Kenrick Woods Conservation Area Walk Recap
On Tuesday, October 13, Orleans Conservation Trustee Carl Goldkamp led a small, brave crew on a wet walk through Kenrick Woods Conservation Area, off Namequiot Rd. Despite the gloomy start, participants heard about the colonial history of the surrounding area, and of John Kenrick’s use of the land as tree farm. Now, the land is dominated mostly by white pines, the needle mat below a habitat for plants such as winterberry and many fungi. The main highlight of the trip was viewing multiple specimens of the now rare American Chestnut (castanea dentata), which has suffered a blight that killed off many of the mature trees. There was also a short walk down towards a now dry vernal pool. Vernal pools are ephemeral bodies of water that serve as a breeding site for spotted salamanders in the spring. Last, as the skys cleared up, the walk took us down to Arey’s Pond, with a beautiful view of a small cove and the waterfront, to hear about the site as a remaining vestige of Native Americans historically.
Join us for our next walk on Mill Pond Valley Conservation Area, Saturday October 31st at 9 am