A hidden vernal pond in the Dismal Swamp Conservation Area
              Photo by David Wheeler/Edison Wetlands Association


Edison Wetlands Association and Princeton Hydro yesterday continued their three-day transect of the Dismal Swamp Conservation Area with lengthy two-group hikes within the Edison Township portion of the Conservation Area on a frigid 26-degree day.  Iced-over vernal pools were found to have thousands of tadpoles from bullfrogs and green frogs, as well as dragonfly nymphs and other invertebrates swimming about.  Coyote tracks were evident, beaver-cut trees were abundant, small mammals and white-tailed deer were found at an abandoned farm, and great blue herons and ducks were frequently spotted along the duck weed of the Bound Brook and its minor tributaries.  Edison Wetlands Association Executive Director Robert Spiegel noted that the variety of habitats, from cattail swamps to hardwood forests, will make for a fascinating and ecologically diverse hike in the expanded Dismal Swamp Conservation Area trails network now in the planning and design phases.  Click on this entry's title for more photos.