November 27

Under partly sunny skies and frigid temperatures in the upper 20’s, I make my way into the Hiawatha Preserve, five acres adjoining the Chippewa River, west of Mt. Pleasant. Moving north to the river’s edge, I gaze through the clear flowing water at a couple of three-inch, Mussel shells lying on the stony bottom. These bivalves, (also called “clams”) spend their lives underwater, buried in river sediment. As filter feeders, they draw water in through a siphon, strain out free-floating microscopic organisms, digest them in their gut, and expel wastewater through an outlet siphon. Because of their filter feeding strategy, mussels contribute to keeping the river water clean.. A healthy mussel population can filter many thousands of gallons of water per day. Researchers, including CMU faculty and students (stock photo), have reported a decline in the local mussel population due to a number of factors such as invasive species (including zebra mussels), contaminated waterways, and low water flows. Nearby, perched on a downed tree trunk, I spot a well-camouflaged, Eastern gray squirrel feasting on a nut. These squirrels have a rogue gene that determines how much of a dark pigment, called melanin they have in their hair. The black squirrels, seen around here, are exactly the same species as gray squirrels, except they have additional melanin. Recent research shows we have more of these black-morph squirrels now than in the past. Moving along, I get a close up view of never-before-seen Pixie-Cup Lichens. The tiny little golf tee-shaped parts are their fruiting bodies. Spores produced in them will be splashed out of the cup by raindrops. Along the bank, I observe a dead tree most likely killed by never-before-seen Bootstrap fungi. This disease is caused by honey mushrooms, which are parasitic on live wood and send out long root like structures called rhizomorphs between the wood of a tree and its bark. When fresh, these rhizomorphs are cream colored but darken to brown or black as they age. The fungus is also called root rot or shoestring root rot. Heading back to the car, I come upon a huge Sycamore tree with its mottled trunk bark and olive-size spiny seed pods, hanging from its branches. After a short drive around to the other side of the Chippewa River, I enter the two-acre Neyer Preserve and stop at the 8-ft x 8-ft deer exclosure where, for the last 10 years, CWC staff have been researching the effects of deer browsing on forest vegetation. Proceeding to the river’s edge, I pause to watch the water flow gently past. 

I walk a different path today

My favorite trail is far away

Tis the time to kill the deer

Shooting guns, far and near

Unsafe to walk that ground

Too many hunters around

Hope the whitetails find a way

Escape the bullets of death today

Hope these creatures find a place

Where pursuers cannot trace

I wish hunting season to end

So I can hike my trail again

 

D. DeGraaf