Part Two; The West Shore of Lily Pond: Outwash Plain Pondshore

 In the drought stricken West, an innovative program attempting to determine how to best manage their dwindling water resources seems to be taking hold. The plan hinges on reintroducing an industrious critter that some here in Vernon consider a nuisance. Enjoying a robust population in VT, managed by baffles, relocation and trapping, one of nature's premiere engineers - the beaver, is an unexpected example of how reintroducing biological diversity restores balance to a stressed ecosystem.  For information on this project click here. 

While it has been recommended for obvious reasons that Vernon keep beavers out of our Black Gum Swamps, beavers are at home on the western shore of Lily Pond.

In part one of The West Shore of Lily Pond, I focused on the muddy shoreline. Part two focuses on the perimeter of the state owned land which was recently acquired by Vt. Fish & Wildlife and added to the Roaring Brook Wildlife Management Area.  To view a map of this parcel, and to orientate to the survey pins in this blog  click here.

Taken in its entirety including: Lillis Pasture, the Skibniowsky tract (west shore of Lily pond) and an 18 acre privately owned parcel, conserves habitat for two federally listed species, more than a dozen state listed species, two S1 natural communities and many more S2-S3 natural communities. - VT Fish & Wildlife Department

This map shows the 2017 - 2027 focus areas for VT F&W land acquisition across the state. 

There is one residence on the northern most shore of Lily Pond where Newton Brook once entered. In the past, this home was part of a farm that grazed cattle in fields along the pond's shores. There are a couple of out buildings on the southern shore; but no other residences. 

This upturned tree exposes gravel just below the surface.

A survey flag is hung on barbed wire. There is plenty of barbed wire running east to west along the northern most border of this tract. 

Using Wayne's OnX app and survey flags, we had little difficulty staying on course. We both wore our orange as it is bear hunting season in VT and from the right angle I suspect that either of us could easily be confused for a bear.

Do you see it?

Deer scat.

Hemlock, oak and birch

For most of the summer, Vernon was under drought conditions. We came across several dry streambeds and dry swamps. My goal is to visit again in the spring to see what must be lovely babbling brooks and cascades.

I'm sure that someone knows what this means.

Newton Brook in the below map is depicted as intermittently flowing into the northern end of Lily pond at Lily Pond road. Other maps show it to be a year round brook. At it's southern end on Scott road, the map shows it to be a distributary that is no longer connected to anything; but it also shows that Newton Brook picks up again further south just off of Pond road.  

Now if you have actually visited the northern and southern ends of Lily pond, what I have written makes very little sense at all to you: because Newton Brook for the most part appears dry at both ends of the pond. None the less, natural resources maps show this to be the case. There are also seasonal brooks on the west shore and another that flows adjacent to Scott road hill on the southern end. This brook makes its way across a flat area before it empties into the fire pond and intersects with Newton Brook on the pond side of Scott road. Newton Brook, if you closely follow the Topographic Base map in its entirety, is sourced from multiple locations in Vernon.

Topographic Base Map

I belabor the expanse of Newton Brook because I wonder if over the years its grandeur has diminished as land use demanded it. There is a dam built in 1967 for example at the fish hatchery pond.

In my curiosity to uncover evidence, I located this periodical, with a picture showing that the brook once had a covered bridge spanning it in south Vernon. Martin Langeveld being a notable sleuth has a credible theory of the bridge's former location and it is my hope that he will share it in the town newsletter.

If this is true of Newton Brook, couldn't the same be true of Lily pond? The 1891 publication of the Stebbins Family in the Vermont Historical Gazetteer under the subheading Water Marks, it reads, "(Lily pond) in the westerly part of the town, covers about 100 acres." What happened to 60 acres of pond? This same publication also states however, that all of the principal streams in Vernon are small. So I pause to ask my readers, what do you believe to be the case? 

Would it be fair, to only now mention that while the stream at either end of Lily pond used to be labeled as Newton Brook on natural resource maps, I can now only find it labeled as such on Google Earth. 

As we furrow our eyebrows at the water conservation puzzle that our western United States find themselves in, it would do us well to remember that our heritage pond in the short time since I have known of it, has gone from being described as a swamp, to a kettle pond to now the only example of an Outwash Plain Pondshore in the state, where the water table rises through the pond's porous bottom filling it. Conversely, when we have dry years like this one, the pond level falls exposing its muddy flats.

 With its newer classification comes (in part), this management consideration, "Particular threats to this community include alteration of the natural water regimes that could result from changing flows in the outlet steam, additional shoreline development and use of off road vehicles on the exposed muddy shores." - Wet Shores, VT F&W

 It seems that I have somehow become caught up in the weeds and failed to take you on a bear walk of sorts on the western shore of Lily pond.  I promise you that I will follow through in part three- Norma Manning 

The West Shore of Lily Pond: Outwash Plain Pondshore

 By personal request from the abutting landowners of the trail that leads to the Skibniowsky tract on the west shore of Lily Pond and now owned by Roaring Brook Wildlife Management Area: There is to be no public access through the gate at the southern end of Lily Pond road and across Newton Brook. Furthermore, parking is prohibited along the posted and private driveway located at the end of Lily Pond road. 

To view this map in its entirety, click on this link. This highway map shows the trail beyond the gate as "U" meaning it is impassable. 

The most difficult aspect of hiking this new addition to the RBWMA state lands, is finding a way to get to it.  Hikers must either obtain permission from the private land owners that surround the parcel, or park in the municipally owned access area on the east side of the pond then paddle across to the west shore. Even so, there is no sign posted on the shore that informs you that you are on the state owned parcel. The solid red line is the boundary while the blue dash marks where we traveled. Lily Pond is to the right of the below image.  

 

One final request before we get started:

Our plan was to walk the parameter of the 27 acre parcel and save exploring the interior for another visit. With this summer's drought conditions the Lily Pond Outwash Plain Pondshore's water level reminds me of low tide in the salt water marshes along the ME coast. But this pond has something much closer in common with M.E. than it's intermittent muddy flats, Maine has its own Outwash Plain Pondshore communities. With Lily Pond in Vernon's relatively new designation as an Outwash Plain Pondshore and being the only example of this kind of ecosystem in the state, it's understandable that printed information on this site is still being developed while M.E. on the other hand, already has a dedicated comprehensive site. 

Anyone visiting Lily Pond this season had better bring their mud boots.

Cardinal Flower

Beggarticks

Aster

White Water Lily

My Google Lens suggested this is bumble bee is feeding among St John's Wart. Please comment if you have a different thought.

Do you see it?

Garter

I thought that this was Bog Birch, but Go Botonny lists it as absent in our area. Again, if you know what this is, please comment.

Pickerelweed

Water Parsnip

Leaving the shore, we walked up the slope to higher ground. In this picture, the farm fields on the east shore can be seen beyond the trees.

We entered an Eastern Hemlock stand as we walked north.

Looking back towards the ramp

In this area we came upon our first state lands marker and newly installed survey flags.

With this first state boundary marker, I will take pause with the following tease: in part two, Wayne convinces me that I have come way too close to an active bear den! So if you heard someone calling, "Hey bear, hey bear!" That was just me alerting all of the wildlife in Vernon that we were hiking the west shore watershed of Vermont's only example of an Outwash Plain Pondshore or what we here in town call Lily Pond.- Norma Manning

Further Reading:

I thought that it would be interesting for my readers to review the VT F&W description of the parcel when it was a proposed addition to the RBWMA. It reads in part, "It has eight rare, threatened and state endangered plant and animal species..." You can find this information here until the state updates the parcel as "acquired." 

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department; Land Acquisition and Conservation