Late April is high time for Spring Peeper Frogs (Pseuddacris Crucifer) to create one of the most beautiful symphonies on earth. This easy dusk hike will take you through the wetlands, where you will hear some of the best Spring Peeper performances in the region, and see beavers, a wide array of migratory & indigenous birds, and bats.
HIKE LEADER BIOS:
Alec Gillman, the long-time Regional Interpretive Coordinator for Mass Department of Conservation & Recreation West Region and an expert on the natural & human history of Fountain Pond State Park and the nearby CHP & BNRC wetlands, and
Dave Edson is a multidisciplinary naturalist with an extensive background in theatre, music, education, and the great outdoors. Specializing in Mindful Birding, one of Dave's life goals is to further connect our collective appreciation for biodiversity with our understanding and love of the diversity of humans. Through his practice of Mindful Birding and the Science of Awe, Dave has discovered a much welcomed inner tranquility and a sense of wonder that he loves sharing in community. Dave taught in schools for over twenty years, he has been a consultant for outdoor organizations working to make their missions more diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive, he has performed locally, regionally, and internationally, and he has facilitated birding outings in the Berkshires with Mass Audubon, Hoffmann Bird Club, Berkshire Bird Observatory, Mixed Faces Wild Spaces, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Gould Farm, The Resonance Collective, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, and more. Birding is for everyone and the goal is JOY!
Bart Church, Q-MoB's Wilderness First Responder & Outdoor Recreation Director, will lead us on a relatively easy hike from CHP Great Barrington to a series of wetlands, meadows, and forests that play home to an amazing symphony of Spring Peepers Frogs (Pseudacris Crucifer), beavers, bats, birds, & if we're lucky the first fireflies.
DIRECTIONS & PARKING: When you drive into the parking lot of CHP Great Barrington, turn left and drive north past the main Health Center Building and park near the Trail Head Kiosk & Sign at the very north end of the parking lot at
444 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230
To register or for more information, click here.