Antlers - JRNWR Work Trip, March 31, 2012

These massive antlers were found by a sawyer crew while on the JRNWR work trip. There are 14 - 16 points, depending on how you count them. If you require them to be an inch long, there are 14 .... if you count whether or not you can hang a ring on them, there are 16. Regardless, this is a huge set of antlers! Antlers are not found lying around in the woods very often and this is why:

By this point you may be wondering what happens to all those antlers the bucks are shedding each year and why you haven't found any lying around in the woods. Once antlers are shed, they don't last long in the wild. Since they are storehouses for mineral salts so prized by rodents, they quickly become food for mice, rats, squirrels, and porcupines. As these animals nibble away, the antler's calcium and phosphorus provide nourishment, and the gnawing action it-self helps keep the rodent's teeth worn down. Those antlers not eaten are bleached, softened, and weathered away by the sun and rain until they become part of the soil. Their minerals may one day provide the nourishment for a plant that will be eaten by a buck and in turn provide nourishment for his growing antlers. So go the cycles of nature.
(Source:  TPWD - White-tailed Deer )

You never know what you are going to find on a worktrip!

Eastern Worm Snake - JRNWR Work Trip, March 31, 2012

While digging out an old children's Twirl-Go-Round (4 seat model - see picture at bottom of post) along one of the forest roads at JRNWR , we saw something that initially looked like a large worm, but on closer inspection, it looked more like a snake and it had a very pink belly. When we mentioned it to Cyrus, he said it was an Eastern Worm Snake!  Here's a picture of what it looked like (but very small):

For more information on the Eastern Worm Snake, visit the link below:

Eastern Worm Snake

For those of you who are wondering what a Twirl-Go-Round is, here's a picture. The fact that it was a 4 seat model only made digging it out harder ..... 2 of the seats were buried deep!

Work Trip - JRNWR - March 31, 2012

Hi All -

Another beautiful work trip day helping Cyrus at the James River Wildlife Refuge.  There were crews out performing tasks from sign installation,  invasive species clearing, debris removal - by the truckload and two sawyer crews.  Cyrus grilled a gourmet lunch of hamburgers and hotdog and of course there was Fran's famous chocolate pecan pie.  Yum!.... Fifteen club members volunteered for this event.  Thanks so much to those that came out to help...  Fran, David, Kathleen, Jane, Jim, Steve, Christina, Ed, Claudia, Greg, Karl, Karen, Jeff and John.

Our next work trip up to the AT is coming up soon, Saturday, April 21.  Please let me or Fran know if you will be able to attend.  Also, if you're on our section of the AT and see any trees down please forward on that information so we can plan sawyer crews.  Fran will not be attending this month, :-(  so no blazing.

As as reminder, work trip dates for the remainder of the year are below.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Lori