Mobbs Farm Committee

MOBBS MONTHLY

The Mobbs Farm Committee Newsletter

December 2022/ January 2023

Following a meteorological roller coaster to wrap up 2022, winter has finally settled in at Mobbs Farm. Although we experienced a few false starts to the winter season, with snow and Polar Vortexes arriving in late January, Jericho is finally officially winterized for 2023. It seemed bizarre to witness bare ground, after almost 24” of snow had fallen in December, but such was the case as exceedingly warm temperatures and abundant rain completely obliterated our early season snow pack by the start of the New Year. The SnowDog snow grooming machine was champing at the bit to get out onto the trails, but it had to wait until the final weeks of January, before there was sufficient snow to even attempt grooming the trail network. Thankfully, low temps and a decent amount of snow arrived to transform Mobbs Farm into a wintery wonderland. Over 4.5 miles of trails have been groomed by committee member Christine Smith and her husband Dan. The intrepid couple completed a 90% network groom the other Friday evening, allowing the tracks to set up wonderfully, in time for a busy, sun-drenched, wintery weekend of skiing and snowshoeing for visitors to Mobbs. Special thanks to the Smiths for their hard work, grooming the abundant trails on both the Hillside (east of Fitzsimonds Road) and Meadow (west of Fitzsimonds Road) sections of the property. Chatting with visitors to Mobbs, many expressed their thanks for the enhanced conditions, thanks to the grooming effort.

Half of the Mobbs Farm Committee attended the recent Town of Jericho, Committee Appreciation Pot Luck at the Jericho Community Center. Those in attendance for the dinner reported that it was a really fun opportunity to meet informally with Jericho residents serving on a variety of other committees in Jericho. “Three goals” were expressed by each of the committees in attendance and Sam Graulty, vice chair of the Mobbs Farm Committee, delivered the MFC’s top three goals for the upcoming year: Repair / replace bridges & boardwalks as needed, Infrastructural upgrades for trails & drainage, ramp up special events for visitors.

Given the importance of bridges and boardwalks that connect the trail network, members of the Mobbs Farm Committee are working to secure funding and grants to replace and repair many of the walkways that are in need of some major TLC. It will be a busy spring and summer as these projects are undertaken by contractors hired by the MFC.

Interested in tracking critters at Mobbs Farm? Livy Strong of the Jericho Underhill Land Trust is organizing a nature walk around Mobbs Farm with noted wildlife tracking specialist, Sophie Mazowita on March 4th at 10:00 AM. Sophie is a naturalist, educator, and wildlife guide based in Jeffersonville, Vermont. She offers online and in-person tracking workshops through her website, Tracking Connection, and also guides week-long wildlife trips to Yellowstone and to Canada's polar bear country with Natural Habitat Adventures/WWF. At home in Vermont, her work focuses on identifying wildlife corridors and monitoring forest connectivity at a town and regional scale, and she manages the community science program for the nonprofit Cold Hollow to Canada. She also manages Tracker Certification, the nonprofit that offers CyberTracker wildlife tracking certifications across North America and hosts the biannual online North American Wildlife Tracker Conference. She holds an MS in Plant Biology from the UVM Field Naturalist Program, and her graduate work was focused on a natural resource study and management plan for Red Rocks Park in South Burlington. She has taught and coordinated chapters of the Vermont Master Naturalist Program for both South Burlington and Cambridge. The March 4th event will feature a walk around the property, to find and identify wildlife that live or travel across Mobbs Farm. Please contact Livy Strong (julandtrust@gmail.com) if interested in signing up as space is limited and pre-registration is required.

For kids of all ages, sledding is available at Mobbs Farm and easily accessible from the Brown’s Trace Parking lot! Following a quick walk up the hill from the lot, sledders will find a number of well-marked (see Field Daze photo) sledding trails that provide schussers a great opportunity to whiz down the trails into the large meadow below. Enjoy!

MOBBS MONTHLY

The Mobbs Farm Committee Newsletter

September / October/ November 2022

WOW! To put it mildly, the past two months featured some of the most fabulous foliage ever witnessed at Mobbs Farm! Fears of a “…meh” foliage season were put to rest when the Green Mountain State became ablaze with some of the most colorful displays ever seen. Based on this past summer’s hot temperatures and spotty rainstorms, the consensus going into September and October was that the foliage season would be unimpressive and short-lived. Neither scenario unfolded and locals were treated to an incredible, long-lasting display of beautiful orange, red, yellow, purple, brown and green. The festive fall foliage at Mobbs Farm provided the perfect backdrop for a special “Thank-you!” event, recognizing four entities that made financial contributions that paid for the establishment of the Vermont Land Trust Conservation Easement of the property, on October 8th. Although pen met paper and all the legal framework for the conservation of Mobbs was established back in May, 2022, the Oct. 8th event was held to thank those groups and individuals who contributed funds to establish the easement. Invited guests included (pictured left to right in the photo below): Bob Heiser of Vermont Land Trust, Tom Baribault, who represented the Jericho Conservation Commission, Livy Strong of the Jericho-Underhill Land Trust, and Town Clerk Jessica Alexander, who represented Jericho Town Hall. Adding to the festivities on the brisk Saturday morning was a brief, but significant, snow squall that blew through, just in time for the brunch-celebration event. Following presentations, each guest was introduced and presented with a special commemorative, framed, photograph of a vibrant, fall foliage display, complete with a rainbow arcing through the dark sky in the photograph. Following the brunch-celebration, a tour of the orchard at Mobbs Farm was held, introducing guests to this unique section of the property. Many thanks to all and special thanks to the generous donors who pitched in to conserve Mobbs Farm, in perpetuity, for future generations.

