Weekly dispatches bring us all closer to Tug Hill
This past spring, recently retired educator and board member Laurie Frykholm was ready to use her newfound free time to get outdoors more often.
Early on, she decided to visit THTLT’s Keller Mohawk Hill Public Conservation Area, just south of Constableville, to see what it had to offer. The open landscape calmed her, the potential for wildlife piqued her curiosity, and her photography goals emerged. She was hooked. Weekly visits ensued.
“I’ve always enjoyed being outside exploring. Being up at Keller Mohawk Hill brings back childhood memories of nature walks with my parents and my great-grandpa.”
Laurie’s delight in and curiosity about each new animal sighting and every new flower bloom from March 2025 onward was infectious. Snowy spring mornings gave way to sunny, hot, humid days, and then cooler fall temperatures. Laurie noted each successive discovery as the seasons progressed.
Laurie’s observations and photographs became a Friday Field Trip feature on the land trust’s social media pages. In the process of getting to know Keller Mohawk Hill more, her sharing that journey has helped us feel closer to this truly special restored grassland and wetland habitat, and provided invaluable information to assist the land trust’s habitat management activities.
“I am enjoying my role as a citizen scientist photographing and recording weekly changes at Keller Mohawk Hill, which helps track local biodiversity for conservation efforts. When I find something that I am not familiar with I photograph it and then research it. I have learned so much over the past few months, especially about the birds that call Keller Mohawk Hill home and the birds that stop by during seasonal migration.”
Your visits to our properties, offering nature experiences close to home, are invited and encouraged.
We’d love to hear about your adventures and observations!
Send your photos and stories to Linda Gibbs, Community Programs Director, at lgibbs@tughilltomorrowlandtrust.org.
Wildlife Spotlight
Wilson’s Snipe
Tug Hill is important not only as breeding habitat, but as a migratory stopover for the Wilson’s Snipe, flying between northern Canada and northern South America each spring and fall.
They love the mud flats found at Keller Mohawk Hill, and are known for their fast flight with speeds up to 60 mph!