By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County

Winter. The season when there’s nothing to see in the woods, no point in getting outside when everything is grey, brown, white, and dull.

Really?

Where did we get the idea that green vistas are the only standard for delight outdoors?

Parks and preserves everywhere in the Brodhead watershed are full of life and interest in every season, including winter. 

One example: an early morning hike through the Nothstein Cranberry Creek Preserve in the upper watershed. 

Two friends laced up their boots there recently — and you’d be surprised how much we saw.

A light snow meant tracks, of course. No other people, but squirrels, deer, wild turkey, and multiple foxes. 

The leafless trees revealed nests — a robin’s nest from last year, the twigs, moss and mud cup falling apart now, a bedraggled paper wasp nest looking like a used piñata, and the loose and leafy nests of grey squirrels, softly lined for the blind, hairless kits soon to be born and raised there. 

We lost count of how many of those we saw.

Long, deep oblong holes were drilled into trees by pileated woodpeckers. One tree was gnawed raw by porcupines. 

Brilliant emerald mosses carpeted stones where water gurgled in unnamed runs headed down to the Cranberry Creek. 

When we reached our goal at the low waterfall, shoulder-high prehistoric boulders stood sentinel. 

A tree trunk downed long ago was moldering into a nurse log — every crevice offering growing space for new life. 

Seedling hemlocks and white pines, mosses, ferns, lichens and even small creatures like insects and spiders find safe haven here, elevated from the competition of the forest floor.

And views. Yes, views! 

When all that summer greenery turns brown and drifts to the ground in fall, everywhere you look you can see new sights revealed: the folds, valleys, and natural amphitheaters of the hills, the contours of a winding creek bed, rocky outcrops and boulders in all their ancient glory. 

The pitch pines with their armored bark, the bare oaks and maples stand like living sculptures carved against the snowy ground, as far as the eye can see. 

Down along the creek, native rhododendrons with their leaves furled tight against the cold, look black against the icy water.

Paradise Township preserved these 150 acres for hikers, hunters, trout fishers, and anyone who enjoys being in nature. 

The land also protects essential resources — like the Cranberry Creek, wetlands, vernal pools, and every living thing downstream. 

Really. What are you waiting for?

Townships and boroughs throughout the Brodhead Watershed have conserved land —protecting natural resources, preventing flooding, and ensuring that generations to come will know the same beautiful land (and views) we love. 

There’s a trail not far from you. Why not check it out?

Visit the Water At Risk webpage to learn more.

The Brodhead Watershed Association protects water quality and quantity throughout our area. Get involved! Become a member!

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-- Protecting Clean Water Together: Starting To Think About The Garden?  How To Simplify Garden Work - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County  [PaEN] 

[Posted: February 11, 2025] 

2/17/2025