Yellow Trail Interpretive Guide

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Yellow Trail Interpretive Guide

• Girl Scout Silver Award Project of Corrin
  Stilwell

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1. Old Fox Den

• Foxes live in many different habitats and are
  found all over the world. Wolves and humans are
  predators of the fox. This den might have been
  used to raise the kits (baby foxes) or it might
  have been used as shelter during bad weather.
•  

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2. Skunk Cabbage

• Skunk cabbage grows in moist, swampy places. Its
  bad odor which attracts bees, gnats, and flies
  who pollinate this stinky plant. During the
  winter, it makes enough heat to melt the snow
  around it! But watch out! If you step on them,
  they let off an even stronger smell.

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3. Intermittent Stream

• This is a stream that will flow only during the
  very wet periods of the year, like when the snow
  melts and in the spring. During the summer, there
  many not appear to be any water flowing, but
  there is, right underneath the stream!

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4. Homes for Many Creatures

• Trees like this are homes to a variety of
  creatures like chipmunks, squirrels, insects, and
  spiders. The holes like this provide shelter
  during the rain and in the winter. Look around
  the base of the tree. Do you see any evidence
  that someone lives here?

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5. Water Treatment Plant

• Behind you, and down this road is a water
  treatment plant. Water treatment plants clean and
  purify ground water and surface water so it can
  be used by the public. They are essential to
  keeping the public healthy and happy. You
  wouldnt want to drink dirty water, would you? 

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6. Erosion

• Erosion is the wearing away of the Earths
  surface. It can be caused by wind, rain, and
  snow. Look at the sides of the creek. Does it
  seem like the banks have been worn away? This is
  erosion and can cause soil and other thing to
  pollute the creek.

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7. Animal Evidence

• All animals need water to live. Look around the
  banks of the creek. Do you see any animal tracks?
  These are animals coming to get drinks of water
  and possibly something to eat.

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8. Stream Life

• This stream is home to insects, spiders, frogs,
  small fish, and many other animals. The presence
  of these animals can tell you the health of the
  stream. If there are many, the stream is healthy.
  Look around and see what you can find.

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9. Multiflora Rose

• The Multiflora Rose is a very invasive species of
  plant. It can form dense thickets in open
  woodlands like these. The plants were brought to
  the United States from Japan during the 1860s to
  form living livestock fences. 

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10. The Wetlands

• These wetlands are called scrub wetlands. This
  means that they have only small trees and bushes
  and are close to streams, creeks, or lakes. Many
  creatures live in the wetlands like the
  endangered bog turtles and even beavers! 

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11. Signs of Beaver

• A few years ago, this area was home to a family
  of beavers. You can still see the evidence of
  their presence by the rings around the trees.
  Beavers chew off a ring of bark around the tree
  to make it die and fall. They drag the fallen
  tree to their dam which is further downstream.
  Can you find any evidence that beaver use to live
  here?