Follow the Trail with Bill Reid,
The Last Green Valley's Chief Ranger

Migrating waterfowl are an early sign of spring

March 6, 2024

“Now is that sweet unwritten moment when all things are possible, are just begun. The little tree is not quite leafed. The mate not yet chosen. For the rambler in the woods all that he can find in heavy books will be less worth what…

Snowy Tracks, Identifying Trees in Winter, and the Start of Sugar Season

February 6, 2024

“February is still Winter, often is full of snow, but its changing light marks the season unmistakably. By February’s end it is still daylight, though somewhat dim, at 6:00 in the evening. By then we know that March and April and Spring are just ahead.”…

Bald Eagle Population on the Rise in The Last Green Valley: Opportunities and Challenges

January 10, 2024

At The Last Green Valley (TLGV) we call January “Eagle Month,” and for good reason. It’s when bald eagles return in greater numbers to the National Heritage Corridor, and we lead outdoor adventures to see these amazing birds in the wild. During the cold of…

Take A Walk in Winter Woods

December 11, 2023

“On this, the shortest day of all the 365, I wander over covered paths of the garden hillside. I wade through the drifts along the swamp edge. I walk over the snow-covered ice among the cattails. The wind is gone. The day is still. The…

Exploring November and Our Autumn Holidays

November 8, 2023

Sunday, November 5 – Today is Daylight Savings Time, and I hope you remembered to set your clock last night. In each of the nation’s time zones, where daylight saving time is observed, the time changes at 2 a.m. local time. On the first Sunday…

Walktober Month and Concern for Maple Tree Autumn Foliage

October 12, 2023

“Trees, our largest and most long-lived plants, shut down food production in preparation for the winter drought. But the hardwoods don’t quietly sulk into dormancy like skunks and groundhogs; they flare in a brilliant flash of color praised by poets and bus tour guides. New…

September: A Month on the Cusp of Change

September 4, 2023

“How earnestly and rapidly each creature, each flower is fulfilling its part while its day lasts! Nature never lost a day, nor a moment. As the planet in its orbit and around its axis, so do the seasons, so does time, revolve, with a rapidity…

Be on the Lookout for Harmful Algae Blooms this Month

August 5, 2023

Those of us who enjoy summertime water recreation activities will want to be ever vigilant this month and on the lookout for algae blooms, especially the potentially harmful blue-green algae blooms that can occur in our waters during August. One of the most dangerous is…

Mammals on the Wing: Welcome to Bat Appreciation Month in The Last Green Valley

July 4, 2023

For some reason October is our national Bat Appreciation Month, with Bat Appreciation Week at the end of the month including Halloween. Unfortunately, linking bats to Halloween reinforces the stereotype that our only flying mammal represents vampires, death and disease, rather than the very useful…

Migrating Marvels and Bird Identification

June 6, 2023

They returned to our forests and fields right on time. Despite the chilly temperatures in May, there can be no escaping the turn of the seasons and our annual trip around the sun. The earth warms, green leaves unfold to face the life-giving sun, and…

Ceremonial Lithic Stonework of Southern New England

May 16, 2023

It’s nearly impossible to walk in our region’s forests and not encounter surface rocks and stones. The Laurentide Ice Sheet, the principal glacial cover of much of North America during the Pleistocene Epoch, began to melt some 20,000 years ago. By 12,000 years ago it…

Outdoor Adventures with Ranger Bill — Enjoying West Thompson Lake

May 4, 2023

In The Last Green Valley we are fortunate to have several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) project areas. I have hiked and paddled at each one and they provide an amazing resource for the public to enjoy. They were built in the last century…