Killingly Conservation Commission

06/10/2026

05/28/2026

The global synthetic fertilizer cartel insists that unlocking vital phosphorus in leached tropical soils requires dumping toxic chemical acids over the earth.
They deliberately erased the ancient mastery of marine-botanical fermentation to ensure modern farmers remain hopelessly dependent on expensive commercial inputs.
But heritage Caribbean agronomists engineered hyper-fertile topsoil completely off-grid using only rotting ocean debris.
Meet the forgotten art of Guna Thalassia testudinum seagrass anoxic decomposition.
Indigenous coastal stewards harvested absolutely massive, washed-up piles of wild Turtle Grass directly from the beaches.
Instead of letting it dry out, they buried this heavily mineralized ocean w**d deep inside dark, airless, anoxic jungle trenches.
This complete oxygen starvation triggered a highly targeted, violently aggressive microbial decomposition.
Specific saltwater bacteria rapidly digested the thick plant matter, instantly unlocking incredibly massive concentrations of marine phosphorus.
This raw biological chemistry effortlessly terraformed completely dead, leached tropical dirt into a hyper-fertile agricultural oasis without a single drop of synthetic fertilizer.
Save this post to master the lost skill of anaerobic marine phosphorus extraction.
Chemical acids destroy the watershed while this rotting ocean grass feeds the jungle forever.

05/27/2026

The trail manager for Old Furnace State Park is hosting a trail hike there on 6/6 and is looking for the public to join in the hike.

Old Furnace State Park is located in Killingly, CT. It is mainly known for the cliffs that rise 200 feet above Furnace Pond. This hike is around 4 miles and includes the entire Old Furnace Trail with a climb to the top of the cliffs above Old Furnace Pond. This hike has some hills, and the trails ha...

05/23/2026

What slowed down is key to a healthy ecosystem!!! 💦✌️🌞

19th-century hydro-engineers explicitly mocked allowing winter rain to drain into bedrock as a primitive failure of water conservation.
They arrogantly claimed these ancient islanders were simply losing millions of gallons of water to the earth.
But modern geological fluid dynamics formally overturned this, proving they engineered flawless, time-delayed subterranean reservoirs.
This is the forgotten art of Minoan Palekastro karstic fracture siphoning.
Ancient Mediterranean builders meticulously channeled massive, violent winter flash floods directly into specific limestone fractures.
Instead of trying to trap the water on the surface, they forced it deep into the natural "Karst" geological labyrinth.
This incredibly complex, tortuous underground stone network physically and aggressively slowed the water's passage.
This calculated geological friction mathematically delayed the underground outflow by exactly six months.
It forced the pure, filtered water to perfectly emerge as an artificial spring during the absolute peak of the scorching summer drought.
Save this post to share the lost skill of subterranean time-delayed hydrology.
Concrete dams evaporate while this breathing limestone mountain holds water forever.

05/19/2026

🐿️ THE GROUNDHOG ISN'T JUST DIGGING HOLES. HE'S BUILDING HOUSING.

He dug under your shed again.
The garden has nibble marks.
Time to trap and relocate?

Before you do — let me tell you about the REAL ESTATE he's building.

ONE GROUNDHOG BURROW:
▸ Up to 45 feet of tunnels
▸ Multiple rooms: sleeping chamber, bathroom, nursery
▸ 2-5 entrances for escape routes
▸ Lasts for DECADES after the groundhog is gone

WHO MOVES IN AFTER THE GROUNDHOG:
▸ Red foxes (den in abandoned burrows)
▸ Cottontail rabbits (winter shelter)
▸ Skunks (raise kits underground)
▸ Opossums (winter protection)
▸ Garter snakes (hibernation dens — dozens together)
▸ Chipmunks, voles, toads, salamanders
▸ 12+ species depend on groundhog burrows

WHAT THE BURROW DOES FOR YOUR YARD:
▸ Aerates compacted soil deep underground
▸ Creates drainage channels that reduce flooding
▸ Mixes subsoil with topsoil (brings minerals to surface)
▸ One study found burrows improve soil quality in a 10-foot radius

THE GARDEN SOLUTION:
✓ Fence your garden (hardware cloth, 3 feet high, buried 12 inches)
✓ Let the groundhog have the rest of the yard
✓ Sprinkle used cat litter near burrow entrances (they hate the smell)
✓ Plant things they don't eat: lavender, sage, mint, garlic

LATE MAY — PUP SEASON:
Baby groundhogs emerge this month.
If you trap and relocate mom, the babies starve underground.
Wait until July when pups are independent.
Or better yet — just fence the garden and coexist.

He's not a pest. He's a contractor.
And his buildings shelter more wildlife than anything you could build.

05/18/2026

05/15/2026

"Cowabunga, dude!" Eyes on the road! Turtles are on the move. 🐢

Every spring and summer, egg-bearing female turtles venture out to find suitable nesting habitat to deposit (lay) their eggs, often requiring them to cross busy roadways.

Here are a few things to keep in mind should you choose to stop and assist a turtle in the road:

✅ Your safety comes first, and do not attempt to stop traffic.

✅ Always move a turtle in the direction it was heading.

✅ Do not attempt to relocate the turtle to a different area. Turtles have a strong sense of home range and will likely attempt to return if relocated. This can put an individual at greater risk.

Learn more about Connecticut's turtles at https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/learn-about-wildlife/turtles-of-connecticut

📸: The spotted turtle's habitat preference changes seasonally, often requiring it to cross roadways to access suitable habitat.

05/15/2026

Today is International Family Day. Wehr Nature Center has many different family programs and events that we offer throughout the year including our upcoming Reptile Day on Sunday June 7th from Noon-4pm. You can find more information here along with the link to pre-register if you would like to skip the line the day of the event: https://www.wehrnaturecenter.com/event/reptile-day/

Meet the Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) — one of Wisconsin’s most unique aquatic turtles! They even live here at Wehr Nature Center and although they are a common species in Wisconsin, it is rare to see them here at Wehr Nature Center because they spend the majority of their time in the water and are less apt to be seen sunbathing on a log but sightings still do occur here at Wehr.

Unlike most turtles, this species has a flat, leathery “pancake-like” shell, a long snorkel-shaped nose, and highly webbed feet built for life in the water. Found in large rivers and lakes with sandy or muddy bottoms, spiny softshells often bury themselves beneath the sand to stay hidden while they rest.

These carnivorous turtles feed on fish, insects, mollusks, and other aquatic animals, and although shy in the wild, they can deliver a surprisingly powerful bite when threatened!

Spiny Softshell, a fascinating and important part of our freshwater ecosystems.