by Chris Thompson
Chris is our trail cam wizard, who has shown us the secret lives of Schmeeckle’s critters, placing the cameras in woods and meadows far from the official trails. Who would have thought that, competing with deep-woods images of deer and foxes, we’d find these tall mammals?
Over the last two years, the Friends of Schmeeckle Reserve trail cameras have caught a number of interesting animals that call Schmeeckle Reserve home. These have included raccoons, opossums, deer, fox, coyotes, and more. Perhaps the most common mammal that is found in Schmeeckle Reserve is the well-known, but often hard to understand, Homo Sapiens – us Humans!
The current placement of this particular trail camera is NOT on a well-worn path, but still, Schmeeckle has an abundant human population.
*Note: no pictures were used that included faces.
As a part of the greater Green Circle trail, the trails of Schmeeckle have a number of counters to monitor trail use. The Green Circle, and its 26+ miles of trail, receives greater than 100,000 users annually. Even though Schmeeckle Reserve makes up only a fraction to the entire Green Circle – its counters register upwards of 125,000 visitors per year! Though trail use varies by year, that’s over 300 human visitors per day on average.
These numbers really illustrate how important Schmeeckle Reserve is not only for animals, but for the people of UWSP and Stevens Point as well.
Here are a couple of our well-dressed humans, strutting through the wilds of Schmeeckle Reserve.
Schmeeckle Reserve is not only a popular area to hike in, but many bikers utilize Schmeeckle as well.
One question asked on the Green Circle website states: Can I bike the entire trail?
“Yes, all 12 sections of the Green Circle are accessible to bikes. Most of the trail is surfaced with crushed granite, so an off-road or hybrid bicycle is recommended. The Green Circle connects with several other trails that allow biking.” Connected trails include those in Schmeeckle.
Schmeeckle Reserve has its own set of biking guidelines: Bicycle slowly. Most of the Reserve’s trails are made for quiet walking and observation. Bicyclists are allowed on the trails, but must yield to all other trail users and ride slowly.