Dr. Greg McGee and students have designed
a study to look at forest wildflower
restoration in the reforested, former
agricultural area, off the Boundary Trail.
At Baltimore Woods we strive to understand what we see every day. Research and education are a vital part of our mission and we strive to incorporate current scientific knowledge of biological processes, invasive species pressures, potential impacts of climate change, and remediation of our activities on the diverse ecological communities to guide land management on the preserve. We have many partners in our quest including SUNY ESF, Cornell, OCC, Onondaga Audubon Society, New York State DEC, and the USDA. Efforts range from citizen science programs – which are greatly supported by our volunteers’ interests and efforts – to PhD level research.
We have learned which groundfeeding birds carry the most deer ticks. Onondaga Audubon has reestablished historical bird netting lines to track changes in resident breeding birds on Griffiths Flats and Parson’s Meadow. We have instituted a DEC protocol to track deer pressure on the preserve
and in May will train volunteers to study the impacts of grazing on forest vegetation, helping the DEC develop deer management policies for the region. Have you noticed the collection of white pipes above the upstream Baltimore Brook bridge? Another ESF project is comparing historic and contemporary data at the confluence of Baltimore and Cold Brooks to better understand the influences of the mixing of ground water and surface water flows. Many other projects are in progress or in planning to understand and improve the habitats we steward, and our knowledge base increases with every partnership! Contact us at The Woods to learn more.