
Haskins Preserve (Photo/Jared Frank)

(Photo/Krista Gelev)
Haskins Preserve (Photo/Jared Frank)
(Photo/Krista Gelev)
Haskins Preserve, this morning (Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
Last year, there were 2,251 bear sightings in Connecticut. As many as 700 adult and cub bears live in the state. Residents spotted 3,249 bobacats too.
That’s a big change from a century ago. According to Dr. Tracy Rittenhouse, by the late 1800s, almost all forest here had been logged for agriculture, fuel and construction.
Bears, bobcats and deer were rare.
But forests grow back. And — with strong laws also regulating hunting — large animals have habitats in which they thrive.
Dr. Rittenhouse should know. She is a wildlife expert, and an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. Her long-term research project examines how black bears have expanded their range to include suburban areas of the state.
Next Wednesday (November 14, 7:30 p.m., Westport Unitarian Church) she’ll speak about bears and other large mammals — specifically, why we see so many more of them these days, and what it means for folks like us.
The talk is part of Aspetuck Land Trust‘s Haskins Lecture Series. Scientists Caryl and Edna Haskins donated their Green Acre Lane estate to the trust in 2002. It’s now a 16-acre preserve, just off South Compo Road.
Caryl Haskins earned renown as an ant biologist.
Bears and bobcats are somewhat larger. But they’re all part of our Westport world.
For anyone hoping to understand our changing town, Wednesday’s talk should be fascinating.
(Dr. Rittenhouse’s talk is open to the public. Admission is free to Aspetuck Land Trust members. A $5 donation is suggested for non-members.)
Posted in Environment, Organizations, People
Tagged Aspetuck Land Trust, black bears, Caryl Haskins, Dr. Tracy Rittenhouse, Haskins Preserve
Compo Road South is home to 2 beautiful town-owned properties.
Everyone knows Baron’s South. A few “06880” readers thought last week’s photo showed rocks and woods on that land a few steps from downtown, once owned by perfume mogul Walter Langer von Langendorff.
Nope. As Leigh Gage, Alec Head and Jamie Walsh knew, it was Haskins Preserve — the much-lesser-known gem on Green Acre Lane, off South Compo. It’s just as lovely as Baron’s South, and easier to access. Click here for the back story; click here for Wendy Cusick’s photo.
Equally rustic is this sign, commemorating Westport’s founding as a town. In fact, it looks like it dates all the way back to 1835. If you know where in Westport you’d see it, click “Comments” below.
Haskins Preserve is going to the dogs.
Literally.
The 16-acre park off Green Acre Lane — itself a quiet, lovely road off South Compo — is an astonishing place. Filled with woods, meadows, 2 ponds, dams, and a spectacular assortment of rare trees, it’s one of Westport’s most wonderful little gems.
It’s beloved by nature lovers. Walkers. And — in this dog-crazy town — dog owners.
The latter group does not always treat the preserve well. I’ve posted 2 stories in the past 3 years about dog issues. One described bags of poop left on a sign requesting owners to remove waste. The other was about mounting mounds of doo left all over the beautiful property.
That crappy problem is now worse than ever. There are also reports of out-of-control dogs threatening wildlife — it’s a nature preserve, not a park — as well as other dogs, even people.
Ground nesting birds can be chased from their nests by free-running dogs — on purpose, or inadvertently. If it happens often, birds won’t return to the nest.
And dogs looking to refresh themselves with a harmless jump into a forest pool can silt it up, destroying egg larvae from salamanders and frogs. That, of course, affects many other types of interconnected wildlife.
Aspetuck Land Trust — the non-profit organization that maintains Haskins, as well as many other open spaces in Westport, Weston, Fairfield and Easton — is not rolling over and playing dead.
This Saturday (May 7, 10 a.m.-noon), they’re sponsoring a free, open-to-the-public class in dog and dog owner etiquette.
“Tails, Trails and Tales” will be conducted as a hike. Connecticut Audubon Society senior director of science and conservation Milan Bull, his dog Edge, and noted dog trainer Jason Hofmann will walk, talk and provide answers to questions you’ve always wondered about: What does a dog sense in the woods? What does a biologist observe? How do we accommodate both, and protect the environment too?
(Interestingly, except for Edge, this is a dog-free event. The hike leaders request no dogs, to avoid chaos.)
“Tails, Trails and Tales” is limited to 20 people. To RSVP, email administration@aspetucklandtrust.
Parking is available at the preserve, on Green Acre Lane off South Compo.
Which is not to be confused with Westport’s actual dog park, Winslow, on North Compo.
(To read more about Haskins Preserve, click here.)
Posted in Environment, Organizations, People, Places
An alert Westporter walking his dog this morning at the Haskins preserve looked up and discovered a new definition of “shoe tree”:
Meanwhile, for weeks another pair of shoes has dangled even more mysteriously above Myrtle Avenue:
Baby, it’s cold outside. This is no time to go barefoot!
Haskins Preserve is an astonishing site on Green Acre Lane (off South Compo Road) administered by Aspetuck Land Trust. Its 16 acres are filled with woods, meadows, ponds, dams, and a spectacular assortment of rare trees.
Many Westporters have never heard of it. Those who have, treasure it as an oasis of beauty and solitude.
Most do, anyway.
Dog waste is a mounting problem at the Haskins Preserve. And it’s not just droppings on trails and paths. Some owners actually take the time to wrap waste in plastic bags — then leave them lying around.
Some sleazeballs “hide” the poop behind rocks and trees. Others are more brazen. They dump the dumps within sight of a sign saying, “Please remove dog waste.”
Steward Jamie Walsh has posted a video documenting this spectacularly rude and seriously obnoxious behavior.
Why don’t the stewards just put garbage cans at Haskins Preserve?
“We’re a volunteer organization, with a limited budget and resources,” Jamie explains. “It’s not practical for someone to empty them on a regular basis.
“And it would attract wildlife that would feast on the remaining garbage, which would then be strewn all over the parking lot.”
Haskins is a preserve — not a park. Is it too much to ask that if you bring your dog with you, then you take your dog’s business out?
For some Westporters, the answer is apparently: yes.
Posted in Environment, Organizations, People, Places