CONSERVATION NOTES (continued)...

This walk was one of the semi-regular Wednesday morning hiking events organized by Carolyn Page. Sometimes the group travels to other towns for hikes, but now, with even more conservation land in Strafford, the group often finds trails close to home. Others with Wednesday mornings free are welcome to come along. Email Carolyn at carolyn_page@hotmail.com so she can add you to her list for email messages about the next expedition.

Bear-Paw Regional Greenways invites all for a snowshoe hike on the Cahill Easement on Saturday, February 25, from 1:00 to about 3:30. Meet at Dan Kern’s house at 114 Willey Pond Road, and Frank Mitchell will lead the group on a search for animal tracks and signs. Frank and Dan will lead us beyond the Cahill Easement onto the lower part of the adjacent Evans Mountain property, where we should find some interesting animal habitats.

Sometimes in late winter, if we have a deep snow pack, strapping on the old snowshoes yet again loses its allure and it would be nice to take a fast hike on a packed trail. That’s when we appreciate those great trails our snowmobile friends create. One of the best with good parking available is on Johnsonboro Road that runs with the School District conservation lands on the right and Stiles conservation lands and Mohawk river on the left. Snowmobile trails often continue around the Hill Pond and provide excellent cross-country skiing as well as hiking.

And for those who would like to go sledding, the wide new woods road up the Weidman lot of the Town Forest should be great fun. The Conservation Commission hopes that various volunteers with plow trucks could keep at least a small parking area open by the Town Forest sign.

Happy February, everyone!