Most folks have never seen North American River Otters but, if you have, you’ve probably observed their prodigious appetites for fish of all kinds—although they also will eat crustaceans, snakes, frogs, turtles—their delightful, playful natures and their characteristic group “romps.”

But River Otters do much more than hunt, fish and cavort on land and in water—they are a Keystone species, which means that, in relation to their numbers, they have a large impact on the ecosystems they live in and also an Indicator species which means, essentially, they’re an ecological canary in the coal mine. They are the first species to die if there are contaminants in a watershed. Otters are notoriously sensitive to polluted water. If River Otters are in an area, that’s a great sign the water is healthy.

The River Otter is the largest member of the weasel family found in Connecticut.  Sleek and weasel-like, these carnivorous mammals have rich brown fur and grow to between three and four feet long. The playful River Otter is equally at home in water and on land. 

Ginny will speak on all aspects of these amazing creatures, including their status, their impact on the environment and all the characteristics that make them the fascinating creatures they are.  A native Texan, Ginny Apple was one of the first full-time women sportswriters in the country, who left the field mid-career to pursue a path in communications/public relations. Through the years she has hiked, climbed, kayaked, skied and poked her way through the outdoors and developed a passion for all things natural. A move to the middle of the woods in Barkhamsted 20 years ago brought her into an environment filled with bears and other wildlife.

Living in a house surrounded by Peoples State Forest, she observes a large population of Black Bears and supplies field notes and photographs on them to DEEP bear biologists. Her affinity for this magnificent creature led her out west to participate in a Grizzly research mission in Montana and to become a Master Wildlife Conservationist with the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, for which she gives almost 100 talks yearly and volunteers monitoring the local bear population. As an MWC she also, along with many other activities, serves as a Bald Eagle interpreter for the Shepaug Dam Eagle Viewing area and the Essex Steam Train’s Eagle Flyer and created and runs the Barkhamsted Earth Day Nature Festival, a yearly event on the last Sunday in April that draws an average of 800 people to Peoples State Forest.

Ginny is Chair of the Barkhamsted Conservation Commission and a member of the Barkhamsted Economic Development Commission and on the Boards of the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA), the Friends of American Legion and Peoples State Forests (FALPS), the Friends of Connecticut State Parks and the Western Connecticut Tourism District. She also maintains the Facebook pages for the Town of Barkhamsted, FALPS and the Barkhamsted Historical Society.

Co-sponsored by the Avon Library & Avon Land Trust

Please register; Zoom links will go out the day before the event.