Bill Sampson, veterinary technician and senior keeper at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, demonstrated the art of tracking animals in winter on January 19, 2007, in the Copicut Woods, during one of the many hikes organized by The Trustees of Reservations. Although the forests of the 13,600 acre Bioreserve might at first appear uninhabited in winter, they are, in fact, full of life all year round. While a few animals do head south or hibernate away the winter months, most remain in New England and are active all year. The number of "true" hibernators found in southeastern Massachusetts is relatively small, as the only mammals in this group are the woodchuck (or groundhog), jumping mouse and brown bat. The chipmunk, skunk and raccoon also go through periods of winter dormancy, but all of the other mammals, as well as many birds, are out and about, foraging for food and leaving their tracks in the snow, including red and gray squirrel, rabbit, deer, hare, gray fox, coyote, turkey, and fisher. All Trustees' events are free and open to the public. Other heart healthy walks by the Trustees have included the cedar swamp, the Go Deep Walk, the Mowry Path, the Promised Land, a, trailbuilding walk, a cross-country ski trip, a walk through Interlachen, a stone wall walk, and a 13-mile Big Walk. For directions or information on programs, please call 508.679.2115 x10 or e-mail them at bioreserve@ttor.org.
 

(Top row) Education Director Linton Harrington of Trustees of Reservations divides over thirty people that showed up for the walk into three groups, one led by him, one by Emily Hall of the Buttonwood Park Zoo standing next to him, and one led by Bill Sampson. (Top row, center and right) Bill leads the group on one of the many trails that crisscross the Copicut Woods off of Blossom Road in the northeastern part of Fall River and points to some of the many animal tracks that were visible in the snow, including deer, fox, hare and squirrel. (Middle row, left and right) Nine-year-old Kyle Costa from New Bedford finds some coyote tracks next to the trail while his father, Richard, and Luisa Tavares of Fall River compares them to their tracking chart. (Bottom row, left) Bill points out a sapling with evidence of damage done by deer that rub their antlers on branches to remove the velvet. (Bottom row, center and right) The group crosses the Miller Brook that traverses the woods before returning to the parking lot on Indiantown Road.