Spring 2023 Newsletter - Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association

Pinnacle News
Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association
Spring 2023
Snapshots from Recent Hikes and Workshops on Pinnacle Lands
In February, a small group of
Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association
board members led by Jay Maciejowski
(in the rust-orange jacket in left-hand
photo) took a hike to look at a
prospective trail at Lily Pond
Highlands, the 615 acres in Athens,
Brookline, and Townshend that
the Pinnacle recently acquired and
conserved.
This land includes woodland and
wetland habitats, pristine ponds, and
views of the Pinnacle ridgeline. We are
also working on an area for parking
and will keep you posted about it and
about a trail at Lily Pond Highlands as
we know more.
In March, forester, tracker, and
environmental educator Lynn Levine
(at right in right-hand photo) led a
“Tracks and Trees” workshop with
a dozen attendees along Bemis Hill
Road in Westminster West. This walk
was hosted by the Pinnacle and was
adjacent to Pinnacle land.
Along with looking at deer tracks in
fresh snow, the group identified birch
and maple trees by their bark and
branch patterns. Thank you to Lynn
Levine for sharing her expertise with
us. Participants also each got a copy of
Lynn’s book Mammal Tracks and Scat:
Life-size Pocket Guide.
Photo credits: Eastern bluebird photo by Madeline Bergstrom; Lily Pond and Tracks and Trees photos by John Gregg
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Illustration by local artist Courtney Venable, whose work you can find on Instagram at @dogtooth_violet. Pictured
(clockwise from top left) are long-spurred violet, Eastern phoebe, Solomon’s seal, red trillium, spotted salamander, trout
lily, large-flowered bellwort, spring peeper, short-tailed weasel, and hobblebush viburnum.
Join Us for Our Free Spring Events
Saturday, April 22, 2023: Annual Meeting, 4 p.m.
Congregational Church of Westminster West
All WHPA members and supporters are invited
to attend our annual meeting on Saturday, April
22, at 4 p.m., held in person at the Congregational
Church of Westminster West (44 Church Street).
Board president Jennifer Latham will share news
and updates on our conservation work and
announce the Volunteer of the Year award.
Our featured speaker will be Daron Tansley,
presenting his photos of wildlife and scenery from
Pinnacle land and elsewhere in northern New
England. We will also screen a short documentary
about the late Libby Mills.
Sunday, May 7, 2023: Wildflower Walk, 11 a.m.
Westminster West
Sarah Waldo and Lisa Chase will lead a spring
wildflower walk, which is limited to 12 people. To
RSVP, please email Sarah Waldo at sarah_waldo@
hotmail.com or call her at 802-387-6036. The event
will be held rain or shine.
Please wear sturdy footwear and meet outside
the Congregational Church of Westminster
West (44 Church Street). No prior knowledge is
needed, but if you’d like to learn about Vermont
wildflowers before or after the walk, check out
the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association’s online
spring wildflower guide.
Field Note: Learn About Spring Peepers, a Vocal Sign of the Season
By Liz Bergstrom
If you’ve been near a pond
or wetland in springtime in the
eastern half of the United States,
chances are you’ve heard the loud,
high-pitched chorus of at least a
few spring peepers. (Or perhaps a
few hundred.) The spring peeper
(Pseudacris crucifer) can be found
from Quebec to Florida, and as far
west as Texas.
These frogs are small, only
about the length of a paperclip,
and they weigh only about as
much as a nickel. The females tend
to be slightly larger than the males.
Here are 10 things you may
not know about these common
Vermont amphibians:
1. You’re much more likely to
hear this frog than to see it.
Spring peepers are usually
tan or brown with a dark
“X” marking on their backs.
However, they can actually
change their skin color to be
lighter or darker in order to
better camouflage themselves
with their current surroundings.
2. Spring peepers are carnivores. Not surprisingly
given their diminutive size, they eat small
prey such as flies, spiders, ants, and beetles.
During their tadpole stage, they feed on algae.
3. Only the males of the species sing, and they
do so to attract a mate. Females seem to prefer
mates that make louder, more frequent chirps.
4. A female peeper can lay up to 1,200 eggs per
brood. She deposits them singly or in small
clusters on plants or leaf litter, instead of in a
single mass as many other frog species do.
5. Although spring peepers are common and
widespread, they rely heavily on wetlands for
habitat and breeding grounds, so they benefit
from wetland and pond conservation. They
also breed in vernal pools—shallow pools that
can dry up in summer and fall.
6. This frog contains a natural substance similar
Spring peepers are known for their loud, high-pitched singing from
March to May. Photo: Peter Paplanus/Flickr Creative Commons
temperatures. Nevertheless, the animal needs
to hide under a log or nestle into leaf litter for
extra insulation during the winter.
7. Snakes, salamanders, and birds are the main
predators of this species.
8. Male spring peepers begin to call as early as
mid-March in southern Vermont. They have a
special throat pouch that inflates with air (see
Courtney Venable illustration on facing page).
9. While nighttime is their usual time for a
serenade, peepers may also sing during the
day if the weather is warm and rainy.
10. A peeper tadpole grows into an adult within
two to three months, and adults can live for
three to four years.
Visit our website, WindmillHillPinnacle.org, for updates on our hikes and other upcoming free programs.
Learn more about spring peepers from the Vermont
All are welcome!
Fish and Wildlife Department, National Wildlife
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Federation, 2021 and Northern Woodlands magazine.
to antifreeze that helps it survive freezing
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Remembering Libby Mills and Her Contributions to Conservation
Longtime WHPA board member Libby Mills,
a driving force in so much of what we have
accomplished, died on Jan. 12, 2023, after a brief
illness.
Libby, who had recently turned 94, returned
to her native Maine for her final days and was
in a beloved spot near the water, surrounded by
loving friends and family.
She was a board member for almost 30 years and
did it all—working with landowners to expand
the Pinnacle’s network of conserved land; lining
up funding with state officials and other donors;
rooting out invasive species on work crews;
leading wildflower walks; hiking the entire trail
system in sections at age 91; and inspiring other
board members with her passion and delight
in the land. Libby served as a longtime board
member of the Putney Mountain Association, as
well.
Libby was also the co-author, with Rosalyn
Shaoul, of the invaluable history book The
Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association’s Story: How did
they get all that land?
Hundreds of people attended a celebration
of life service for Libby on Saturday, March 18,
at The Putney School, where she and her first
husband, Bob Mills, taught for decades. Speakers
ranged from her son Matt to former students to
WHPA board member Camilla Roberts.
Libby Mills standing in a patch of skunk currant
(Ribes glandulosum) and holding a leaf in her hand.
Photo by Andrew Toepfer
We take solace in knowing that Libby lives on in the miles and miles of woods she helped protect
and in the hearts of people across northern New England who cherish her memory.
Help us save time, printing costs, and trees by subscribing to our email newsletter. You can sign up
by visiting our website, WindmillHillPinnacle.org.
In order to foster habitat conservation, watershed integrity, education, and the enduring connection of people
to the natural world, we acquire and provide access to lands along the Windmill Hill Ridgeline and nearby areas in
Vermont. The WHPA conserves more than 2,700 acres and maintains 27 miles of trails.
PO Box 584
Saxtons River, VT 05154
Email: WHPAtrails@gmail.com
Website: WindmillHillPinnacle.org
Facebook: facebook.com/WindmillHillPinnacle
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