Ever wonder if you might be susceptible to fernophilia? Join Randy Stone of the Pioneer Valley Fern Society for a walk through the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, finding common ferns and club mosses of our area. Learn the key features for easy identification of our “top 10” native ferns and maybe some uncommon ones too.

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Is it a red oak or a white oak, an eastern hemlock or a white pine, a shag bark hickory or a yellow birch ?  We promise you'll have a better idea of which is which when the morning's done.  We'll meet at the N. Farms parking lot and follow the main trail to the

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Is it a red oak or a white oak, an eastern hemlock or a white pine, a shag bark hickory or a yellow birch ?  We promise you'll have a better idea of which is which when the morning's done.  We'll meet at the N. Farms parking lot and follow the main trail to the

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Learn about the wide diversity of mammals that live throughout the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in this morning hike. Join wildlife biologist Brad Timm, as we walk and visit some of the varied natural habitats that are important for different mammal species at FLCA and learn about the fascinating life histories of these animals. We’ll

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Learn about the wide diversity of mammals that live throughout the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in this morning hike. Join wildlife biologist Brad Timm, as we walk and visit some of the varied natural habitats that are important for different mammal species at FLCA and learn about the fascinating life histories of these animals. We’ll

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Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area is fortunate to contain several confirmed vernal pools just a short walk in from the North Farms Rd. entrance. Join biologist Brad Timm as we visit these pools and discover their truly unique ecology. We’ll learn about the wide variety of animals that rely on vernal pools for their existence –

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Lesley Farlow and Steve Winn, experienced birders and members of the Hampshire Bird Club, will lead a bird walk along Boggy Meadow Rd. to the Fitzgerald Lake dam. We will look for breeding migrants and resident birds as we pass through a number of different habitats. We should be able to see and hear some

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Lesley Farlow and Steve Winn, experienced birders and members of the Hampshire Bird Club, will lead a bird walk along Boggy Meadow Rd. to the Fitzgerald Lake dam. We will look for breeding migrants and resident birds as we pass through a number of different habitats. We should be able to see and hear some

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Discover the natural history of beavers, how they alter the landscape and provide habitat for other wildlife on this walk at Fitzgerald Lake. Evening is the ideal time to observe beavers, and if we’re lucky, we’ll see them and maybe get slapped at. We’ll meet at the Cooke Ave. entrance (next to the Moose Lodge)

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Discover the natural history of beavers, how they alter the landscape and provide habitat for other wildlife on this walk at Fitzgerald Lake. Evening is the ideal time to observe beavers, and if we’re lucky, we’ll see them and maybe get slapped at. We’ll meet at the Cooke Ave. entrance (next to the Moose Lodge)

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Join Janet Bissell for a walk to look for late spring ephemeral wildflowers and other flora. We'll discuss the natural history, folklore, and identification of these wonderful forest plants. We'll also discuss the identification of invasive species and the impact they have on biodiversity as well as the impacts climate change could have on our

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Join Janet Bissell for a walk to look for late spring ephemeral wildflowers and other flora. We'll discuss the natural history, folklore, and identification of these wonderful forest plants. We'll also discuss the identification of invasive species and the impact they have on biodiversity as well as the impacts climate change could have on our

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Mushrooms are an essential component of our Woodland ecosystems, yet much of their taxonomy and diversity remains undescribed even in sites such as Fitzgerald Lake.  A lot of such recording is nowadays performed by citizen scientists and amateurs.  Take a walk in the woods to learn about this diversity, how to recognize some of the major

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Mushrooms are an essential component of our Woodland ecosystems, yet much of their taxonomy and diversity remains undescribed even in sites such as Fitzgerald Lake.  A lot of such recording is nowadays performed by citizen scientists and amateurs.  Take a walk in the woods to learn about this diversity, how to recognize some of the major

Read More

Lesley Farlow and Steve Winn, experienced birders and members of the Hampshire Bird Club, will lead a bird walk along Boggy Meadow Rd. to the Fitzgerald Lake dam. We will look for breeding migrants and resident birds as we pass through a number of different habitats. We should be able to see and hear some

