Conservation Corner by Karen Fuller
December
Hear That Howl? Yes, It Could be a Coyote!
Yes, they are here. And their numbers have been growing, their range has been increasing. They have been spotted everywhere from Long Island City to the North and South Forks. Locally, they are in Lloyd Harbor, Kings Park, Greenlawn and likely other areas. Their food sources are abundant, squirrels, racoons and deer. They even eat roadkill. But they have a diverse diet, all kinds of fruits, grass, berries, tiny mammals, as well as outdoor pets, human garbage, and even birdseed. Coyotes Sighted in Lloyd Harbor Facebook page that updates info on Coyotes on LI. https://www.facebook.com/LICoyotes/
Christmas Tree Shortages
Both live and artificial. Last year 94 million US households had a Christmas tree in their home, 85% artificial, 15% live. The Pacific Northwest was particularly hard hit, as some Oregon farmers lost 90% of their crop. Artificial trees are also impacted by supply chain shortages. Either way, be prepared to pay more. American Christmas Tree Association Recommends US Consumers Find Their Christmas Tree Early this Season
Planning Ahead
The National Gardening Association offers a download of useful pages for record-keeping for only $5.00.
Monthly calendars, weekly planner pages, daily planner pages, gardening chores, plant logs, garden plan layouts - and more. If one of your New Years Resolutions is to get “more organized” this is a great start! The link is for the 2021 version, but 2022 should come out soon.
2021 Download-and-Print Planner and Organizer - Garden.org
Field trip anyone?
Beacon NY has an innovative “environmentalist” business that sells plants, consults designs, builds landscapes for public and private customers. I found it to be an interesting site, one of the most comprehensive sites covering nearly every aspect of ecological and sustainable use of plants, including phytotechnology (where they’ve planted specific plants in areas with high concentrations of lead and through proper plantings they significantly reduced the hazardous levels.) The company has a couple of nurseries in the Hudson Valley with an extensive selection of plants for sale. OneNature
Useful Ideas for Reducing Deer Damage
Mostly fencing and sprays, includes homemade choices
https://web.uri.edu/mastergardener/files/Reducing-Deer-Damage-to-Your-Garden-_-Yard.pdf
Things to Do with Fall Leaves
1. Make a big pile of leaves in your front yard -- a BIG pile -- and jump in it. With or without your kids. When your neighbors stop to stare, invite them to jump in, too.
2. Run your mower back and forth through a layer of leaves to break them up, then use as mulch in your perennial garden.
3. Create a compost pile (or add to one you already have).
4. Make a scarecrow by stuffing leaves into old clothes. Set the scarecrow in a lawn chair by your front door to amuse the mailman.
5. Fallen leaves provide cover for overwintering beneficial insects, such as lacewings and ground beetles. You can serve both your need for a neat garden and the insects' need for winter homes by creating refugia: make envelopes of chicken wire, fill them with fallen leaves and sticks, and place them in a sheltered location. (Make your refugia into creative shapes, and you have garden art, as well!)
6. Collect the prettiest leaves and iron them between sheets of waxed paper. Mount on matboard and frame them to enjoy year-round. Use other leaves to decorate your holiday table.
7. Pile leaves in the paths between your vegetable garden beds. They'll provide a dry walking surface, and next spring you can rake the decomposed leaves into your planting areas.
8. Add fallen leaves to indoor worm composting bins. They introduce key decomposers, such as springtails and microbes, to the worm bin ecosystem that help the worms do their jobs better.
November
Recycling Reminders
- Don’t be a “wish recycler” - not everything goes in the bin. Yeah, you really don’t want it to go to the dump, and no one wants your old bowling ball, but some things are better off just being thrown out. Don’t expect the recycling center to make the decisions for you. If you can’t donate it to charity (clothing, that old boombox), then into the trash it should go. And if it's smaller than a credit card, it goes in the trash bin.
- Keep things clean. Just a small amount of food residue can contaminate a whole truckload; if you don’t want to rinse out your old ketchup bottle or peanut butter jar, just put it in with your garbage.
- Glass is good to recycle, but it needs to be bottles and jars, not old window glass. A little of the wrong kind of glass can contaminate the lot.
- Metal, especially aluminum, can be recycled over and over. Just make sure it’s clean.
