Alcott Smith, Ed Chamberlain, and Hugh Mellert led a very informative hike on the Alswell Farm sponsored by the Hanover Conservancy last Sunday. The conservation easement on this land owned by Ed is held by the Upper Valley Land Trust.
We met along the historic Wolfeboro Road and heard about the history of the farm and the characters that lived there from Ed.
Alcott then walked a few feet off the road to point out mounds made by a star-nosed mole and sumac that had been browsed and rubbed by deer.
We hiked a short distance to an outcropping below an oak tree filled ridge.
We crossed a frozen vernal pool and examined some tracks.
We found some ruffed grouse tracks which led us to fisher tracks.
Below Alcott is discussing the fisher tracks and how the female is pregnant for 11.5 months of the year.
We came upon a white birch growing on “tip-up” mound formed by the roots of a tree that fell perhaps 50 years ago.
We walked on an abandoned beaver dam near the headwaters of Slade Brook. Then we crossed the upstream wetland and headed a bit uphill to Monahan Brook which flows into The Hanover Center Reservoir.
We found some very old barbed wire, appropriately named buckthorn ribbon wire.
Next came some racoon tracks.
These were soon followed by red fox tracks. Below Alcott points out their characteristics.
Here are a few more photos from our hike on this very interesting conserved property in Hanover Center.
