| <div class="ck-content"><h3>Winter wonderland</h3><p>I moved to Chapel Hill from Chicago in September 2018. My then-wife was desperate to escape the cold and dark winters. Less than two months later, 9 inches of snow fell….in Chapel Hill. Oh well. And it was <i>so beautiful. </i>It was also a very interesting lesson in evolution. Up north, pine trees evolved to live in harsh winters with lots of snow. Down here, not so much. </p><p>With the snow shutting down human life for a couple of days, I immediately put on all my heavy Chicago winter ear and headed out into the winter wonderland. Glorious! But I noticed that so many pine trees were bent over by the snow. If they stayed that way for a few days, they would not straighten. So as I wandered in the woods, I'd stop by each pine and give it ia vigorous shape. After the first time, I realized i really should put up my hood first. 🥶</p><p>We had quite the cold spell the last couple of weeks, and a bit of snow along the way. I spend lots of time in the woods, between hiking with my dogs and removing invasives. I came across many lovely scenes and thought i share them with you, my captive audience (for a minute or two anyway).</p><p>Mahonia is an invasive plant with broad, stiff leaves and sharp, painful spines. Very annoying. But, it turns out, also quite lovely after a snowfall, because those broad leaves capture and hold the snow:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1U75JhtiggdAudwTeaLd_mnZb2EAEPxxv&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>I came across these really interesting patterns in ponds and large puddles. i am not sure what causes it, but wow.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1KudUQ2z2uRHNBx4xTOtIUeXJP_hECTvD&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>Ice is nice. Ice is amazing. Well, water is amazing overall. Anyway, in the photo below I can reassure you that the dark item in the middle of this dazzling pattern of ice lines is a chunk of wood in Bolin Creek.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1TjARCjpcRkkD4MRa7JJCZH6yZmjclFjm&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>Speaking of Bolin Creek, and to finish off my ode to the cold….</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1F_iNVuRVASXG5r4pp18JkajQhkMURdmO&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><h3>Reversing a privet wasteland</h3><p>We had a small (five total), but very hard-working bunch of volunteers out today between the two “ends” of Two Pond Loop (where it meets up with Walnut Hill Way) at the Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve. So much privet, and in wide range of sizes, from four foot tall saplings that we could pull out by hand to monster trees with 8" diameters at the base. </p><p>Note; the preserve as a whole is definitely <i>not</i> a privet wasteland. But this area is in really bad shape.</p><p>Steven put his chainsaw to good use, fully depleting one battery and then using lots of a second one as well. </p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=10jjyMSu2GeSE778vO4lcb7s7FaItZ0DB&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>Lisa, John and Karen cut down many of the trees on their own, and then helped Steven dismantle the really big ones after he chainsawed them down.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1FP7QRDFa_cjglI7I5gFv5_kdZ2xc7iZp&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>Larry focused on a nearby section next to the loop and cut down many large privet. Along the way, we came across several white oaks and made sure they survived the clearing of privet. They are going to have an AMAZING time this spring and for years to come!</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1P7xc0j6dGWIA1T9ua3jMTvuK_fhksjF8&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>To get a sense (and be inspired by) how much progress even a small number of volunteers can make in two hours, here's my favoraite before-after from yesterday.</p><p><strong>Before</strong></p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1u_BmAJFI9kCEzaddYksN_w-8WrMS2pNx&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><p>After</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1x2W6Ke8FpkXUFhIYLbkDjQhTlGfMt1au&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE"></div><h3>Major expansion of Eno River State Park now a reality!</h3><p><i>(text below lifted verbatim from an Eno River Association email - I hope they won't mind!)</i></p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">In real estate deals, timing isn’t always a thing you can control. And no project reflects that more than the transfer of the Historic Occoneechee Speedway property in Hillsborough. We are thrilled to announce that the ink is dry, and the 200+ acre property that includes the James M. Johnston Nature Preserve, formerly owned by </span><a href="https://xwpaj9abb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qrS5tEGnnal2J0Qn164AzYorsLo8oUNdc9aMM4Ej23UfdtoDji-tLhN3pSB02tSmuCS1mPbsemd7b6wdk5ci9nsdsY306qwDvZXpMDJnl2mQBoK0jNuHNm-LSC9ctHqxc7w7NxP5mNHjBDZNYhE2GHqT8BWnvLj8bZpevjYqzo4=&c=ekQ0FLuye0-ejltTiSCaYav4G-RB8MeMveRFnC_z02tNBxKEi2XTQg==&ch=iLQ3VqmJd2M7BYwIGZSnSUlOzmcKDpfQwJmkkGm6f1ty4UGked61aw==">Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation </a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">(formerly Classical American Homes Preservation Trust), is now a part of Eno River State Park.