Hard to believe for folks who visit the Celery Farm regularly, but visitors still get lost here. Actually, it's pretty easy.

That was the reason that the Boy Scouts put in the numbered markers along the path around the natural area a few years back.

The trouble was, the numbers weren't on any widely circulated map, so they were of limited value -- until now!

Thanks to a donation by the Winifred M. and George P. Pitkin Foundation and some nifty work by Deedee Burnside, we have an updated trail map in our brochure, including the numbered markers and the expanded Pirie Mayhood Tower and deletes the wonderfully non-existent Jonathan's Duck Observatory.

The brochure/map is free and availble to anyone who wants one. We will also give copies to the police and rescue squads,

I created the original brochure and updated version. A terrific designer, Mimi Sabatino, did the the original layout and the updated one -- and worked with the printer to see it through to completion.

The photos are courtesy of Barbara Dilger, Jerry Barrack, Stiles Thomas (who provided the archival aerial photo of the old farms) and me.

We will also have new trail maps without the numbers, printed on heavy stock and suitable for framing.

In an ideal world, we should have copies of the brochures and trail maps in time for this Friday's Fyke meeting.

(Thanks, everyone!)

The Wright-Finn side yard is starting to become a big maternity ward for Snapping Turtles once again, with hungry raccoons soon to follow. 

Just photographed this dirt-encrusted mom.

Careful driving on Franklin Turnpike near the Celery Farm.

My latest post for Duke Farms' blog is an interview with Conserve Wildlife Foundation biologist Larissa Smith on what to expect next with the two Bald Eagle nestlings -- who are now eight weeks old and getting huge.

What's all that flapping about?

The link is here.

I recently did a post about a century-old High Mountain mystery for The Nature Conservancy's New Jersey blog.

The mystery -- written up in a daily paper more than 125 years ago --even made the current edition of Weird New Jersey.

Folks who attended my more-recent High Mountain talks know the eerie answer.

The link is here. 

Don't be scared. Keep saying to yourself, "It's only a blog post. It's only a blog post."

Tom Mitchell shared this photo he took of the two not-supposed-to-be-here Northern Shoveler drakes a couple of days ago. I saw them by the Pirie-Mayhood Tower this afternoon...  (Thanks, Tom!)