News from Vermont State Parks

This winter while you are snuggled next to a toasty woodstove fire, sipping a mug of hot chocolate, animals are finding ways to survive the winter weather outside. Even as you are feeling safe and warm inside, a cottontail rabbit may be using your favorite campsite as a refuge from the deep snow of winter. Life continues to go on in the winter world of Vermont.

Remember those squirrels that would frequent your campsite or picnic spot in the summer? Right now, they are looking for pine and spruce cones for food, and searching for the places where they stashed nuts earlier in the year. Perhaps you have noticed a squirrel hiding acorns under a log while you were visiting a park. Now that squirrel is digging out those nuts so it can have a nutritious food source in the cold. It takes a great deal of energy and insulation to stay warm in winter. You know that because when you head out the door, what do you put on? I usually wear a thick coat, hat and gloves. Squirrels do not have the luxury of putting on a puffy warm jacket, but they do grow thicker winter fur to keep them warmer.

Red and gray squirrels belong to a group called tree squirrels because they live in trees. Chipmunks belong to the ground squirrel group because-you guessed it -they live underground. Which type of home do you think would be more accessible in the winter? My vote goes to the tree nest, and it is true that tree squirrels can find food in trees and access their nests all winter long. Our friendly neighborhood chipmunks, on the other hand, hole up in their ground nests and snuggle in for the winter. Have you noticed chipmunks popping in and out of holes in the ground during other seasons? Those are the tunnels that spread down, down, down into their subterranean nests. Chipmunks burrow down far enough to go below the frost line and angle their tunnels enough so that snow will not filter down into their nests.

Every animal has unique methods of handling the challenges of winter weather. White tail deer will move into areas with less snow, mostly under hemlock trees and other evergreens. Evergreen trees are great shelter in the winter because they keep their needles, and this causes the snow to shed away from the trees so that the snow stays shallow under them. That hemlock stand you picnicked in last summer at Emerald Lake State Park may be a deer bedding place today. Moose, on the other hand, are engineered for high elevations and deep snow. Moose take their long legs and march up to the mountaintops to spend the winter. You might see one if you take a wintertime hike on Camel's Hump or another ridgeline in Vermont.

Exploring Vermont State Parks really is a unique experience in the wintertime. While you are finding ways to stay warm this winter, the animals that live in your favorite park are doing the same thing in their own way. If you are curious, put on your warmest jacket and head out into the parks to see what is happening in the winter world of Vermont.

Desperate for some signs of spring?

(..or what the heck is Phenology?)

by Maria Mayer, Parks Regional Manager, Southwest Region

I usually don't count myself in the 'desperate' category, as I enjoy winter sports and actually look forward to the snow flying. All the same, I am thrilled each year to see the signs of winter passing and spring arriving.

In January when I transfer important dates (birthdays, game suppers, etc.) from our old wall calendar to the new I move over last year's phenology. Phenology, per Wikipedia is "the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena". Believe it or not I have a couple of notations every year in January and February.

So if you are desperate for a sign of spring, a light at the end of the tunnel, here are a few to look forward to (and you don't have to be a biologist or even a practiced birder to look for these!). Mind you, the months I have given are my own observations from the Champlain Valley. What you might observe in Smugglers' Notch State Park will be a bit different! Let us know what you see out in the parks.

February: Robin - easily recognizable by even non-birders; Bluebird - usually I see one in a flock and think, "What was that flash of blue?" It takes the second flash of blue to convince me I'm not dreaming; Killdeer - someone had the brilliant idea to name this bird after it's call and even I can recognize this by its sounds. These birds race along the ground in fields where the snow has partially melted. Snow fleas - suddenly you realize that the little specks in the snow are MOVING! Grab a magnifying glass to check them out up close and personal.

March: Things really start ramping up now...Red-winged blackbird - look for them anywhere you see cattails. Nothing heralds the sign of spring like their "oak-a-lee" call. Its basically saying, "Hey ladies, check me out...", after all that's what spring is all about! Kingfisher - as soon as the ice is out, look near ponds or rivers for this flashy bird, perched, hovering, or diving into the water. Peepers - are to spring evenings what red-winged blackbirds are to its days. The frog version of "Ode to Joy" we hear from the swamp across the road from our house.

Still too cold for you to venture out? Check out some really cool phenology maps

We need your testimonials!

Every day we talk to folks who have been coming to state parks for years and years. Parents bring their kids, then their kids' kids and so on down the line. We'd love to hear from you about your experiences - whether you have a favorite park that you return to year after year, or just love the parks in general. We'd like to use your stories to help share the parks with others. If you're interested, send an email to rochelle.skinner@state.vt.us, call us at 802-241-3665 or drop a note to Rochelle Skinner, Vermont State Parks, Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671.