May 5, 2012 - Campbell Creek Walk-Together

Spring is arriving late this year.  The citywide Creek Cleanup Day has been postponed, so this year the Girl Scout Walk-Together event came before the cleanup.  As a result, the Campbell Creek Trail and the banks of Campbell Creek displayed the detritus of a long winter - trash, dirty snow, dead leaves, snow mold, and a coating of greyish brown dust on almost everything.  

Campbell Creek

Cache near the start of the walk

The good: wilderness in the middle of the city

The bad: a broken liquor bottle on the trail

The ugly: part of a road widening project

Still, there were green shoots here and there, and signs that woodland creatures have remained active despite the hardship of a record snowfall this winter (around 13 feet total).

Leave it to Beaver!

Moose have chewed on this tree

Deep snow left the moose hungry - their usual browse was covered up.  Evidence of their foraging was visible on many trees.  Evidence of their digestion was also visible in many places.

The patch earned by walking Girl Scouts this year

It was great to see Girl Scouts and their families getting outdoors for some exercise and exposure to nature.  I saw one group of Daisies brimming over with excitement as they watched some squirrels chase each other.