Spring is upon us and many ecosystems are beginning to stir as winter conditions recede. In our woodlands, shallow, water-filled depressions filled by snow-melt are seasonal wetlands that provide vital breeding habitat to many fascinating animals, including amphibians like wood frogs and spotted salamanders, and macroinvertebrates like fairy shrimp and caddisflies. These ephemeral wetlands, also known as vernal pools, are home to some “vernal pool obligate” species, meaning they are only found in or around vernal pools.

Join us on Saturday, April 11, 9:00-11:00 AM for an exploration of the vernal pool at Gloutak Woods in Holyoke. The event will be led by Laurel Carpenter, Environmental Science Professor and Chair at Holyoke Community College. She will be joined by some of her students who are participating in environmental science research projects.

We will bring equipment for gathering and viewing up close what we find: perhaps salamander eggs, tadpoles, and fairy shrimp. A great family event to learn about vernal pools before they vanish!
Vernal pool at Gloutak Woods
In 2019, with Kestrel’s assistance, the City of Holyoke purchased this 51-acre forest, protected from development with a conservation restriction held by Kestrel. In 2022, the trail system at Gloutak Woods was transformed for the enjoyment of the wider public by the great work of Greenagers.

Laurel Carpenter, a 2012 graduate of Holyoke Community College (HCC), is a wildlife biologist who chairs the HCC Environmental Science Department. She is co-coordinator of the HCC STEM Scholars program and a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is pursuing a doctorate in education.

Registration is required.

A sliding-scale donation is optional.