abandon them, and if boaters, kayakers, or others bother swimming loons, they can become stressed and unhealthy.

 The return of spring means the return of other birds, as well.  Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls are frequently spotted around Sebago Lake.

 You can observe purple trillium during this time of year, as this wildflower blooms along the Portland Water District’s trails. Also referred to as “stinking Benjamin,” purple trillium has a uniquely unpleasant stench that accompanies its beautiful, deep red blossoms. It is a native plant species to Maine, thriving  in the rich, damp soil  of shady woods. You can distinguish trillium by its flower’s three delicately-curved petals in colors such as purple, pink, and white. Trillium also has three leaves, which may help you identify this plant before the flowers bloom. While you may see the white species around southern Maine, it is the purple trillium that highly populates Sebago Lake’s woods.

It is safe to say that spring speaks to our senses. There are sights to behold, such as the birds returning and flowers blooming, and sounds that fill up the days and nights. After an ever-silent winter, spring is always full of noise! Frogs call from vernal pools, insects buzz in our ears, and birds sing to each other. Along with these sounds (often mating calls) comes new life, and different species’ eggs can be spotted everywhere! Spring even smells fresh and new. The best way to experience the sensations of  spring is by getting outside!

Please visit any of the Sebago Lake Land Reserves properties around Sebago Lake – just check in at one of the dozen kiosks for a self-permit. Maps are displayed at each kiosk, or you may come into the Sebago Lake Ecology Center for more information! Come see, hear, smell, touch, and…well, maybe not taste…spring!

When you hear “witch hazel,” what do you think about? Maybe your not-so-nice sister, Hazel, or some scary Halloween decoration?

Witch Hazel's fall flower

In all actuality, witch hazel is an attractive, autumn-blooming plant that has made its home outside of our home here at the Sebago Lake Ecology Center.

The “witch” in this plant’s name is derived from the Old English word wice, meaning “pliant.” Witch hazel’s delicate, limber limbs produce spider-like yellow blossoms which remain long after leaves have fallen. There are many medicinal uses for this plant; most commonly, the tannins in witch hazel make it a popular astringent. Prepared witch hazel can also be used topically to relieve itching and pain, and internally to ease digestion problems.

Witch hazel is most often found in moist, rich soil and is generally the size of a large shrub or small tree. It is deciduous, meaning it loses its leaves seasonally. It requires consistent access to water and some sunlight in order to grow to its fullest potential. When planted in direct sunlight, witch hazel will produce more flowers, but this isn’t necessary for its survival. One of very few plants to bloom in the fall, witch hazel grows beautifully in crisp temperatures.

There is much lore about witch hazel; it is believed that Native Americans and early European settlers would use witch hazel to find water sources in the ground through a method called dowsing. The forked branch from a witch hazel tree is perfect for this activity. With its two branches held in one’s hands and the stem pointed outward, it is said that the witch hazel’s stem will make a twitching movement if water is near.

So, come on down to the Ecology Center, find some witch hazel growing throughout our trails, and see if it twitches as you near Sebago Lake!

by guest contributor Megh Rounds

  by Elissa Guerrette, Water Resources Staff

“In 1997, none of this was here”.- Pat Smith, Camp Wawenock’s Co-Director, speaking about native vegetation that has grown back after driftwood was put in place to limit foot traffic.

 

Camp Wawenock, at the end of Raymond Cape, has been protecting Sebago Lake for over one hundred years. Recently, they obtained a conservation easement on 62 of their 90 acres of forested land. This protection has secured an astounding 1,000 feet of shoreline to remain undeveloped and preserved as a reminder of the lake’s natural beauty.          

  The camp’s efforts don’t stop there, though. Along with protection of forested land, they have collaborated with Portland Water District’s Lakescapers Grant Program to actively maintain the water quality of the lake.

Pat Smith, Camp Wawenock’s Co-Director, first noticed a problem with water run off in 1997 when water was carving divots into the camp’s footpaths and roads. As water flowed across the ground and over un-vegetated embankments, it carried soil, sand, and anything else it could pick up along the way, directly into the swimming area. When she mentioned this problem to officials at Camps O-AT-KA and Kieve, they told her PWD’s Water Resources Specialists (WRS) could address the problem, and Lakescapers could help pay for it.    

