Warden’s report: Trout Creek ER#7 October 6, 2013

Laurie Rockwell, the warden for Trout Creek Er sends this report of today’s visit.

• a very mild morning at 10c at 9.30, some wind only at the top and sunshine. It was very quiet,however.
• I saw or heard 9 species of birds including all 3 nuthatches: Pygmy ,White and Red-breasted.
• I found 15 Sulphur Cinquefoil plants at the usual site and will dig them up next spring when they are more visible.I also found 2 plants on the old logging road. The toadflax is scrawny looking with many small branches,apparently a sign of J.mecinus  beetle activity. Also,while there are numerous seed pods, none have opened which is good news. I found another Spotted Knapweed plant, only the second one on the reserve.
• I saw reasonably fresh deer tracks and a where a bear had dug out a wasp nest at the Yellow Rattle plant community.
• I put up 3 new reserve signs,one right at the gate; I took the old sign and put it up on the E-W fence below the talus slope. The other 2 were put upon the E-W fence further west. One replaced a faded sign and the other,the ER Boundary sign right at the top. I replaced this sign as it’s location has been a public access point to the reserve in the past,so needed to be more explicit as to what one cannot do in the reserve.
• the old hinged gate that has been unhinged for many years, at the 12th green of the golf course, has been pushed down, giving sufficient access by ORVs to the reserve. Fence repairs needed nearby and in previously mentioned areas are outstanding.