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February 2024 Friends of the Forest Newsletter. Upper left corner shows the logo, a poplar leaf and the words “Berea College Forestry Outreach Center”. Below reads “at the Pinnacles: Homelands of the Shawnee and Cherokee Peoples. Tuesday-Saturday 10a.m.-4p.m., Sunday 12p.m.-4p.m. Trails open dawn to dusk daily. 2047 Big Hill Rd. Berea, KY 40403. 859-756-3315. “May your children hear and breathe the words of our Indigenous ancestors. May we all be so lucky to know an Indigenous future.” ~Matika Wilbur, Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America. February Events. All events at the FOC/Pinnacles unless otherwise noted. Free and open to all. Outdoor activities weather-dependent. Nature hikes at the Pinnacles: Saturdays at 1:00pm, meet at the FOC, bring needed medications (i.e. inhaler). Nature R&R: February 17th, 1:00-3:00pm, rain/cold makeup date, February 24th. RSVP on Eventbrite. Family Activities. February 4th, 2:00-3:30pm Nature Guardians, February 11th, 2:00-3:00pm Animal Allies, February 18th 2:00-3:00pm Bug Detectives, February 25th 2:00-3:30pm Geocacher.” Below this is a list of social media logos including Facebook, “Instagram @bereacollegefoc, iNaturalist Citizen Science Project: Biodiversity of the Berea College Forest, Seek: App by iNaturalist, great I.D. tool for kids and families. FOC website: forestryoutreach.berea.edu.” The upper right corner has an overlook image from the Pinnacles. Below is the main article. “Forest Reveals its Hidden Inhabitants. Berea’s forest thrives in the convergence of three surrounding ecosystems: the Cumberland Plateau, the Bluegrass and the Knobs regions. Due to Berea Forestry’s thoughtful management, it stands as an exceptional living classroom, frequently visited by schools and universities in the area. A team from the University of Louisville delved into the diverse world of Coleoptera, the diverse biological order of beetles. During 2021 and 2022, the strategically placed insect traps captured beetle species previously unknown in the state of Kentucky. The study unveiled a remarkable 43 new state records of beetle species. The researchers surmised that beetles have been previously overlooked in Kentucky, contributing to this large number. They highlighted how the variety of beetles found at various stages of succession in areas post-fire disturbance indicates there are potentially many more discoveries to be made. Research such as this is important to understanding how biodiversity is changing.” There is an image of a weevil insect with the caption “Piazorhinus pictus, a true weevil, one of the species found during the survey.” The paper information reads “Coleoptera Monitoring Following Prescribed Fire Disturbance Yields 43 New State Species Records for Kentucky, USA Kane A. Lawhorn*, Ignatius Wirasakti, Stephen P. Yanoviak. kane.lawhorn@gmail.com *corresponding author. Available on BioOne Digital Library in The Coleopterists Bulletin Volume 77 Issue 4, 2023.
The second page of the newsletter has images of ferns along the top. The left column reads “Thanks to visitors to the forest we now have 30,000 observations of wildlife on the Biodiversity of the Berea College Forest project on iNaturalist.org! This extensive dataset has unveiled over 3,500 species to be identified, including endangered species and establishing new state records. Being aware of the diverse life on College-managed land guides us in conscientious care of the ecosystem. If you’ve snapped pictures of wildlife on campus or in the forest, upload it to iNaturalist.org and be a citizen scientist! Check out some of the most recent photos uploaded:” Below, pictured is a spiraled snail shell by the user ediewakin, a lichen by the user isabeldalton, and a jumping spider by the user john_abrams. The right column is a light green background with text that reads “Nature R&R returns! Nature relaxatino and restoration is a slow-paced, restorative forest experience. Please bring a portable chair or something to sit on. We hope you can join us on the following date: February 17th 1:00-3:00pm at the Pinnacles. Rain/cold makeup date: February 24th. Look for more dates in March! Use the QR code (to the left) or search Berea College Forestry Outreach Center on Eventbrite.com to learn more and RSVP. Weather dependent, those who RSVP will be notified of cancellations.” The bottom section of the page is dark green with a background image of the hills around Owsley Reservoir. The text reads “Family Activities. Free and open to all. RSVP on Facebook to follow or call 859-756-3315 for updates/questions. Nature Guardians February 4th, leaving at 2:00-3:30pm. Wear sturdy shoes and learn how you can take care of the environment through an eco-hike. Animal Allies February 11th, 2:00-3:00pm Let’s learn the importance of caring for animals and explore how animals take care of themselves. Bug Detectives February 18th 2:00-3:00pm Let’s deep dive into the world of bugs through crafts! Geocacher February 25th leaving at 2:00-3:30pm Join us on a geocaching adventure to uncover hidden treasures in the forest!