</span></p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://www.enoriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Speedway-Trail-by-Caroline-Gilmore-1024x684.jpg" alt="REPLACE"></div><p style="margin-left:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">Conversations around the transition of this property began in 2021, which put the Eno River Association at the center of facilitating the transfer of a 24-acre Eno River Bend parcel to The Archaeological Conservancy and a 205-acre parcel to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation to be included in Eno River State Park.</span></p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">The closing was delayed from the anticipated date by about a year due to the complexity of the transaction which had multiple parcels, easement holders, and future owners. During negotiations, it was determined that a one-acre site that houses an active pump station along the river would be donated to the Town of Hillsborough, instead of to the State. </span></p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">The project received major funding support from the NC Land and Water Fund, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Harkrader Family that issued a $100,000 challenge matched by donors to the Association in 2022. </span>An official ribbon cutting to celebrate the acquisition is planned for the spring. To learn more about the project, visit dncr.nc.gov or reach out to Kris Anne Bonifacio at Krisanne.Bonifacio@ncparks.gov.</p><p>In honor of the official transfer of 200 acres in Hillsborough, NC to Eno River State Park, Eno River Association's Education Team will be discussing the fascinating history of the Occoneechee Speedway and surrounding areas — from Indigenous history to NASCAR races to modern-day protection efforts —at our free Lunch and Learn tomorrow at noon. Register <a href="https://xwpaj9abb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001qrS5tEGnnal2J0Qn164AzYorsLo8oUNdc9aMM4Ej23UfdtoDji-tLjU0kS2IOqkTxZVi36J0P6C5R1R4QX0-cpCdiBVsMSBUzlI3FoFSarh4YgcGOEMK7ZjtUEh93Wp5KLQqE0jbk1MSJuXw-La4zlHAmc66REugUmrZRLCct65fXwgX7UBHbGxpcZFtHrAFensM_hNGI7NsIE7Qke0qv6BkQVs59kUs1_V-cHs_qMa2xUMV00WKZQ==&c=ekQ0FLuye0-ejltTiSCaYav4G-RB8MeMveRFnC_z02tNBxKEi2XTQg==&ch=iLQ3VqmJd2M7BYwIGZSnSUlOzmcKDpfQwJmkkGm6f1ty4UGked61aw==">here</a>!</p><p>For lots more details on the Eno River Association website, click<a href="https://www.enoriver.org/major-expansion-of-eno-river-state-park-now-a-reality/"> here</a>. </p><h3>Singing for a very wide audience</h3><p>This one made my heart sing. Birds. This planet has birds. These almost-light-as-air beings that are full of mystery (that is, there is still so much we don't understand - and don't <i>need</i> to understand - about them) and extraordinary beauty.</p><p>And it turns out, they likely don't just communicate with others of their species, but <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/migrating-birds-sing-to-team-up-with-other-species/">across different species</a>.</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(51,51,51);">Tiny songbirds such as grosbeaks and warblers migrate thousands of miles, flying at night and resting during the day, to and from their wintering grounds—and </span><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flying-conservationists-teach-endangered-birds-to-migrate/">unlike many larger birds</a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(51,51,51);">, they forego flocks and travel separately.* But new research suggests they’re not entirely alone in the dark sky. Benjamin Van Doren, an ornithologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his colleagues set up ground-based microphones at 26 sites across Eastern North America and collected more than 18,300 hours of bird flight calls. The researchers found that solitary migrating songbirds </span><a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)01701-9">seem to cooperate across species</a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(51,51,51);"> and possibly share information with other solo travelers about who they were and what to watch out for ahead.</span></p></blockquote></div><div class="ck-content"><h3>Receive all my reports on tree rescues</h3><p>If you'd like to get some good news about restoring native habitats delivered straight to your brain upwards of a few times a week, sign in to <a href="https://rewildearth.net">Rewild Earth</a>, click on your name in top right, then My profile. Under Communication Preferences, switch “Send reports of all events” to ON. </p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BeynVqu8taOGrsvi56u0mmDKuNJko22h&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="358" height="138"></div><h3>Resources you might find useful</h3><ul><li>https://rewildearth.net/ords/r/rewildearth/_rewild-earth/tools and gear needed for plant invasive removal</li><li><a href="https://rewildearth.net/ords/r/rewildearth/_rewild-earth/search-invasive-species?">NC Invasive Plants list</a>: recently updated by NC-IPC, the NC Invasives Plants Council.</li><li><a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG259">Overview of different herbicides</a>: glyposphate, triclopyr and others - which should you use?</li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://triangleland.org">Triangle Land Conservancy</a>: the biggest land conservancy group in our area. </li></ul></div> |