The Wrack

To mow or not to mow is not really a question. Active management of open habitats is essential for ensuring certain species can thrive.

Periodic controlled burns are an excellent tool for strengthening grassland habitat. Once upon a time wild fires occurred regularly, but today it's not sensible to let fires rage across the landscape. Without an occasional burn, though, New England grasslands gradually succeed to shrublands and then to forests.

April 17 was warm and dry with a light breeze, a Friday at the end of a dry week. Early in the morning, a fire crew from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service judged the conditions were just right for burning the 2-acre grassland just beyond the Wells Reserve flagpole.

Bobolinks were back in force at the Wells Reserve today. Their song might be the craziest in the region — it's so much fun to hear them bubbling with enthusiasm! Today, at least four sang from fields near the main campus, sharing the space with Eastern Meadowlarks.It's fortunate that the reserve's Resource Advisory Committee created a grassland management plan several years ago, recognizing the value o…