Cow Moose Spotted at Gate 1

Wildlife

5/4/2010 Jim E. reported “~9p as I approached home last night along the Red Feather Lakes road just before Gate 1, I spotted a cow moose crossing in front of me! Definitely NOT an elk, as they tend not to be in this area; at least not the gangly critter I saw.”

Jim has documented additional moose sightings in GVM:

“And late summer of ’08 I saw a confused bull moose on Haystack Rd. below my house.  At 7a on September 10, I wrote in my journal: “A warm night—I could not believe my eyes as I looked out the front picture window—a large black moose—huge white antlers!  On the main road below.  He then trotted up the path to my neighbors.  Next he was out to the east in a meadow—fast mover.  What a joy!”
Jim continued, “Then last fall [2009], September 26th to be exact, I spotted large tracks on my driveway—either moose or, unlikely, elk.  I flagged down a neighbor, John, in his truck.  A retired forester, on seeing the tracks, he said they were either from a young cow or bull moose.”

Hunting for Musk Thistle at Riddle Lake

Land Stewardship, Noxious Weeds
Musk Thistle Rosette at Crellin Lake
Musk Thistle Rosette at Crellin Lake

4/27/2010 From Ellen: “I have  adopted Riddle Lake this season and will continue the weed management work that the Ecology Committee started last season. This lake, located about a 1/2 mile inside Gate 1, is one of three in GVM. As for the other two, Batterson  Lake is managed by Judd and Crellin Lake by Jeff and Peggy. It  has  been a very late season in GVM, but I found signs of spring: a few Pasque Flowers at the SW end. Nearby, I located (and dug up) 100 Musk Thistle rosettes and just 1 mullein rosette. I also collected trash (not too much) along the south shore.”

April 14 2010 Ecology Meeting Agenda

Committee

GVM Ecology Committee Agenda April 14, 2010

1) Secretary: permanent or rotating

2) Whose going to do what – pass around sign up sheet

a) Demonstration garden

b) Filing Captains: identify weeds and priorities for work teams and spraying by Judd, Steve, Jeff

c) Individual Land Steward Projects: Judd – Batterson Lake weeds and trail

d) Help on Community Work Days

3) Community work day (most generally weeds, but could be other things such as tree thinking

a) When: Saturday or Sunday and which weekend?

b) Spread around the filings?

4) Pull4Colorado – Linda Bell

5) New initiatives – Judd – see attachments

a) Pasture management

b) Slash pile management

6) Other

When a flower is not a flower

Yellow

FalseArabis w Fungus4/4/2010 Email from Jim E.: “I spotted the bright yellow fungus on False Arabis (Boechera fendleri), a mustard, as I returned from my meadow walk. As Weber and Wittmann describe, “In early spring, the new vegetative shoots are affected by a rust fungus, Puccinia monoica, which produces an aecial stage of yellow-orange pustules that cover the upper leaves. Every spring someone brings this in to ask what kind of wildflower it might be.” Here’s a photo from online….”