- Plastics are the hardest thing to recycle. Most can only be recycled once or twice, and even then, it’s mostly the #1 or #2 plastics. There’s an organization called Preserve that takes the #5 yogurt and takeout containers and recycles them into toothbrushes and tableware. They have drop boxes at most Whole Foods markets. https://www.preserve.eco/ Plastics that have other materials mixed in (like the pump bottle of shampoo) can’t be recycled. Things like toys and plastic furniture also can’t be recycled.
- Good news about recycling plastic bottles, you can now leave the caps attached, as the plastics are shredded and floated in a water bath; the bottle parts float and the cap parts sink.
- Paper and cardboard. Again, it needs to be clean. No greasy pizza boxes (unless you pull off the lid if it’s clean. Newspapers, mail and magazines, office paper, and notebook paper get the recycle bin green light; avoid post-it notes, bright colored paper and any single-use paper items, like used coffee cups and napkins.
- While some communities accept them, around here aerosol cans go into the garbage. Same goes for light bulbs. And batteries. Don’t feel too bad about all the household waste you throw away, the Covanta plant generates 25 megawatts of power from burning that trash.
- Can you compost some of what you’d otherwise throw out? Here are some guidelines from the Town. https://www.huntingtonny.gov/Composting
- A note on those charity donations, though. If it’s broken, they’re going to have to throw it out. Just choose to trash it. One exception is clothing, even torn clothing can be recycled. Both Goodwill and Savers will sort out unwearable textiles and send it off to be recycled. Electronics and any hazardous waste (like car batteries) can go to the TOH Recycling Center on New York Ave. Computers and laptops can be dropped off at Staples or Best Buy (but remove the hard drives first). Here’s a guide for where and how to recycle all sorts of items.
- The Town of Huntington collection guidelines are:
September
The Eye of the Beholder, Weed or Plant?
What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
When we plan which plants to add to our gardens, what are the things we think about? I remember how I graduated from the old Sears Christmas catalog to garden catalogs. Pretty colors. Thinking about what would fit where, how things would look together. Plants with exotic names, and how I could have an exciting focal point in my garden. Pure joy.
We imported many plants that are non-native. They were attractive because they not only looked nice but also wouldn’t be attacked by local insects, diseases, foraging animals, etc. Some of those plants were able to reproduce and spread and have crowded out native plants which support the ecosystem. Thus, because they are aggressive, they become invasive. Burning Bush (winged euonymus) is an example (the link is to a video).
Some native plants are also aggressive, like mint, which can overrun a garden but won’t adversely affect an ecosystem. Native plants evolved and adapted alongside the native insects, fungi, wildlife, and other plants, resulting in a complex web where the organisms coexist and depend upon one another. Exotic plants are those that have been introduced into an existing ecosystem, either on purpose or inadvertently. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) can take over whereas many beloved exotics, such as peonies, bearded irises, and apple trees, are well-behaved in the garden. Many of us remember when people started to plant bamboo only to discover it was impossible to control effectively. I started to realize how bad the situation was when I discovered my mother’s yard became large mounds of porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) instead of the rhododendrons, dogwood, cedars, forsythia, etc. that were hidden underneath the aggressive vines. How quickly it completely took over! Yet I found an article on a gardening website on how “lovely” they are to grow!
So garden catalogs and garden centers represent knowledgeable people who wouldn’t sell anything that could damage the ecosystem. Or not. A study from UMass identified hundreds of invasive plant species being marketed as ornamentals at 1,330 nurseries, garden centers, and online retailers, including 20 species that are illegal to grow or sell in the U.S. While many places advertise that they are selling “sterile cultivars” they are not 100% sterile and do find ways to spread.
Since fall is the time when we do a lot of planning and planting, try to ensure the new plants you are adding will also stay where you want them. A bonus is if they will also support native birds and pollinators.
Side note: “Invasive species” has even crept into the Federal Highway Bill. I trust that it allows the states to properly determine what is locally invasive https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/00marapr/invasiv1.cfm
Watch for strange holes in your trees:
The Asian Longhorn Beetle is spreading. Report any you see.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/asian-longhorned-beetle
Keep your eyes peeled for trash that wildlife might ingest
Links to the above stories:
Wood Stork: https://www.silive.com/news/2021/08/wood-stork-migrates-from-the-south-up-to-staten-island-dies-in-west-shore-wetlands-shortly-after.html
Burning Bush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87xYjk8smqM&ab_channel=AgricultureandNaturalResources
UMass study on invasives in garden centers: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210817131437.htm
Brochure of Invasive Plants:
https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/documents/319/Invasive_Brochure_Reduced_File_Size.pdf
Cornell Cooperative Extension: http://essex.cce.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-nuisance-species/invasive-plants
More Invasives Identification:
https://www.imapinvasives.org/identification-guides
Removing Porcelain Berry
https://gonativeli.com/vine-removal/porcelain-berry
The Asian Longhorn Beetle
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/asian-longhorned-beetle
A juvenile Wood Stork, usually not seen this far north, choked to death on a 3 foot long piece of foam in Staten Island August.
