November 14 1998

Caretaker's note: The 1998 Wildlife Management Inspection Report clearly documents the seven different activities. The number of activities and observations has increased over the previous years.

Posted in 1998 Journal

November 12 1998

Habitat Control

• No cattle grazing on site
• Reseeding etc.
  • In swales by hand.
  • At draw - pecan, possomhaw holly, big bluestem, little bluestem by hand, four o'clocks behind barn, turk's cap, goldeneye.
  • Along roadside - four o'clocks, goldeneye, bushy bluestem, little bluestem, buffalo grass, oak, turk's cap
  • Raccoon draw - pecans
  • Bluff edge - butterfly white flower
  • River shore - cypress
  • Tipi pasture - buffalo grass with leaf litter and compost.
  • (See seed list to be used to make seed balls.)
• Forest Management
  • Pruned and cut cedars the entire length of draw (from north fence to bluff), mulched and spread on roads and trails.
  • Pruned and cut cedars throughout along roads. Left some brush piles.
  • Cut and collected cedar poles along river trail to edge of warbler world.
  • Marked cedars with pink tape for future removal.
  • Marked cedars to be pruned to allow ground cover with orange tape.
  • Cut baby cedar growth throughout with loppers
  • covered red oak seedlings with branchy cedar brush to protect from deer browse.
  • Cut and grubbed roots of Chinaberry tree at bluff edge. Left skeleton standing.

Posted in 1998 Journal, Habitat

November 12 1998

Erosion Control

• Built swales throughout (see map)
  • Trail edges, along dirt roads, wherever cedar removal happened, river bottom, tipi pasture, raccoon draw, bunny patch trail, animal step down at river bottom.
  • Swales to be made are marked with survey flags.
• Built checkdams in draw
  • Gabion (chicken wire filled with rock)
  • Cedar poles wired to tree trunk.
  • Lined up rocks across draw.
• Reseeded swales and dams in draw
• Observed rainfall events to determine critical areas of erosion to treat.
• Made signs and gave out information sheets to guests to stay on trails to prevent erosion. (See info sheet)
• Cut trail along river to south side bluff access.

Posted in 1998 Journal, Erosion

November 11 1998

Predator Control

• Fireants
  • Treated fireants from well to river (ongoing) with Truestop, Gardenville Orange Crush.
  • Learned the difference between native Texas fireants, other 'good' ants and the imported fireant predator. (The native fireant worker is sometimes orangy and uniform in color and the head is twice the size of the abdomen.)
  • Will treat fireant mounds individually and try not to kill native Texas ant species.
• Researching traps for feral cats.

Posted in 1998 Journal, Predator

November 11 1998

Supplemental Water

• Maintained water trough at pasture well
  • Added rocks at edges for small critters.
  • Added plants and rocks and 2 goldfish to keep water clean.
  • Adjusted water pump to allow small over drip down the side.
• Walking trails do not follow animal trails to river.

Posted in 1998 Journal, Water