In the month of January, year 2008, four explorers entered the woods of the Quabbin Reservoir. The Quabbin cradles the largest expanse of untouched nature in southern New England. It houses many species of birds, mammals, and fish, and stores water so pure one could drink it straight from the lake. But nothing in nature remains without change for long.
The log presented here details our run-in with three important residents in the neighborhood: the steadfast hemlock tree, the small but pervasive woolly adelgid, and the massive yet stealthy moose. We took it upon ourselves to interview each of these Quabbin dwellers, as well as to hear from several experts in the field. Through this compilation and presentation of our research, we hope to illuminate some of the mysterious changes taking place in this precious ecosystem.
January 1, 2008
We realize that Christmas and Hannakuh are over, and make the resolution to do something with January vacation.
January 7, 2008
AM: We receive news from the Quabbin tourist center that the park has seen the arrival of two new species: the hemlock woolly adelgid, and the moose. Quabbin park officials are concerned that these two newcomers will affect the balance of this delicate ecosystem. We resolve to look deeper into the matter.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Image magnified)
Moose
Jeff and Alex test their strength for the upcoming journey by taking a perilous slide down Suicide Hill. Those are not lunch trays they're sledding on.
PM: We leave Amherst College-our home base, to survey the Quabbin for ourselves. To our untrained eyes, all seems peaceful and serene; the ecosystem looks like a happy neighborhood.
But what lies within the shadows of the tall trees and the snow-crusted earth? We were going to find out.
January 8, 2008
AM: Departing from home base, we take a trip out to the Harvard Forest in Petersham, where forest ecologist David Orwig briefs us on the hemlock woolly adelgid.
PM: After hearing from an expert, we decide to weigh what we learned by interviewing first-hand a hemlock woolly adelgid. Watch the video below to hear the adelgid's side of the story, questioned by reporter and member of our team, Tara McNerney.
January 10, 2008
PM: Next step was to penetrate the bowels of the woods. Forester Steve Ward led us off the trail on a tour of the trees of the Quabbin.
He presented to us a new challenge: many decades ago, foresters of past generations marked selected spots in this nature preserve. Their goal was to return to these marked sites and document the health of the trees over the years. However, Ward said, the location of many sites remain uncertain, and we are left with only cloudy estimates of their exact coordinates. Ward encouraged us to keep a look out for these site markers as well as adelgids and moose during our investigation.
So, we added to our agenda the discovery of these hidden markers. Accompanied by our GPS units, we planned to record the exact coordinates of every unveiled marker we came upon during our journey.
January 11, 2008
AM: Back at home base, we hear from moose-experts Steve DeStefano and Dave Wattles at the University of Massachusetts. Moose, we learned, though pleasant to look at, are not always the harmless giants they appear to be.
PM: As we had interviewed the woolly adelgid, it seemed that a chat with a moose was in order. Reporter Rebecca Freed from our team gets the perspective of the moose in the Quabbin.
January 14, 2008
PM: Once again, we put our boots to the trail to experience the remote parts of the Quabbin forest. We spread the humanpower of our team; some of us flurry to the sides of the trail checking hemlocks for woolly adelgid infestation, while others keep their eyes glued to the GPS units-ensuring that we not lose our way. Still, tensions build as it becomes unclear whether we will emerge from the woods before sunset.
Along the way, we met a hemlock that was eager to share its opinions with reporter Kevin Burchby on our team.
Finally, with an hour left of sunlight we found the marker! We are sure that Ward will be ecstatic at having one more plot to stamp boldly on the map.
January 15, 2008
Over the next week we revisit the woods several times. Our destinations are the hidden markers, but along the way we check vigorously for signs of woolly adelgid infestation and moose browsing. Our hopes are set on spotting this large mammal in the flesh, but generally we must settle for hoofprints in the snow and teethmarks on bark.
Moose prints in the snow!
January 25, 2008
Now the end of the month, we feel we have spent the vacation well by servicing one of our most precious New England nature preserves. We left the Quabbin neighborhood wishing the adelgids, moose, and hemlocks success in their search for a peaceful cohabitation.
Alternatively, you can follow the attached links to advocate your support on the "Instigate a Moose-Hunt in Massachusetts" blog, or to find providers of Woolly Adelgid Pesticide.
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Who We Are:
We are students from Amherst College, UMass, and Dartmouth College in the Amherst College interterm course: "Problematic Species in the Quabbin Reservoir" (January 2008). We created this website as a way to synthesize the material we learned.