August
All Hail the Mighty Dragonfly!
Like some bizarre creature out of a science fiction movie, the dragonfly looks scary. “The Devil’s Darning Needle” is a carnivore. And that’s why we should love them. If you see them in your garden, that’s a very good thing. They can eat their own weight in insects every day. Favorite foods are: mosquitoes, termites, deer flies, blackflies, horseflies and midges.
They breed in ponds, so to have them in your garden, you need to have a body of water nearby. Even the nymphs (which can live in the pond for up to two years before they become adults) have voracious appetites. Mostly for mosquito larvae. Yum! However, if the pond has fish or frogs, dragonfly nymphs become the food. More info on how a pond can provide a good breeding ground for dragonflies is here. Suggested plant varieties are here. And even without a pond, you may still be able to attract these useful insects.
Praying Mantises are Invasives?
I’ve always been thrilled to find mantises in my garden. I learned to recognize a praying mantis cocoon and made sure I did not trim that plant back. Imagine the shock of finding that most of the mantises I’ve seen and nurtured are an invasive Chinese species. Even worse is the way they’ve become dominant - when we purchase praying mantises from a garden center, it’s pretty much guaranteed they are the Chinese version. Like most invasive species, they are not satisfied with native insects in their diets. So a quick check on the internet will show you these villains killing and eating hummingbirds. If you can stomach that visual. Here is information about how to recognize the differences between native and non-native mantises.
Bugs vs Bugs
Not the name of a new movie, biological controls have been around for a while. We all remember the gypsy moth infestations. Until 1986, 30 states had released a European fly Compsilura concinnata to kill the gypsies. Unfortunately, it also attacked 180 different species of insects. Here is a useful list of beneficial bugs and how to recognize and attract them. North Carolina State University has excellent resources for biological controls as well as a wealth of fact sheets useful to all gardeners. I highly recommend browsing their site.
Don’t Throw Away Your Deadheads!
As you continue to keep your gardens immaculate, don’t throw away all the dried deadheads you’re removing. Many people don’t want to leave dried stalks in their yard, either for fear of reseeding or because they just don’t look great. However, they could provide useful nutrition for birds in the fall and winter if you bundle them and hang them where they can provide a tasty banquet. Here is more information.
Deer Repellent (opinion)
I finally have a few hosta this year. This is cause for celebration because normally they are ravaged by deer. While out east this spring I picked up a bottle of Bobbex Deer Repellent. It was $20 for a 32 oz spray bottle, but everything I have sprayed with it has not been eaten! It does not wash off in the rain and discourages the deer by both taste and smell. Yes, it does smell when you first spray it, but humans can’t smell it a day later. It’s all natural and safe for plants and wildlife. It may not work for you, but as deer become more prevalent (and hungry) in our neighborhoods, I thought I’d share my own experience. I know I’ll be buying more next time I can find it.