        Lakescapers is a grant program for residents, associations, businesses, municipalities, not-for-profit organizations, and camps around Sebago Lake to have their property assessed to make them more lake friendly, and then have a portion of that work paid for. “What we needed was someone to tune into what we wanted, and show us what we needed to do,” says Smith. By scheduling a meeting with a Portland Water District’s WRS, officials at Wawenock were able to set goals and a couple weeks later, the camp received a report depicting the best management practices (BMP’s) for preventing erosion and run off into the lake. They were then eligible to apply for a Lakescapers grant and were approved for $700 toward their project.

The results have been astonishing. Once-exposed root systems are now covered, water clarity has increased, pathways aren’t swept away after every rain, and vegetation has filled in around the shoreline. “We haven’t had to regrade our roads once,” said Smith, “Every seven years or so we apply for a new grant, add more erosion control mulch, and it prevents the problem.”

Wawenock’s efforts are made even more admirable by using almost exclusively natural materials for their projects. This includes using driftwood to define walking paths, transplanting native species found on their property closer to the shoreline to stabilize it, creating a washout-preventing berm near the beach with natural erosion control mulch, and hand digging drainage dips to divert runoff to water loving plants within a rain garden.

 By taking advantage of the Lakescaper’s grant program, Camp Wawenock has set the precedent for good lake stewardship. They have proven that responsible landscaping not only helps those who use Sebago Lake maintain its excellent water quality, but helps people keep the shoreline stable and available for generations to come.

To find out how you can begin the Lakescapers grant process and help protect the quality of SebagoLake please contact sebagolake@pwd.org

 

2009: Excessive runoff had exposed roots and small shoreline vegetated buffer area allowed soil and sand to be swept into the lake.

 

2011: Erosion control mulch and planting of native species closer to the shoreline has stabilized erosion and filtered runoff

• • 
  • IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE — Peter Lowell, executive director of the Lakes Environmental Association, stands in water choked by milfoil on the Songo River in Naples. “It will only get worse until something meaningful is done,” he said. (Dave White photo)

•      What is milfoil? 
•      Why do we care about milfoil?
•      Do we have milfoil on/in Sebago Lake? 
•      What can we do about milfoil?
•      What shouldn’t we do about milfoil?

Peter Lowell, Executive Director of Lakes Environmental Association will answer these questions and more at the Sebago Lake Ecology Center this Thursday  evening.  Learn about the successes and failures of a variety of methods used to control the spread of this alien invader plant, and learn what each of us can do to help keep Maine’s lakes clear of plant pests.

Contact the Sebago Lake Ecology Center for this free presentation Thursday July 14, 6:30-8 pm.  To register, call 774-5961 ext 3324 or email sebagolake@pwd.org.

July on Sebago by John McLaughlin, Standish ME

July is Lakes Appreciation Month!

The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) sponsors Lakes Appreciation Month each July to draw attention to the value and importance of lakes and reservoirs.

Over the past year, EPA has been reaching out to state fishing agencies, realtors, lake managers, lake associations, and watershed groups to stress the importance of protecting and restoring natural shorelines and reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The National Lakes Assessment (NLA), published in 2010, identified shoreline habitat loss and nutrient pollution as the two major causes of lake impairment.  http://water.epa.gov/type/lakes/index.cfm 

In fact, the NLA found that poor biological health was three times more likely in lakes with poor lakeshore habitat.

To help get the word out about the importance of natural shorelines, EPA has developed a set of educational materials which are available for download on the EPA Clean Lakes page at  www.epa.gov/owow/lakes.

* Learning About Lakefront Property- A short guide on the benefits and responsibilities of owning lakefront property.

* Healthy Lakes & Higher Property Values- Fact sheet to help real estate professionals protect our nation’s lakes.

* Open the Door to Clean Lakes! -Laminated door hanger with specific tips for homeowners, designed for distribution to lakeside cabins, nature centers, etc.

* Clean lakes need healthy lakeshores, healthy lakeshores need you.

