Taking a Walk on the Wild Side at Caratunk Wildlife Refuge

Henry David Thoreau, the great naturalist from Massachusetts, once wrote “We need the tonic of the wildness...we can never get enough of nature.” Here in Seekonk, one need not venture further than Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, located on Brown Avenue just off the main north-south route through town (aka Newman Avenue), to inhale this tonic.
Caratunk, owned and managed by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, was established in 1971 through the generosity of Charles G. Greenhalgh of Pawtucket. Nearly 200 acres of land were donated in phases from 1969 to 1972. In 1986, Seekonk developer H. Charles Tapalian donated the final 36 acres.
Looking for any sign of Spring on a gloomy Friday afternoon in late March, a month that will be remembered for freezing temperatures, snow and wind, I headed out to take a short hike at Caratunk with Scott Ruhren, PhD, Senior Director of Conservation with the Audubon Society as my guide.
“Much of this land was once a dairy farm,” according to Ruhren, “in fact the fields still exist on the property where the cows once grazed.” Today, this field is mowed to attract blue birds to the area. Standing in the middle of the field are several poles with what looks like white jugs perched on top. At first glance, they look out of place but according to Ruhren they were installed there recently to attract purple martin to the area. According to the Purple Martin Conservation Association, east of the Rocky Mountains these native songbirds of the swallow family nest almost exclusively in human-supplied housing. “They are one of America’s most well-loved songbirds for many reasons; their chattering song, aerial acrobatics, insect-eating habits and their tolerance of humans.” Ruhren noted that their efforts are beginning to yield some success; some of these songbirds have been spotted in the area.
Starting out at the large white barn that once was used as the farm’s dairy barn and is now Caratunk’s educational facility, we followed a path through the field on Perimeter Trail. At 1.8 miles, it is the longest trail at Caratunk. In total, Caratunk offers almost six miles of easy to moderate well marked trails through its 200 acres of fields, forests, streams and ponds, weaving through a protected and diverse habitat for native and diverse plants.
Shortly after leaving the field we came upon Muskrat Pond. We stood quietly for a few moments, looking for signs of the muskrats and otter that make their home in the pond. A few ripples out in the middle of the pond told us that were probably there, looking out at us as we looked for them.
A few hundred yards on we passed another pond, aptly named Ice Pond. Back in the olden days, before refrigeration, the farmers harvested ice from this pond, packing the ice with straw to keep their food cold. On this afternoon, a few mallard ducks enjoyed the calm sanctuary that the pond offered.
We continued on, passing over parts of the trail that crunched under our feet, ice was still just beneath the surface, signaling that some signs of winter still held on here in the woods. All too soon we crossed a lovely little bridge over Cole’s Brook and headed back to the barn, but not before spotting some skunk cabbage that seemed as eager for Spring as we were, sprouting out of the ground as if to say “ready or not, here we come”.
Caratunk offers a variety of opportunities from bird watching to nature study to cross country skiing and snow shoeing. It is a destination that can be enjoyed in every season of the year.
The Audubon Society also holds organized activities during the year for children and adults. During school vacation week on April 21, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, a Salamander Search with an Audubon naturalist will be offered. Participants will be able to take a stroll with the naturalist and turn over rocks and logs to find salamanders. The program fee is $15 per adult member and up to three children, $5 for an additional member. Non-members can still participate for $20 per adult and up to three children, $7 for an additional non-member. This activity is for ages 3 and up.
Coming up in June, Caratunk will host a Papermaking Workshop. Participants will learn how to fashion decorative paper out of old fibers, recycled paper and tissue as well as how to finesse fine and thick sheets and also to embed items such as pressed flowers, threads and glitter to make interesting designs. Water is used to suspend the fibers, so participants are encouraged to dress for mess. This workshop will be held on June 3, from 10:00 am to 12:00pm. The program fee is $15 per member, $20 per non-member. This activity is appropriate for ages 12 and older.
Caratunk also offers a summer camp for children ages 3 ½ to 15. Campers get to be outside and explore a variety of habitats. The camp provides a safe environment to have fun and learn about nature. Currently, scheduled weeks include Habitats, Homes and Hideaways, Wilderness Skills, Critter Scene Investigation (CSI), and Naturalist Training Camp for older kids.
To register for either of these events or for additional information about these and the many other activities at Caratunk and other Audubon sites in Rhode Island visit their website at http://www.asri.org or call 401-949-5454 for further information.
Or get out and take a walk, and see for yourself all that Caratunk has to offer. Who knows, the otters might raise their heads out of the water and say hello.