Read More

Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area has a wide diversity of habitats which are used by the hundreds of wildlife species present at FLCA. Wetlands of a variety of types, forests, and early-successional patches are just some examples, and wildlife habitat can even be defined at a much finer-scale such as decaying logs on the forest floor

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Come learn about the plants we see at eye level and at our feet. We’ll see hazelnuts, musclewood, hop hornbeam, trilliums, clubmosses, wild sarsaparilla, enchanter’s nightshade and lots more! Plus we’ll peek into the world of lichens, which are found growing on trees, soil, and rocks. This will be a slow 2- hour walk starting

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Ever wonder if you might be susceptible to fernophilia? Join Randy Stone of the Pioneer Valley Fern Society for a walk through the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, finding common ferns and club mosses of our area.  Learn the key features for easy identification of our “top 10” native ferns and maybe some uncommon ones too. 

Read More

Mushrooms are an essential component of our Woodland ecosystems, yet much of their taxonomy and diversity remains undescribed even in sites such as Fitzgerald Lake.  A lot of such recording is nowadays performed by citizen scientists and amateurs.  Take a walk in the woods to learn about this diversity, how to recognize some of the major

Read More

Insects are extremely specialized in their habits, and because of this it is often possible to learn which ones are around us just by noticing the characteristic patterns and objects they create as they go about their lives. Participants will search for signs such as egg cases, cocoons, webs, burrows, droppings, galls, leaf mines, and the

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Discover the natural history of beavers, how they alter the landscape and provide habitat for other wildlife on this walk at Fitzgerald Lake. Evening is the ideal time to observe beavers, and if we’re lucky, we’ll see them. We’ll meet at the North Farms Road entrance and walk about 3/4 mile searching for signs of

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Location: North Farms Road entrance Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area is fortunate to contain several confirmed vernal pools just a short walk in from the North Farms Rd. entrance. Join biologist Brad Timm as we visit these pools and discover their truly unique ecology. We’ll learn about the wide variety of animals that rely on vernal

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Location: Coles Meadow Rd. entrance Come and join Laurie Sanders as we explore a portion of the 50+ acres of the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area that experienced a brush fire in November 2024 to see first-hand how the herbaceous layer is recovering. How damaging are brush fires of this size and intensity? What are the

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Take a walk to explore the sounds of the woods and shoreline at night. We’ll be on trails using flashlights (bring your own, plus extra batteries). We’ll talk about the sounds we hear and also spend several minutes experiencing the dark in silence. To hone our hearing to the sounds of the wild, we’ll request

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Join mycologist Peter Russell on a foray to look at the fungi fruiting around Fitzgerald Lake.  We will use the fungi we find to consider the roles they play in the ecosystem, especially their succession in space and time both on decomposing wood and as mycorrhizal partners with trees.  The main purpose of the foray

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Join wildlife ecologist and author of “America is Wild!” Brad Timm as we take a leisurely stroll looking and listening for a wide diversity of animals that live in the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area. We’ll look under logs for salamanders and other critters, keep our ears and eyes peeled for birds all around us, keep

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Peter Russell and Karen Hidalgo from the Pioneer Valley Mycological Association will lead this program focusing on fungi that thrive in burned-over landscapes. We will meet at 1:30 at Laurel Park’s Normal Hall for a talk on fire-loving fungi followed by a walk at 3:00 to the site of the 2024 brush fire near the

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Rich Baker, a conservation biologist and curious naturalist, will lead a walk focused on the plants and animals we see along our way. We’ll discuss the ecological relationships around us, share what we know, and wonder about things we don’t know. There will be spring wildflowers to identify, trees to marvel at, birds to find

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Lesley Farlow and Steve Winn, experienced birders and members of the Hampshire Bird Club, will lead a bird walk along the Marian St. Trail to the bird blind, along the Boggy Meadow and Pines Edge Trails for a total of about 2 miles. We will look for breeding migrants and resident birds as we pass through

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Ever wonder if you might be susceptible to fernophilia? Join Randy Stone of the Pioneer Valley Fern Society for a walk through the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, finding common ferns and club mosses of our area. Learn the key features for easy identification of our “top 10” native ferns and maybe some uncommon ones too.

Read More