Winter Walking Tour- Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve

9 ECHOES

Manavi Jaluka

The mission of the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve is to protect and preserve the ecological diversity of the land to ensure that its educational value will be maintained in perpetuity. The Vassar Ecological Preserve promotes increased understanding and appreciation of the natural systems on the preserve through field-based education and research. Join us on this auditory and visual tour of the preserve to appreciate the pocket of nature the farm provides.

Welcome!

Welcome to the winter walking tour of the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve. This is the first of a series of walks we hope to release. We hope that you are able to learn about the preserve and enjoy nature while you walk with us.

If you have not done so already, please take the short pre-survey before you continue on. The link for the survey can be found in the email about the tour and is posted at the bottom of this text. There are no wrong answers and creative answers are always appreciated. Before leaving, there will be a reminder to complete the post-survey at the same link as the pre-survey. We appreciate the time you have taken to explore nature and your responses help us make the farm a better place. Enjoy the tour.

Survey web address: https://forms.gle/19zgDNuCnC5njkY29

1 sound

Horse Barn and Mural

These barns were once used to house horses for Vassar students. In 2019, the barns got a facelift with the addition of the 90 foot mural. This mural was a collaborative effort between 18 forced migrants and artist Joel Bergner during their 2-week stay at Vassar College for the New Americans Summer program. The goal of the mural is to depict the struggles and dreams of displaced people everywhere. If you have not before, take a minute to appreciate the small details of this piece of art.

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Environmental Cooperative at Vassar Barns

In 1904, the Vassar College farming operation was moved because of the newly built Chapel. The mooing cows interrupted the Chapel's activities, so they were displaced to this barn. The cows once provided dairy products to the college dining halls and summer work for students. The barn now houses the Environmental Cooperative, who works to bring together environmental organizations, community groups, educators, Poughkeepsie residents, and Vassar students. Their goal of bringing these diverse groups together is to increase conservation efforts in the Hudson Valley.

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Athletics at the Farm

What were once used as grazing fields and gardens to produce food for the college have now been transformed into space for the college's athletics. This field is now a rugby field and the cross country team uses the trails on the preserve. The cross country trail meets the NCAA requirements, having mile markers and continual maintenance, it is a great place to take a trail run.

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Big White Oak

This white oak is one of the older trees on the preserve. It was most likely left as a shade tree from when the preserve was used for livestock. Now, with nothing else around to compete with it, this oak has been able to grow to its full potential. Trees like this are called wolf trees because they were once a "lone wolf" in the middle of a field. Due to it's large expanse, this tree's shade may be inhibiting the growth of smaller trees around it.

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Succession Plots

These plots were created on the preserve to study secondary succession, or the change in the composition of plants and animals in an area after a disturbance. In this case, the disturbance the land faced was continual mowing so it could be used for livestock. Now to study the impact of management on succession, parts of the field are grazed by goats, mowed, or plowed. A section of the field is unmanaged to study how the land would go through succession naturally.

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Trail camera

Trail cameras such as this one have been used throughout the preserve in multiple contexts. Some cameras have been set up to track the number of visitors to the preserve. As a thesis project, a student used trail cameras on the preserve and on campus to track movement of mesopredators throughout this semi urban area. Other times these cameras have been utilized to track species diversity on the preserve. These cameras provide important information as they can capture animals using the preserve that we would otherwise not see.

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Bird Houses

Did you know that not all birds nest on tree branches? Some birds rely on cavities in the trees for their nest, like our state bird, the Eastern bluebird. The birdhouses you can find throughout the preserve are designed for birds that prefer cavity nesting. The bird houses are seen in pairs because another bird, the tree swallow, nests in tree cavities as well. The tree swallow is territorial within their own species but not to bluebirds so if they take one of the nesting boxes, the second will always be available for bluebirds. Bird watching clubs, like the Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club often visit the farm to observe swallows, bluebirds, and the many other kinds of birds the preserve hosts. There are 15 paired birdhouse sites throughout the preserve. Can you find them all?

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Priscilla Bullitt Collins Field Station and End of Tour

The Priscilla Bullitt Collins Field Station functions as the center for research and teaching on the Preserve. Classes from Vassar College use the classroom and laboratory space available in the field station. Behind the field station is a research grade meteorological station that measures air and soil temperature, precipitation, and snow depth among other measurements. This station is part of a regional climate change monitoring project. At this point, the walking tour has concluded.

Thank you for taking the time to enjoy the preserve today. If you could take a minute to revisit the survey link and fill it out a second time, we would appreciate it! As a reminder, the link is both in the email about the walk and is posted again at the bottom of this text. As you walk back along the farm road or explore the preserve some more, keep on the look out for the many kinds of living things that utilize the preserve, even in the winter! We hope that you enjoyed this tour.

Survey web address: https://forms.gle/19zgDNuCnC5njkY29

1 sound