Follow the Trail with Bill Reid,
The Last Green Valley's Chief Ranger
Walktober Month and Concern for Maple Tree Autumn Foliage
“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
“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
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
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
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
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
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…
Exploring April and National Arbor Day
“I picked one up and studied it – a delicate, luminous, fringed flower fallen from a red maple that grew alongside the trail. I looked out across the lake and spotted a stand of red maples, reddish-tinged trees that are always doing something red –…
Ranger Bill’s Outdoor Adventures – Tinkerville Brooke in Ashford, CT
One of my favorite hikes is Tinkerville Brook in Ashford, CT. It is one of many properties owned by Joshua’s Trust and was recommended to me by their executive director Mike Hveem. The first time I visited the property was with my wife Julie, and…
Exploring March and International Forest Day
I believe every month holds its beauty and wonders, but if we are honest March can be a greater challenge when searching for those bright spots. It is considered one of the dreariest months on the calendar. As we inch towards spring, the winter of…
How to Catch a Snowflake
“Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.” William Hamilton Gibson Wintertime tends to bring out the kid in me, or rather brings back so many snowy winter memories from long ago that remind me of when I was…
Exploring February: A Snow Moon, Black History Month & A Winter Walk Among Bare Trees
Today we’ll experience the full moon of February, called the Snow Moon since February is typically our snowiest month of the year. After a relatively snowless January, I am hopeful the Snow Moon brings a bit more of the white stuff. I enjoy tracking animals…