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INLAND BAYS JOURNAL, Fall mOO - 8
James Farm Eco: 00gical Preserve improvements
By James B. AMerman
Restoration Coordinator
KIOSK
Four Sussex County employees have
been gracious enough to help construct the
kiosk. While Michael
Moore and Doug Shock-
ley did the construction
and design, Justin
Mitchell and John
Clayville helped set the
roof. Once totally opera-
tional, the kiosk will
have a large trail map,
historic information
about the James Farm ALDERMAN
and Cedar Neck area, seasonal displays,
brochures, and a guest/comment book.
TREE IDENTIFICATION
Recent additions to the main trail
(marked yellow and red) include the tree
identification signs. Keri Mauii, Program
Assistant, has put together a tree guide for
the James Farm and has taken pages from
that guide to put in sign holders. These
signs will assist visitors with the identifica-
tion of trees at the James Farm.
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
The fall of the year is one of the best, if
not the best, times to walk the trails of the
James Farm Ecological Preserve. Insects
are gone, the temperature is pleasant, the
colors are beautiful, and wildlife is usually
on the move.
If you take along the article "Trails of
the James Farm" that appeared in the sum-
mer issue of the newsletter, it will guide
you through the James Farm. As you walk
the various trails, you will see acorns and
hickory nuts that have fallen to the ground.
You can assist our efforts by picking them
up and depositing them in the bucket near
the maintenance shed labeled "NUTS."
These acorns'and hickory nuts will be
planted at the Farm to be used for future re-
forestation projects.
Improvements continue with the addition of a new kiosk at the James Farm
Ecological Preserve on Cedar Neck Road north of Ocean View.
REFORESTATION potted trees will be available in late Octo-
Keep an eye out for announcements in ber or early November. The next area to be
the local papers and for notices on the in- restored is just north of the area that was
formation board at the kiosk about the next planted last spring and fall. Volunteers are
tree planting. Hopefully, tree seedlings and always welcome.
Pasture Point
threatened by erosion
The photos above (1938) and below
(1998) demonstrate habitat loss dur-
ing a 60-year period on Pasture Point
at the James Farm Ecological Pre-
serve. The area is subject to erosion
due to prevailing wind and wave ac-
tion in Indian River Bay. The Center
for the Inland Bays is considering
ways to mitigate the problem
through shoreline protection and en-
hancement projects at the site.
These photos also depict the forest-
ed and agricultural lands lost to de-
velopment in the Cedar Neck area
near Whites Creek during the same
time period.
By Edward A. Lewandowski
Education and Outreach Coordinator
Some consider autumn a "melancholy"
season. Spirits begin to drag and sag with
Itae onset of shorter days and cooler weath-
er. The vibrant green hues of a lush sum-
mer are seen fading into the dull, drab
browns of an approaching winter.
Others, like myself, are rejuvenated by
the crispness of autumn air. We delight in a
passing cold front that ushers in cobalt blue
skies. Our eyes are excited by Mother Na-
ture's best work. Her brilliant reds, or-
anges, and yellows shimmer in the sunlight
before falling from the canvas under a fresh
northerly breeze.
Delaware's Inland Bays reveal a variety
of wonders during the autumn season. In
the air, on the marsh, and under sparkling
waters, the bays are alive with activity and
change.
Waterfowlers have long looked to the
skies for wings to herald the fall passage.
Along the Atlantic flyway, V-shaped for-
mtions of Canada geese fill the air with
their "honking" as they make their long
journey south. Amidst the dry stubble of
cornfields throughout our watershed, flocks
In awe of autumn
of geese find respite as they feed on the
spillage. Good news! Numbers of these
magnificent birds appear to be on the in-
crease after closures and restrictions on
their harvest in recent years.
In the high marsh amidst the Spartina sp.
grasses, a peculiar plant
gives hint of the coming
winter. Glassworts (Sai-
icornia sp.), normally
jade-green and succu-
lent during warmer
months, rapidly turn
yellow, brown, or crim-
son red in autumn.
These plants retain large
LEWANDOWSKI
quantities of water in
their tissues and are capable of growing un-
der conditions where other salt marsh
plants fail to survive.
Baitfish such as mullet and silversides
begin to gather en masse in the shallow wa-
ters. A quick splash and then another, fol-
lowed by a frenzy of activity, divulge the
location of small schools of bluefish and
striped bass feeding on the water's surface.
Gulls and terns noisily wheel and dive
above the splashes, picking up morsels left
behind as the fish move with the tide.
On the bay bottom, blue crabs Slowly be-
gin their trek towards deeper waters. Larg-
er, male crabs are the last to leave and often
remain in the upper reaches of our tidal
creeks into the late fall.
• Although the number of crab pots and
hand-lines are gone with the summel:
crowds, opportunities to harvest these de-
lectable denizens of the deep may be at
their best.
Take a boat trip. Visit a state park. Get
outdoors. It's a great time to enjoy our nat-
ural resources and marvel at the wonders of
Delaware's Inland Bays!