Fun on Welch Ledges with WVES students

On September 14, Rey Center staff joined the Waterville Valley Elementary School students on their all-school hike on Welch and Dickey Mountains in Thornton, NH. The kids split into two groups, one climbing just to the ledges and the second hiking the entire loop over both Welch and Dickey. Along the way, each group participated in a Welch Ledges Stewardship Program with Rey Center Research Coordinator, Kim Votta. Kim engaged the students in learning about the development of granite domes, such as Welch, and the unique plant communities that develop on their exposed ledges. Students then participated in a plant ID activity and helped restore some of the rock islands that were built to protect these amazing plants.

Lorenz Weather Station On the Move...

Seems like this is a year for relocating things at the Margret & H.A. Rey Center. Like the Curious George Cottage, which made a short trip up the road this summer to its new home as part of the Waterville Valley Elementary School and Recreation Department Campus, the Lorenz Weather Station is being moved. And a very short distance too! The steel pylon the weather station was anchored to these past two years (see photo at left) was recently removed, prompting the Rey Center staff to find an alternative site - about 20 feet north of its former home. It will be anchored to an existing concrete pad atop the ski slopes of Mount Tecumseh. The purchase of a higher tower will allow us to set the weather instrumentation at the same height; the new tower will also allow us to anchor the station properly in its new spot. Look for the station to be back up and running by the end of October. Once it is, you can get up-to-date weather conditions and web-cam images on our website. Thanks to the White Mountain National Forest, the Waterville Valley Resort, Plymouth State University's Meteorology Department, and volunteer Ken Vallery for their assistance with the relocation plan and its implementation.