beaver damn

The first dam I dismantled (first 2 pics) was about 4 feet high. That was just the teaser. The main dam is raising the water level 5 feet in the alreadywet wetlands, and portions of the agricultural land were beginning to flood. They rebuild overnight so the plan is to drain enough to get a tractor back there to rip it down before a hard freeze. The hope is that they will get frustrated enough and migrate down river. The main dam is about 40 feet across. There may be more, I'll explore once it's drained.

sheep rustling

The sheep broke out of the field today on their way to warmer winter quarters. No suicides and one still missing as of tonight.

room to grow

I'm starting this blog as an offshoot to watchthehousegrow, my other blog. This one will explore the  agricultural evolution of my land beyond the house.  I have 130 acres of protected forest and about 30 acres of agricultural land. This aerial image shows most of the property. The field is at the bottom, along the Neversink River, and shaped kind of like a bird or maybe a trout, and the forest is all above it. I think this picture was taken soon after a logging done by the previous owners (mid 70s?) The whole top of the hill looks almost bare.  It's completely reforested now and in the NY forest conservation program, which makes it ripe for future silviculture projects. I'm hoping to lay out the field projects as a larger piece that will be recognizable from space (just in case).