‘Ponding for Pollywogs’ Engaged Families with Wildlife Discoveries

Thanks to Emily Lord for these photos of our Ponding activity!A few drizzles did not discourage families and seemed to encourage wildlife appearances on a warm May afternoon at WidowMaker Farm in New Durham, where MMRG offered ‘Ponding for Pollywogs’ with naturalist Sally Cornwell. The event was the third kids’ outdoor discovery activity in our new nature-oriented program for families called ‘MOOSE-ies for Families’.“We saw so many different critters!” exclaimed Stephanie Richard later that day, a mom who had brought her two-and-a-half-year-old to join the outing along with her new infant in a backpack. She went on, “I love any event that gets my kids interacting with other kids while spending time outdoors. Today, one of the older children pulled my daughter in a wagon, and they all took turns in a circle looking at the animals or special plants that Sally found. It was a lot of fun.”Five families with a dozen children, aged 3 months to 9 years, attended, along with parents or grandparents, MMRG Board members, volunteers and staff and WidowMaker Farm landowners, Victor Piekarski and Gloria Switalski. Kids used cups to scoop up muck from the bottom of the pond, then searched in it with a spoon for bugs or other living things. Sally discovered a snake, baby turtle, and frog for kids to observe, and everyone got to touch or hold a red eft, the juvenile stage of the Eastern newt, a type of salamander. The children learned that many of our native plants are edible and they picked and ate some purple violet flowers, while Sally cautioned them to eat wild plants only if supervised by an adult. The unusual-looking Jack-in-the-Pulpit spring flower also engaged kids, whose sense of wonder is easily kindled by such marvels of nature.‘MOOSE-ies for Families’ stands for Members Only Outdoor and Social Events for Families and the six activities per year are free for MMRG member families. This new program creates opportunities for families to have fun together outdoors while learning about nature, in order to foster future generations of conservationists. Our next events are a ‘Rail Trail Scavenger Hunt’ on July 19, the 16th annual Woods, Water & Wildlife Festival on August 11, and a ‘Family Moonlight Walk’ on September 22. If the $25 per year membership fee is a financial burden, please inquire of Executive Director Patti Connaughton-Burns about available scholarships by calling (603) 473-2020.As a non-profit land trust, we work to conserve and connect important water resources, farm and forest lands, wildlife habitats, and recreational land in Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro. WidowMaker Farm, the venue for the Ponding activity, is designated to be protected by a conservation easement donated to MMRG by the landowners, Victor and Gloria.