List of links (in case the ones in the articles don’t work right)
Creating a habitat for Dragonflies https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/how-to/a9191/attract-dragonflies-to-your-yard-for-all-natural-pest-control-15724186/
Plants to attract Dragonflies
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/attracting-dragonflies.htm
Attracting Dragonflies without a pond
https://mybackyardlife.com/how-to-attract-dragonflies-without-pond/
Identifying invasive praying mantis species
http://beautifulnativeplants.blogspot.com/2016/02/praying-mantises-which-are-good-ones.html
Beneficial bugs in the garden
http://beautifulnativeplants.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-healthy-garden-is-buggy-garden.html
NC State garden fact sheets
https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/biological-control-information-center/
Deadheads for feeding the birds
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/keeping-deadhead-cuttings-for-birds.htm
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Other things I thought you might find interesting
Most expensive houseplant ever sold: https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/13/asia/new-zealand-houseplant-trademe-auction-trnd/index.html
My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Dale
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. -Doug Larson
It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
July
Tick Tick Tick
They are predicting a very productive tick season this year. While we want to avoid them at all costs, we also have to be careful that we don’t harm beneficial insects as well. One option is to use mice as a control. Most of us do have mice around, and they carry a lot of nymph (baby) ticks. Tick tubes can help. Carefully spray cotton balls with permethrin insect spray and stick them into empty toilet paper tubes. Place the tubes around the yard in wooded or overgrown areas. The mice will take the cotton balls to line their nests and the nymphs will be killed. Caution: you want to avoid placing the tubes in areas where pollinators might be, as it will kill them, too; once dry it is safe for animals. Here’s a video to show all the steps involved. Some people say you can use dryer lint instead of cotton, but if you use dryer sheets or other scented products, the mice may not be attracted to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj-0l9KpUaw&ab_channel=NowYouKnow
Slow and Steady
Please watch for turtles. They are active now until October. Cars, boats and lawn mowers are dangerous for them. If you see one trying to cross the street, you may move it, but only in the direction it wants to travel. If you find an injured turtle, call 631-779-3737, turtlerescueofthehamptons.org
When Bad Things Turn Good
When we have heat waves, it affects sea life as well. Studies with mussels have shown that a parasite which causes the shells to thin and whiten actually causes them to resist high temperatures better, actually helping them survive. More than just good for eating, mussels are important to the ecosystem. At low tide, mussel beds provide a moist, cool habitat for potentially hundreds of different species. This includes everything from hermit crabs and worms to sponges and sea cucumbers. “Mussel beds are the apartment complex of the rocky shore.” https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/parasite-may-help-mussels-survive-heat-waves
Oh Poop
Asian honey bees have learned how to keep from having their nests from being destroyed by giant hornets. Incredibly, they are foraging for animal dung and applying it to the outside of their hives. This discourages the hornets from attacking. Understanding that this simple yet sophisticated technique works, may help protect other species from these vicious predators. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0242668
Inspired by Spiders
Inspired by spider webs, scientists may have discovered a strong, biodegradable way to replace plastics. The concept is a little too complicated to explain here, but it’s really worth a quick read.
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/16/scientists-say-spider-silk-could-teach-us-how-to-replace-plastic/
They are predicting a very productive tick season this year. While we want to avoid them at all costs, we also have to be careful that we don’t harm beneficial insects as well. One option is to use mice as a control. Most of us do have mice around, and they carry a lot of nymph (baby) ticks. Tick tubes can help. Carefully spray cotton balls with permethrin insect spray and stick them into empty toilet paper tubes. Place the tubes around the yard in wooded or overgrown areas. The mice will take the cotton balls to line their nests and the nymphs will be killed. Caution: you want to avoid placing the tubes in areas where pollinators might be, as it will kill them, too; once dry it is safe for animals. Here’s a video to show all the steps involved. Some people say you can use dryer lint instead of cotton, but if you use dryer sheets or other scented products, the mice may not be attracted to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj-0l9KpUaw&ab_channel=NowYouKnow
Slow and Steady
Please watch for turtles. They are active now until October. Cars, boats and lawn mowers are dangerous for them. If you see one trying to cross the street, you may move it, but only in the direction it wants to travel. If you find an injured turtle, call 631-779-3737, turtlerescueofthehamptons.org
When Bad Things Turn Good
When we have heat waves, it affects sea life as well. Studies with mussels have shown that a parasite which causes the shells to thin and whiten actually causes them to resist high temperatures better, actually helping them survive. More than just good for eating, mussels are important to the ecosystem. At low tide, mussel beds provide a moist, cool habitat for potentially hundreds of different species. This includes everything from hermit crabs and worms to sponges and sea cucumbers. “Mussel beds are the apartment complex of the rocky shore.” https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/parasite-may-help-mussels-survive-heat-waves
Oh Poop
Asian honey bees have learned how to keep from having their nests from being destroyed by giant hornets. Incredibly, they are foraging for animal dung and applying it to the outside of their hives. This discourages the hornets from attacking. Understanding that this simple yet sophisticated technique works, may help protect other species from these vicious predators. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0242668
Inspired by Spiders
Inspired by spider webs, scientists may have discovered a strong, biodegradable way to replace plastics. The concept is a little too complicated to explain here, but it’s really worth a quick read.
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/16/scientists-say-spider-silk-could-teach-us-how-to-replace-plastic/
June
The case for fertile soil.
