January–March 2016 A Newsletter for the Members of Mass Audubon Winter Sweetness All about maple syrup. Home Heating Tips Save money—and the planet. Vacation Weeks Spend school break with us! Lichens Habitat Education Center Meet Massachusetts species. and Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont Message from the President his past fall, the Mass Audubon Board of Directors appointed me President after TI had served as acting president since June. I am truly grateful to the Board for its faith in me to lead this great organization created by the vision and energy of our founding mothers and sustained by your dedication and support of our conservation values and priorities. Before assuming the role of President, I served as Vice President for Conservation Programs. My role included expanding our land conservation efforts and the stewardship of our statewide network of wildlife sanctuaries; growing our presence in urban centers; increasing access for all; educating the next generation Inside This Issue on the wonders of nature; advocating on behalf of the environment; and leading by example in the face of sprawling development and a changing climate. I’ve also 1 Message from the President previously held leadership roles in a variety of state environmental public policy positions. Natural Inquirer: Snow Fleas I am excited to work with our Board, staff, members, and partners in pursuing 2 By the Numbers: new strategic conservation priorities with respect to land, wildlife, education, and Moose Hill’s Centennial advocacy. And, given the opportunities and challenges we may face, I look forward to all that we will accomplish together. 3-4 Winter Sweetness 5-6 Field Notes: Sincerely, Vacation Week Programs Goodbye Bill Gette Gary Clayton, President A Partnership for Cleaner Waters 7 Exploring the Nature of Massachusetts: Lichens 8 Climate: By Robert Buchsbaum Home Heating Tips Q. What are those tiny creatures jumping on the snow? A. On a nice winter day with snow on the ground, you may 9 Education: Connecting Teachers encounter dense numbers of what look like grains of pepper 10 Winter Program Sampler right on the snow. If you examine closely, you will notice that these tiny flecks actually crawl on the snow and occasionally even jump 11 Volunteer Spotlight: out of the way when you approach. These are snow fleas (Hypogastrura nivicola), Hillary Cressey most of which are no bigger than a period at the end of this sentence. Really big individuals may reach a tenth of an inch in length. 12 Outdoor Almanac Snow fleas are not really fleas (so don’t worry about your dog), but belong to 13 Ready, Set, Go Outside!: a primitive group of insects called springtails (Order Collembola). They don’t have Winter Trees wings but are able to “spring” to safety when approached by a predator using a unique body part called a furcula. This rod-like, forked structure is held in place 14 Advocacy News: by two hooks under the abdomen. It can be instantly extended at the approach of Giving Credit for Conservation danger to propel the snow flea as high as six inches into the air, the equivalent of a human jumping over the Eiffel Tower. Snow fleas are some of the few invertebrates that are active in the middle of winter. Scientists have discovered that they produce a type of antifreeze protein Connect with us that prevents their blood from freezing. This enables them to continue feeding on decaying organic matter, fungi, bacteria, and tiny invertebrates. Scientists have Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr Blogs even synthesized the snow fleas’ antifreeze to see if it can be used to keep ice massaudubon.org cream from crystallizing when it’s subjected to fluctuating temperatures. Robert Buchsbaum is Southeast, Cape, and Islands Regional Scientist. 1 Have you seen any interesting wildlife? Share your sightings at facebook.com/massaudubon. Moose Hill’s Centennial n 1916, biologist and conservationist George Wilton Field, PhD, Ihad 300 acres in Sharon and a mission: to manage land for birds and bring people from the city to the bucolic suburb to explore the natural world. He called the 300 acres Moose Hill Bird Sanctuary. Managed in collaboration with Mass Audubon, the property became the organization’s first wildlife sanctuary. Today, Mass Audubon has 56 wildlife sanctuaries across the state for the public to enjoy. And Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary is as active as ever, with a summer camp; programs for schools, groups, families, and adults; a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program; special events; and lots of volunteers. Find all the ways you can join us in celebrating Moose Hill’s 100th anniversary at massaudubon.org/moosehill. BY THE NUMBERS BY 11 1,100+ 1,971acres, years eastern red-backed with an additional 302 acres of an organic Community salamanders Supported Agriculture held in conservation counted by program at Moose Hill, with restriction, making Moose volunteers in our Hill one of Mass Audubon's 400 families now enjoying coverboard largest wildlife sanctuaries. our fresh produce. surveys since 2008. 