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