Fall is when we work on our habitat improvement project in the Hogback Mountain Conservation Area in Marlboro.This year will be our sixth year of work on the project to create young forest, also known as ESH or early successional habitat, on some of the former ski slopes. This is a good time to do this work: the baby birds have all fledged, young mammals and reptiles are maturing. Wildlife in general is restless and on the move, so our work with chainsaws and handsaws and clippers is less disruptive than it would be in the spring.

Please join us! To continue to make wildlife improvements at Hogback, we need your help to haul brush, wield loppers, and run chain saws. Bring your own tool and gloves—or borrow from our extensive HMCA stash. We will meet in the field behind the white distillery building, on the south side of Route 9 just west of the Hogback Mountain gift shop, at 9:00 on this coming Saturday morning, Sept 22. It's a 5 minute walk to this year's work site. We'll wrap up our work by noon.

NOTE - Chain sawyers: you must wear full protective equipment, including chaps, hard hat, eye and ear protection if you want to operate your chain saw on a Hogback project. If you don't own safety equipment, we have loaner sets available. Questions?Contact hmca@hogbackvt.org.

If you cannot join in the fun and fresh air this Saturday, we'll have three more workdays this fall; these include Sunday, Oct. 7 (Columbus Day weekend), Sunday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Nov. 3. Hoping to see you there!