Snow tracks spotted in Collegeville! February 14, 2023 By Collegeville Institute Leave a Comment Looking across Stumpf Lake to the south-west of the Collegeville Institute As the Minnesota cold weather continues to envelop the Collegeville Institute, a curious development has emerged just off our shores. The Collegeville Institute sits near Stumpf Lake, which has now turned into the Stumpf Ice Sheet. The normally glassy, reflective waters have turned into solid ice and are covered with a layer of snow in the freezing temperatures. While this has made the lake unusable for its warm weather tenants of fish, geese, ducks, herons, loons, and other animals, its icy condition has made it useful for a whole different set of creatures. Numerous tracks now cover the frozen lake, crossing to and fro in all manner of directions. With land now connected in ways it is not in the spring, summer, and fall, clearly animals like a good shortcut when they can find one. This highway of sorts in the snow reveals all the different types of animals such as deer, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, and others which inhabit the woods surrounding the Collegeville Institute. Often, these animals are shy of humans, or crepuscular, meaning they come out during the dawn and sunset hours, and so are less seen by people. Now, with the snow, there is unmistakable evidence of all the animal activity that often escapes our notice. Looking across Stumpf Lake to the south, towards St. John’s University Through happenings like this, we appreciate each day how the Collegeville Institute sits in such a gorgeous, and active, natural setting. Our animal friends clearly appreciate it too! Close-up of the tracks, which animals can you identify? Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
