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A twice-yearly newsletter of information, announcements, and news about the Quincy Bog Natural Area and Pemi-Baker Land Trust
Editors: Widge Kent & Christine Perron
Editorial submissions are welcome. Please send to: Editor, Quincy Bog Notes, P.O. Box 90 , Rumney , NH 03266 or email us at BogNotes@QuincyBog.org.
The following articles are two of the many articles in the current Winter 2011-2012 edition of the Bog Notes. Please feel free to download this from the Archive section of this page.
Quincy Pasture Forest - What's New?
by Widge Kent
Quincy Pasture Forest has been buzzing with activity this past season: bio-studies, trail work, timber management, a new parking lot, opening of mountain vistas, discoveries of rare plants, and much more. As you may recall from previous articles, Quincy Pasture Forest (QPF) is property on the southern slope of Stinson Mountain under the co-management of Quincy Bog Natural Area and The Nature Conservancy. QPF is a 92-acre rectangular lot along East Rumney Road in Rumney, NH. The entire property is on a slope that increases in steepness as the property runs north. It was the lower half of the property that has been the recipient of most of the activity this summer and fall.
New Loop Trail: The newly developed trail throughout the property is a double loop or the shape of a fat figure eight. The lower portion of the loop trail, marked in blue blazes, takes less than an hour to hike and is a more strenuous walk than the trail around Quincy Bog. The entire lower loop might be too much for kids younger than four or five. Younger hikers might enjoy an out-and-back trip along the lowest portion of the trail that would include a beautiful and fun stream crossing and some large boulders. The trails are easier in the east-west direction across the slope of the site. The slope on the north-south portions of the trail challenge the hiker. The trail is new and has not yet been well traveled so a hiker in the near future will need to remain cognizant of the blazes. As QPF becomes more popular for hiking, the trail will improve with use. The accompanying map (click on the new Trail Map link) shows the lower loop and its intersections with the upper trail. Bring your hiking sticks if you plan to hike the upper portion of the loop trail. This trail, marked with red blazes, is quite steep, rising from about 800 to nearly 1200 feet. In the northeast corner of the loop slightly off the trail there is a rocky outcrop that overlooks Loon Lake. The trail crew has future plans to develop a short spur to highlight this feature. A second spur, in the works, is to a picturesque rocky gorge-like area along the western side of the trail. The upper portion of the trail is rockier and along a hardwood ridge. There are a few small wetlands that provide water and habitat for small mammals such as porcupine, weasels, fishers, chipmunks and mice, as well as amphibians. The wetlands also provide the possibility for a moose wallow. These wetlands are the source of the main stream through the property and are part of the watershed that feeds Quincy Bog. (new Trail Map of Quincy Pasture Forest)
Exciting Discovery: Over the last 18 months plant surveys have been undertaken on QPF. In a previous article, the discovery of American cancerroot was reported. Late this summer, an even more exciting plant was found - small whorled pogonia! QPF is now one of about 40 locations in NH where this federally threatened species is known to occur.....
Finish reading this article and others by downloading Bog Notes.
Saving the Boy Scout Bridge
from Irene
by Bob Bulkeley
While Tropical Storm Irene did little damage to the trail at Quincy Bog, the resulting flood did move the “Eagle Scout” bridge off its moorings. The end nearest the kiosk was moved downstream over 10 feet, the other end about 2 feet, and the bridge was more than 20 degrees off level. It took Board members Derek Eaton, John Serfass, Bill Taffe, Betty Jo Taffe, and Bob Bulkeley over two hours of work, in and out of the water, to draw it back in place. Two come-a-long winches, 100' of ¼” chain, various tow straps, and a 12' beam were used. The supporting piers had not moved significantly, so the task was to draw the bridge slowly in place after disconnecting the long access ramp. There were only two trees that could be used to anchor the winches.....
Read more of Saving the Boy Scout Bridge in the Winter 2011- 2012 Bog Notes.
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