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MAINTAINED AINED FIELDS AND OPEN GRASSLANDS Spring : Corn was planted in the spring on several main Rye Fields . Unfortunately only Rye 7 and 8 were successful ; likely due to a combination of immediate elk over-browse and a five week draught in May and June . Soybeans were also planted on the edges of several rye fields .
Summer : Open field grasslands were mowed during June and July . Many of the current trails were mowed as well .
Fall : All the fields were fertilized in August . Seven of the main rye fields were planted with rye . Selected Gas Well Sites and other small food plots were planted with a MDOT seed mix consisting mostly mixed grasses and some of clover . In all , nearly ( 35 ) individual sites were planted in August and September .
GROUSE AND WOODCOCK This year ’ s spring grouse drumming survey took place in late April and early May . There were ten more “ drums ” recorded this year compared to 2020 ; hopefully indicating a slightly higher grouse population on and around CCR . Several acres of “ tag alder ” were again treated near the creek in March . The work was achieved through a grant ( 50 %) paid by the Ruffed Grouse Society .
WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST A new part time wildlife biologist was hired by CCR in 2021 . Her name is Alleigh Pagels . Alleigh will be working independently and assisting the Conservation Committee with multiple recommendations and projects . One of Alleigh ’ s first efforts was conducting a 50 camera wildlife survey on CCR in late July and early August . Being it is the first camera survey conducted , population estimates will be ambiguous . However ; Alleigh is hopeful the survey will give her some indication to CCR ’ s buck to doe ratio , fawning success and buck age class . Alleigh will be responsible for a multitude of items ; including tree & field planting recommendations , and ultimately responsible for the annual CCR firearms antlerless deer permit recommendation . Anyone interested in communicating with Alleigh please contact the Ranch office for Alleigh ’ s contact information .
LAKES 1250 Rainbow Trout were planted in Little Joe Lake just prior to the April 24 th trout opener . Bluegills were planted in Lake Geneva and Wildfowl Lake in July . The goal is to always try to plant bluegill each year prior to the CCR Beach Bash . Planting was delayed this year due to hatchery issues .
CCR hired personnel from the “ Tip of the Mitt ” watershed council to examine all five CCR Lakes . The water quality study was performed in June . Results should be back this fall .
FORESTRY 2020 / 2021 Forest treatment : 90-100 acres of red pine along Homestead road and West
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Fence road was thinned ( removal of every third row ). This was originally contracted for 2019 / 2020 but was not completed because of Covi19 .
37 acres of pin oak was clear cut north of rye field 7 .
59 acres was treated off on Bear Den Lake road . This was a combination of jack pine clear cut , 6 acres on the east end of mostly pin oak ( which should stump sprout and regrow with the planted jack pine that is planned for this fall ), 17 acres of aspen , and 15 acres of red oak thinning , a little north of the aspen cut .
101 acres “ final harvest ” of red oak north and east of # 7 . This was heavily thinned in 1997 and this past year ’ s treatment removed the last of the old trees .
Tree
Planting : The current goal is to replant approximately 106 acres of jack pine that has been logged over the past several years . CCR now owns its own “ trencher ” and CCR maintenance should start trenching these areas in September . The actual planting should take place the first two weeks of October .
Forestry Sub-Committee : The forestry sub-committee that was formed last August ( 2020 ) initiated ( 5 ) separate forest tours between May and August of this year . Recommendations and comments from the sub-Committee should be forthcoming sometime this fall . These recommendations will attempt to address some of the concerns expressed by some members with the current CCR Forest & Wildlife Plan ; including items such as aesthetics , ability to walk through the stands following a treatment , oak treatments , hunt-ability of areas following treatments and the annual quantity of logging . The Board will then decide if , how and by whom the current forest Plan gets revised .
NATURE
/ HIKING TRAILS CCR has ( 6 ) hiking trails . They are : Northern Harwood Trail , Cedar Swamp Trail , Aspen Trail , Jack Pine Trail , Pin Oak Trail , and the Red Oak Trail
. Several members & their families have in the past volunteered to “ adopt ” a trail and perform the once or twice a year required maintenance . There are still a couple of trails available to be “ adopted ”. Contact Nancy Thurston if interested . Thank you to all those who volunteered !
CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR The 2021 Merritt Clark Conservationist of the Year Award was presented to Matt Ames at this year ’ s July Beach Bash . Congratulations to Matt — well deserved !
STREAM The Montmorency County Conservation crew worked on the creek again this past summer . This year ’ s work was completed by the middle of July . All of the work consisted of re-building old structures . Temperature loggers were again placed in the creek Memorial week-end and will be removed around Labor Day .
There continues to be a fair amount of beaver activity throughout the Black River Watershed , including on the Canada . A large beaver dam just north of CCR ’ s wire is a
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