6 0 natural communities net electricity use, 75years, considered priorities for a result of our conservation the cumulative number conservation by the efforts and investment in solar that the current seven Massachusetts Natural Heritage arrays. We are leading by full-time staff have & Endangered Species Program example, advocating for worked at Moose Hill. (NHESP), such as an Inland change, and producing more Atlantic White Cedar Swamp. electricity than we use! 44years of maple sugaring—from programs to events and 7 producing maple syrup. What seasons a sweet tradition! of northern saw-whet owl banding, with 302 owls banded to date. These efforts help researchers study and protect our 66 years smallest owl species. of camp at Moose Hill, and camp has grown from 6 to 11 weeks a year. 2 Winter Sweetness All About Maple Syrup By Tia Pinney aple sugaring—collecting and boiling maple sap to make Msyrup and other sugary products—is a beloved late-winter activity in Massachusetts. Dip into the history and science of this sweet treat. A Long-standing Tradition Native Americans were the first to make maple sugar. Perhaps inspired by animals licking sweet sap from the trees, they began collecting it and boiling it down to concentrate the sugar. They taught this process to European colonists, who enthusiastically adopted it; nearly every farmer had some maple trees for tapping. Over time, most producers shifted their focus from sugar to syrup, in part because the introduction of canning at the end of the 1800s made it possible to preserve maple syrup. It Starts with Sap Maple syrup and sugar come from concentrated sap, which consists of water with sugars and other nutrients. In deciduous trees—those that lose their leaves every fall—this sap travels up from the roots to feed the opening buds before the leaves are large enough to make their own food. All maples produce sap that can be used for syrup, but the quantities, flavor compounds, and sugar content vary. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) yields sap with the most sugar and best flavor. The Climate Connection Maple sap can only be collected in useful quantities when conditions are right. Producers need a several-week-long period of cold, followed by daytime temperatures at or above 40°F and nights that are below freezing. These conditions cause a steady flow that may last for several days. The sap can be gathered until nighttime temperatures are consistently too warm. Traditionally, the sugaring season in Massachusetts took place between February and early April, but it has been getting earlier and shorter over the years as the climate has changed. With the continued shift in climate, there may come a time when sugaring is no longer feasible Maple Grove at Ipswich River, Topsfield in Massachusetts. 3 Making Syrup Make Your Own Once the sap has been collected, it must be boiled down Ready to try tapping your own trees? Here are the basics; to remove water, concentrate the sugar, and enhance the visit the Audubon Shop in Lincoln for books that provide flavor compounds. Maple sap contains just 1.5 to 3 percent detailed instructions. You’ll need a drill, a spile (the spout that sugar, but maple syrup is 66 to 67 percent sugar; it takes at fits in the hole), and containers to collect the sap. To minimize least 40 to 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup! The impact on the tree, use the newer small-diameter (5/16 of an traditional method of boiling inch) spiles. Hang a clean container on the spile and has long been suspending a large empty it at least once a day. Like milk, sap will spoil if it open pan over a wood fire. Most is left out, so store it in a cold place and boil it as soon as commercial sugar houses now you can. Remember, you’ll need 8 to 10 gallons of sap to use modern, specially designed make one pint of syrup. equipment, such as reverse- When you’re ready to boil the sap, you’ll need a osmosis machines that remove large pot or pan and a candy thermometer. Calibrate water efficiently. your thermometer by testing it in boiling water—this will usually be 212°F. Boil the syrup until it’s 7°F above Transporting sap at the temperature of the boiling water. Strain it through Moose Hill, Sharon Boiling sap at Drumlin Farm, Lincoln several layers of cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter, place it in clean jars or bottles, cover it, and store in the refrigerator. Once you’ve achieved sweet success, you may want to try making other products such as maple butter or hard candy.