Friends of Missisquoi Calendar
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE FROM JEEP TRAIL TO MAQUAM TRAIL DUE TO HUNTING SEASON.
Please join us for our monthly bird monitoring walks on the refuge. Ken Copenhaver and Julie Filiberti lead the walks on various refuge trails on the third Saturday of each month (except December, when it will be on the second Saturday). The purpose of the walks is to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Observations are entered into the Vermont eBird database where data is stored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. These walks are appropriate for birders of all skill levels and provide a wonderful opportunity to learn about birds throughout the seasons.
Our walk this month will be on Saturday, December 9 from 8:00 to 10:00 AM at the Black/Maquam Creek Trail. Meet at the parking lot on Rte 78, about 2 miles west of Swanton village.
If you have any questions, contact Ken Copenhaver at copenhvr@gmail.com
Part II in our series of exploring the Abenakis of the Missisquoi NWR region.
Join Dr. Fred Wiseman in this Zoom session which will focus on an introduction to American Abenaki archaeology and the arrival of humans in the Far Northeast at the end of the last Ice age. Land and Marine Mammal hunting, Long distance travel, spirituality and other aspects of Late Pleistocene life will be examined.
Join this online Zoom presentation featuring Barry Genzlinger, founder of the Vermont Bat Center, as he shares information about one of the most misunderstood mammals. He is a Vermont bat expert as well as a bat rehabilitator. He will give an update on the status of Vermont’s bat populations and leave time for some Q & A.
Details pending
Part III in our series of exploring the Abenakis of the Missisquoi NWR region
In this Zoom lecture, Dr. Fred Wiseman will examine the beginnings of social and ecological complexity with the beginning of optimized food collecting, and astronomy and stone-structure built environments. We also examine some of the amazingly complex material culture of the era, including stone and ivory. We also discuss the evidence for complex and astronomical ritual and social organization.
Join Friends Board members Ken Copenhaver and Tom Hargy for an evening walk to watch and listen for some of our resident birds who operate during the night shift. Recorded owl calls will be played to inspire responses or close encounters, if the birds are willing.
The MNWR owl prowl is on Saturday evening, February 24, 2023 (featuring a full moon!), from 5:30 PM until about 8 PM. We will start at the Stephen J Young Marsh Trail parking lot located on Tabor Rd about one mile past the Refuge Visitor Center. Look for roadside signage: “Refuge Trails Parking.” After an introduction to owls, we will head out onto the trail to look and listen for owls. Dress appropriately and bring a low-intensity flashlight with you.
Please register for this free event at: