On June 16, a small group of hardy brook hoppers, the youngest six years old, explored the section of the Plattekill Creek. This section of the creek, teeming with wildlife, is soon to be protected by a conservation easement donated by Jim and Mary Ottaway.  We were immediately treated to the sight of a mother Common Merganser and her brook of 9 ducklings just upstream of where we stepped in.  The ducklings huddled close to mom near the edge of the stream when they saw us, and as we slowly waded upstream to go past them, they all suddenly charged past us, the mother almost flying and the ducklings running almost upright and each creating a wake behind it as they blasted off downstream.  Mergansers are diving ducks that eat fish, and are usually found in rivers and lakes. 

We humans continued picking our way upstream, finding much to examine and enjoy: snails and snails' eggs, crayfish, slugs, interesting stones, insects and insect larvae, and even very tiny fish just one-half inch long, which must have been born here.  The banks of the stream range from steep and rocky to sandy little floodplains with a wide range of plants, among them Green Dragon, a relative of Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Giant Angelica, towering above the tallest of us. Beyond that was the pleasure of the stream itself, its sounds and sparkle, the green shade and sun along the banks, and the sense that we could be far from civilization, even though we knew Route 208 was just around the stream bend.  Amazingly, considering how slippery the rocks were, no one ended up sitting in the water.  After a scramble up the east side of the gorge and a brief hello to Mary Ottaway, we made our way back to the starting point where Karen Rhinehart had snacks and water for us.

Written By Lynn Bowdery, Land Protection Specialist, WVLT

Upcoming On The Land Programs are all on Saturday - - - August 8, September 12, & October 3, please go to our website:   www.wallkillvalleylt.org  to register or for more information.