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

The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor was home to many fascinating people. Some are well known throughout the state and country for their roles in government, business and the military. Others are known to us for their writing, art and activism. There are others […]

The first day of summer 2020 saw temperatures reaching the high-80s. A perfect, hot, lazy Saturday to stay home, tend to outdoor chores and enjoy the emerging signs of the season. Sunup to sundown found me doing some form of yard and garden work with […]

Last week I was out walking the boundary line of our back pasture. I had our dog, Russell, with me, and we were along the edge of the field where brush and small saplings have sprouted in an area of about six feet  or more […]

The older I get the less birthdays mean to me. All I wish for is a quiet day, a meal with my wife and a few friends and time for contemplation. The kids and siblings will call, and I will sing along as my sister […]

If you are a regular reader of this column you know I’ve been visiting land trust properties in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor this spring. I’ve shared some of my finds already. Today I want to tell you about two properties owned by […]

“The habits of this famed bird differ so materially from those of almost all others of its tribe that an accurate description of them cannot fail to be interesting to the student of nature.”   John James Audubon I’ll never forget the first time I saw […]

For the past several weeks I have been exploring land trust properties throughout The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. I’ve shared some of those experiences in previous columns. Today I want to share with you two Avalonia Land Conservancy preserves. Founded in 1968, Avalonia’s […]

We are living in challenging times. We are getting pretty good at practicing social distancing and used to wearing protective masks when in public. I do look forward to a time when things slowly return to normal. The one store we have had to visit […]

I’ve been thinking about pollinators a lot lately. Regular readers of this column know I’ve planned and planted a pollinator garden in my own yard. But I also know there is so much more to learn about pollinators, so I was pleased to see the […]

April was a month of exploration for me. Despite the chilly temperatures and frequent dreary, rainy days I found plenty of time to get out in the great outdoors of The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. I took the time to explore wooded trails […]

April is Earth Month in The Last Green Valley, and to honor the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, I wanted to give you some more ways you can celebrate and support the goals of Earth Day – not just this month, but throughout the year. […]

“The care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope.” From “The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays” by […]