With the arrival of sub-freezing temperatures in Jericho, the entire meadow section of Mobbs Farm will be brush hogged, to keep the property open for all to enjoy. Mowing was delayed as long as possible, to allow all pollen-dependent species the opportunity to feast on the many native plants found at Mobbs Farm. Please keep an eye out for the mower as it makes its way around the meadow and as always, please keep pets under your control, especially around machinery.

Special thanks to Mobbs Farm Committee member, Terry Hook and his wife Andrea, for their diligent work repairing bridges and boardwalks around the property over the past two months. Also, a special note of recognition to committee member Christine Smith and her husband Dan for all their work with Fellowship of the Wheel, leaf blowing trails and establishing re-routed trails around the 200+ acres of Mobbs Farm!

REMINDER: The annual Vermont Deer Hunting Rifle Season is upon us and as you will see posted on all parking area kiosks, Mobbs Farm will be closed to all Mountain Bike and Equestrian use from November 12-27th . As Mobbs prides itself as a true multi-use area, please be respectful of hunters and for the enhanced visibility of yourself and your pets, PLEASE WEAR BLAZE ORANGE when visiting Mobbs during this two- week period.

Mobbs Committee Chair, Pete Davis, gives a tour of the new Orchard at Mobbs during the recent walk given to stakeholders and supporters of the Conservation Easement project.

MOBBS MONTHLY

The Mobbs Farm Committee Newsletter

June / July / August, 2022

The Mobbs Monthly Editorial Department apologizes for the lack of forthcoming newsletters for the past few months. Suffice to say, a motorcycle crash resulted in subsequent delays.

The 2022 summer season at Mobbs Farm has been extraordinary. How you may ask? Simply take a walk into the meadow section of Mobbs and you will be amazed at the incredible, floral displays that characterize the property this month. HUGE Joe Pye weeds are in full flower as are Goldenrod and a multitude of other flowering species.

Many of the flowers and grasses growing have reached heights over seven feet tall. If you take the time to look and listen, you will be amazed at the sounds and sights of various pollinators buzzing and humming about. Now, close your eyes and imagine: This winter, snow will cover the fields and those six-foot-plus plants will be just a memory. What an amazing place in which we live!

.Beaver Dam on Mill Brook

The old adage, “busy as a beaver” comes to mind as visitors stroll down to the banks of Mill Brook this summer. Beaver activity has been robust and there are at least 2 dams that our busy, resident, semi-aquatic rodents have built. Observing their activities and the results of their tree-cutting prowess, is a fun way to appreciate nature. Look for their “drag trails” that you’ll find, leading down to the brook. Their impact on the river habitat is incredible and a really fun way to gain appreciation for how hard these incredible critters work to establish their lodges and dams. The resulting ponds, located upstream from their dams are five-to-six feet deep in places! To learn more about beavers in Vermont, click on the link to take a deep dive: Learn More About Beavers

Beavers aren’t the only busy critters at Mobbs Farm! With the amazing summer weather and resulting plant growth on the sides of our trails, members of the Mobbs Farm Committee (MFC) and Fellowship of the Wheel (FOTW) have been hard at work maintaining and in some cases, re-routing over-used trails. A great example of a recently completed FOTW re-route project may be found on the “Apple Tree Trail” located on the meadow side (west side of Fitzsimonds Road) of Mobbs Farm. There, you will see a really beautifully designed, curving, root-free trail section that was designed and constructed by our friends at FOTW.

At the end of June, the MFC rolled up their sleeves and made some big additions to the Orchard section of Mobbs Farm. In case you aren’t familiar with the Orchard, it is located just up the hill from Fitzsimonds Road, on the southern boundary of the property. 3 new trees: 1 “Reliance” Peach, 1 McInTosh Apple and 1 Empire Apple variety were planted along with 3 “Patriot” and 1 “Northern High Bush” Blueberry bushes. These trees and bushes join young, juvenile fruit trees including Plum, many apple varieties, Peach and Pear trees. Committee members watered the trees during the week-long heat waves we experienced in July, so… hopes are high and fingers crossed that all the new and old additions to the Orchard will not only survive, but thrive in their new locations. Special thanks to local business, Paquette Full of Posies Nursery for their special discounts, advice and support with the new plantings!

Please join the Mobbs Farm Committee for our LATE SUMMER TRAIL MAINTENANCE DAY, Saturday, August 28th, 9:00 - Noon. We will be meeting at the Fitzsimonds Road Parking lot and form small groups before heading out to: Fix bridges, clear drainages, remove stones and get the trails ready for the busy fall foliage season.

Please wear work clothes, boots, gloves and bring your mask for occasions when working in close proximity to others. If you have any favorite trail working tools, please bring them. Kindly carpool, if possible. Many thanks in advance to any volunteers who can pitch in to assist this Saturday morning!