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Children gather to learn about wildlife

Children gather to learn about wildlife

Colleen Harrak from the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield introduced a group of youngsters to Opal, a hognose snake, at the Scoville Memorial Library Saturday, Aug. 17.

Patrick L. Sullivan

SALISBURY — Collen Harrak of the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield introduced a group of young readers to Tippy the Toad to start a program about wildlife in Northwest Connecticut Saturday afternoon, Aug. 17 at the Scoville Memorial Library.

“Tippy does have warts,” Harrak said. “But she can’t give them to you.”

Asked how it can be determined that Tippy is female, Harrak said a female toad has a cream-colored belly, and a male toad has a tan belly.

Toads live about two years in the wild, Harrak continued. But they can live up to 36 years in captivity.

Next up were three pieces of scat in a small jar.

The children were asked to guess what produced them.

Deer? No.

Bear? “Nope,” said Harrak. “Think bigger.”

“Moose!” cried a triumphant girl.

Harrak confirmed it, and provided moose facts.

Moose moved into Northwest Connecticut in 2012, and while they are rarely seen, the state Department of Energy and Environmental protection estimates there are perhaps 200 of the animals in the state, mostly in the northwestern region.

Moose prefer areas where there has been a snowpack the previous year. And if you find a moose antler in the woods, you are welcome to keep it, as the moose doesn’t need it anymore and will grow a new set in the spring.

The discussion wound on, covering beavers, flying squirrels, fishers (“not a cat” said Harrak), porcupines and snapping turtles.

The children peppered Harrak with questions throughout.

Patrick L. Sullivan
Senior Reporter
Patrick Sullivan has been a reporter for The Lakeville Journal since 2004, covering everything from town meetings to local characters and the outdoors. He grew up in Northern Virginia but spent summers on Mount Riga in Salisbury, giving him a lifelong connection to the Northwest Corner. A graduate of Denison University, Patrick is also the author of Tangled Lines, the newspapers’ popular fly-fishing column—making The Lakeville Journal, as far as anyone knows, the only newspaper in Connecticut with a regular fly-fishing columnist. He once received a fan letter from England, which he considers sufficient evidence that his work has achieved international acclaim.
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