- Floating key chain with tips on the importance of natural shorelines.

* Lake Shoreland Protection Resources: Clearinghouse for Information on Lakeshore Protection and Restoration -Listing of available materials, websites, and other resources developed by states, academics, federal agencies and nonprofits on lakeshore protection and restoration topics.

* Archived EPA Watershed Academy Webcasts. Titles include the National Lakes Assessment; Healthy Shorelines through Better Shoreline Stewardship; and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution and Harmful Algal Blooms in Lakes.

* Natural Lakeshore Tips – Webpage and downloadable widget for your website.

Throughout the month of July, EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds will be tweeting daily information and tips on how to protect and restore our nation’s lakes. Follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/EPAowow all month long.

Thank you for supporting clean and healthy lakes!

photo by Sandy Loucks

Here’s an article from 2009 that seems timely this year:

Home & Garden: Maine’s Forest Sponge
from the MidCoast Free Press
by Georgeanne Davis  mailto:calendar@freepressonline.com

After all the precipitation Maine has had over the past two months, water isn’t a topic of any urgency: we’ve had more than the gardens can soak up, and the need for any watersaving devices or sprinkling and soaking systems is obviated at this point. But I’ve been saving the following information from “Fresh from the Woods,” a newsletter produced by Forests for Maine’s Future, which is a partnership of the Maine Forest Service, University of Maine Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, Maine TREE Foundation and Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine. The lack of clean potable water is an increasingly serious problem in many parts of the world, including the western and southwestern areas of the U.S., but lucky us – Maine has some of the cleanest water in the nation, and forests are the reason why.

The Maine Department of Conservation puts it this way: “The Maine forest – with its vegetation, streams, lakes, wetlands and groundwater aquifers – functions like a huge sponge that collects, cleans and stores water. The forest’s water system is the foundation for wildlife habitats and recreational uses of the forest. It evens out lake levels, [the] flows of streams and rivers, and groundwater levels, throughout wet and dry periods. And it provides Maine people with their drinking and household water.”

A staggering amount of water is filtered through the forest “sponge” each year – about 24 trillion gallons, or enough to fill 40 million Olympic-size swimming pools. About half of the precipitation runs off in streams and rivers and collects in ponds and lakes before flowing back to the sea. Some of that surface water is used by Maine utilities to provide “city water” to about 60 percent of state residents.

For example, Sebago Lake is the water source for about 200,000 people in Greater Portland and clean enough to be exempt from the expensive filtration process required of most surface water sources. The lake covers 30,000 acres, and the extent of forest cover in its watershed is one of the chief reasons that Sebago Lake is so clean. Forests remove sediments and capture pollutants before they can reach water bodies.

Forest-to-Faucet, a partnership of the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says that “People are a forest-dependent species. … In virtually every [water] system, large or small, the faucet is ultimately connected to a forest.” Maine is the most heavily forested state in the nation. Although its population almost doubled from 1900 to 2000, the abandonment of small farms also caused the amount of forestland in Maine to nearly double. That means there is just about as much forestland per person now (35 acres) as there was 100 years earlier (36.2 acres), according to Forest-to-Faucet.

In forests, rain tumbles through the mature tree canopy, understory trees and shrubs, and herbaceous plants such as ferns before reaching the litter layer, which is a natural mulch that limits evaporation, a shock absorber that protects soil pores, an insulator that inhibits soil freezing, and a slow-release source of nutrients to foster more plant growth and site protection. That’s not the case in developed areas, where roofs, driveways, parking lots and roads convert rain directly to storm water. The conversion of forest land to developed areas replaces a storm water and pollutant sink with a storm water and pollutant source. This is the two-edged sword of suburban sprawl and forest fragmentation, and the reason why a comprehensive approach to forest conservation and the revitalization of urban areas is at least as important today as it was a century ago. When one reads about the efforts to plant green roofs in cities and the utilization of permeable hardscapes for parking lots in urban areas, it seems both miraculous that in Maine we have such an abundant supply of water, and forgivable if once in a while it becomes overabundant – “once in a while” being the key phrase here.