5/30/07

Saw a double breasted cormorant around dusk on lake.

2 hrs. mowing.
30 min. collecting GM
30 min. Put up new signs at gate and south part of prop.

5/23/07

30 min. collecting picked GM.

We have decided to put GM out in the trash each week, since if composted, the seeds will survive. Gobs of it are stacked in the barn. Eventually we might burn some of it in the campfire pit.

3 hrs chainsawing downed trees across lake. Finally cleared out rest of huge mess.

Pounded in sign stake across lake.

5/17/07

30 min GM.

5/16/07

2 hrs pickking GM (forest behind cabin starting from "crossroad trail" and taking it all the way to behind cabin.

5/12/05 07

2 hrs mow lawn.
2 hrs picking up pulled garlic mustard

5/11/05 07

We had a "Garlic mustard pull" and cookout for summersnre2007 list and faculty. We only had a total of 9, but we got some good pulling done b/t' 4:30-6:30 pm!

We hope to organize this earlier next year - there' s still tons of the stuff left everywhere. Our hope is to isolate the large seedbanks and pull outliers to the extent possible. But even in the SE corner, garlic m. has penetrated to spots in the center of the forest from the road.

Annoying encounters in the past 2 wks:
* Goth people doing a photo shoot who parked at the gate, including one guy dressed in a black suit, Easter bunny head, holding a dead canary.
* Same day, couple blocking the gate while we were out. First time this has happened. UM police and called a towtruck, but by that time, they arrived.
* Lady who was swimming last summer w/her 2 dogs - in 2 diff. days we asked her to put her dogs on a leash, but she didn't.
* Crazy guy who puts dog on a leash beside cabin then immediately takes it off + dog runs back to us. Same guy who verbally assaulted me when I first arrived.
* Couple in truck who opened gate (it was closed but unlocked) and drowve down, parked on lawn before we explained that you can't do that.

Warm sunny weather is bringing 'em out of the woodwork!

Dehumidifier is upstairs in order to quell the musty stench coming from under the drywall.

Black ants are black, dying around 1st floor.

Finding random seeds from our compost upstairs in places!! UGH.

5/5/05 07

2 hours at Stinchfield Woods with all other caretakers for an Open House. Nice Day and pretty good turnout. C.O. led a nice walk/talk to a glacial esker.

* 2 hrs making garlic mustard signs.

* 1.5 hrs - we finally rebuilt a compost "bin" for the cabin. We built it of bricks without using mortar. So far, it's okay, but animals are able to knock off the top brick and get in . We will have to redesign.

5/3/07

Saw a pair of Northern flickers which have a nest in a large cottonwood by the lake (to the right of the lawn if looking toward the lake). Their nest is quite high in a dead part of the tree. Pulled more garlic mustard on the north side of the lake, we think that we've gotten all of it up there for now. Found 20 (half free and common) morels over at Bird Hills Park today but haven't seen any here yet. B.Barnes has been out with a couple of students looking @ the white pine stand on the Northeast ridge. They found a buried 50 gallon drum that was empty and cut had caught a bunch of wood frogs. We freed the frogs and filled the barrel with soil from the soilpit (which we uncovered from back when a homeless man had turned it into his home while M.R. was caretaker). The causeway's still washed out which makes B. mad but supposedly a bigger culvert and larger stone are on the way. We're supposed to have the cabin, barn, and outhouse re-roofed this summer - it looks fine to us but we have the money for it now so it's getting done. D.LF. rocks and really cares about the properties - sure glad we have her!

5/2/07

45 minutes each pulling garlic mustard.