Comments for Rhode Island Natural History Survey

Comment on First Gray Wolf in Mass. in 160 Years by Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:02:33 +0000

A friend of mine at work had told me that a neighbor of hers on Rt. 6 in Forster, RI. Had 3 adult male wolves that he had brought home from out west when they were just pups. Recently all three had gotten loose a few months ago. They were not hand fed. But where caged. They are use to human closeness and are not affriad of humans. Also if it wasn’t him it was another person who also lost a few male wolves a year or so before 2009. I have had the oppurtunity to come face to face with two very big canines. To me this so called coyote was a mixed breed. They were not your typical gray or black coyotes. These canines were clearly over 100lbs. Their colors were of a mixture of browns. They were attacking my chickens when I came out of my house screaming and growling at them. At first they ran a few steps then turned around as if to size me up. To see if I was a threat or breakfast. Not giving them a moment to think. I expanded my long black dress making me look bigger & growled even meaner and louder as I charged at them. Luckily for me they both ran away. So, I’m wondering if the wolves maybe breeding with female coytoes or dogs. They truly are a very beautiful animal, but very sceary at their size. That day I spent alerting my neighbors to what I saw. The Burrillville Animal Contol were informored and are currently trying to keep track of their movemets. They also are aware of their larger sizes. They have stated finding aniamls in excess of 120lbs. That to me is more alarming. An animal that size could easially take a woman of my size down. What about children? I raise miniature horses and birds. However 2 years ago I lost hundreds of birds of many different breeds to these preditors. I now only keep a few dozens. I can not afford to feed the preditors my precious pets. Where I live are alot of areas these preditors can live and breed successfully for years before they become too many to number when they become an even bigger problem. I just thought to share this info with you incase you wanted to search or keep an ear out for future stories of wolf sightings. They maybe right! Have a Great Day! & God Bless!

Comment on First Gray Wolf in Mass. in 160 Years by Sandy Anderson

Sandy Anderson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:52:15 +0000

Maybe a wolf sighting in North Kingstown, R.I. near Stony Ln. as reported by one of our neighbors.

Comment on Mile-a-Minute Vine Detected in RI by dgregg

dgregg — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:03:54 +0000

Angelo,
Thanks for your comment regarding mile-a-minute vine on the fence at Block Island Airport. Mile-a-minute vine is an annual and so dies every year. Therefore its vines are not woody and aren’t that hard to break or pull. Therefore, although they are very prolific and will cover a fence like a mat in just one season, they should be relatively easy to pull free and keep clear. The toughest vine to clear from fencing is bittersweet, which is woody and much more twisty than M-a-M. If you send me a picture of the vine I could help you with an ID. Also you could contact either The Nature Conservancy’s Block Island manager, Scott Comings, or RINHS member Kim Gaffett. They know what M-a-M looks like and are anxious to find and eradicate the vine on Block Island before it proliferates further.
Yours,
David

Comment on Mile-a-Minute Vine Detected in RI by Angelo A. Vecchiarelli

Angelo A. Vecchiarelli — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:37:37 +0000

I work at the Block Island Airport and wondering the pestering growth and hard to control vines on our exterior fencing is this part of mile a minute or is there something in addition to making our job to clean the fence almost impossible with the heavy vine intwined? 203-214-3199

Comment on Goats on DOT payroll? by Woodrow Albin

Woodrow Albin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:29:23 +0000

Goats are cheap, what’s the big deal if a coyote eats a few? California is using goats to control brush near developments to reduce wildfire hazard. Watched them do it on ABC News. Using goats or sheep to mow and control weeds will work great and protect other reptiles like snakes,also frogs, fawns, ground nesting birds from mower blades and wheels.

Get a cow with a calf and the cow will keep the coyotes out of the fenced area. I have seen cows chase coyotes. My cousin in South Dakota has 500 cow/calf pairs, have never had coyote trouble and they have plenty of them, or they did until a couple years ago when scabies (not rabies) put a big dent on them.

Comment on Conference 2009 Resources by Rick Enser

Rick Enser — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:16:55 +0000

Hey David,
Tried to download the pdf for the DN awards citations and got a message that the file is damaged and can not be repaired. Don’t know if others have had a problem with this file (the abstract file came through OK) or if it’s on my end.

Comment on Invasives: List by blithewold.org » Blog Archive » Covering ground

blithewold.org » Blog Archive » Covering ground — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:09:03 +0000

[...] invasive capable of out-competing our natives. (It is described only as “weedy” on RI Natural History Survey Invasives List because it hasn’t escaped cultivated areas here. Yet. It is listed as an invasive on [...]

Comment on A funny thing about water chestnut… by Erik

Erik — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:17:14 +0000

It looks like the seed in the display may be Trapa bicornis (Horn Nut, but also shares the common name Water Chestnut with T. natans).

Another interesting note regarding T. natans is that it is now considered rare and is protected in much of its native range and is cultivated as a food crop in Asia and historically used as a food source throughout much of its native range.

A good account of this species, as well as some information about potential bio-control, can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/2l6uuw