The two hottest words around these days are Carbon Sequestration. Simply, it just means taking the bad CO2 out of the air and storing it in the ground. Sounds like magic. Since the early 1900s, we’ve been using “modern technology” to get more out of our soil, but in the process we’ve depleted it. The magic element we’re missing is humus, that rich black organic stuff that can store carbon (potentially) hundreds of years. For most residential yards, that doesn’t happen.
There are two things home gardeners are urged to do to improve the health of your yard. Stop using synthetic fertilizers and don’t “skritch” your dirt.
Synthetic fertilizers use a huge nitrogen boost to encourage quick growth, activating the soil microorganisms. Once they use up the nitrogen, they eat up the organic matter in the soil; when the organic matter is gone, so is the carbon in the soil. The solution? Two to four inches of compost (leaves, plant clippings, manure). Only if necessary, add a slow release of blood meal or kelp meal for heavy feeders like vegetables. For your lawn, water it less often and wait longer to mow it. This encourages a longer, denser root growth.
The two hottest words around these days are Carbon Sequestration. Simply, it just means taking the bad CO2 out of the air and storing it in the ground. Sounds like magic. Since the early 1900s, we’ve been using “modern technology” to get more out of our soil, but in the process we’ve depleted it. The magic element we’re missing is humus, that rich black organic stuff that can store carbon (potentially) hundreds of years. For most residential yards, that doesn’t happen.
There are two things home gardeners are urged to do to improve the health of your yard. Stop using synthetic fertilizers and don’t “skritch” your dirt.
Synthetic fertilizers use a huge nitrogen boost to encourage quick growth, activating the soil microorganisms. Once they use up the nitrogen, they eat up the organic matter in the soil; when the organic matter is gone, so is the carbon in the soil. The solution? Two to four inches of compost (leaves, plant clippings, manure). Only if necessary, add a slow release of blood meal or kelp meal for heavy feeders like vegetables. For your lawn, water it less often and wait longer to mow it. This encourages a longer, denser root growth.
If you dig your soil to plant annuals or remove weeds, you’re disturbing the bank of carbon you have stored. You can layer newspaper and mulch where you want to plant your vegetable garden, and place your plants directly into the mulch, replenishing as needed during the growing season. (Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich is available as an ebook from the Northport Library - it’s a very useful resource.)
Are electric cars “the solution”?
We are addicted to crude oil. Cutting production will not make it less desirable or necessary. Sure, emissions are a major contributor to global warming. But will electric cars solve it? I’ve already written about the problems of mining the materials for and ultimate disposal of EV batteries. If we are less dependent on oil, what about the rest of the things that come out of a barrel of crude? Gasoline is about 50%, but then there’s heating oil, jet fuel, chemicals for plastics, asphalt, propane, liquid natural gas, kerosene, and many other things. We can’t go back to heating our homes with wood. Airplanes can’t rely on solar, wind or battery power. And bye bye to our propane grills. A lot depends on that entire barrel of crude. Building electric cars to be lighter weight depends on plastic made from petrochemicals, and there are parts that need to be lubricated. How do we generate the electricity to charge the vehicles, too? Anyone remember those grade school science experiments where you powered a clock from a potato? Perhaps ...
Useful Links
The minerals needed for clean energy (and more) are in short supply.
White tailed deer populations should be managed.
Controlled fires being conducted in the Pine Barrens to make them healthier.
More about soil and why grazing cattle are not the big problem.
The minerals needed for clean energy (and more) are in short supply.
White tailed deer populations should be managed.
Controlled fires being conducted in the Pine Barrens to make them healthier.
More about soil and why grazing cattle are not the big problem.
May
Bee Buzz
As you know, I love our native pollinators. I’ve described mason bees, but have neglected cheering on leafcutters (megachile rotundata). The mason bees are the harbingers of spring, and are super pollinators of apple, pear, almond, cherry, blueberry and strawberry plants. Leafcutters, on the other hand, emerge in the summer months to pollinate squash, melons, peas and other summer fruits and vegetables. These bees tend to prefer lower-lying plants and flowers, and if you have roses then leafcutters are the pollinators you want buzzing around.
Both are solitary bees, so pretty docile because they’re not protecting a hive. Leafcutters are also less finicky than mason bees about their nesting arrangements, the former line their tube nests with leaves and saliva, the latter require mud.
How to recognize what’s buzzing around your yard? Just listen. Mason bees are often confused with a housefly due to their size and blue tint, but a housefly hums and mason bees buzz. Leafcutters are a lighter beige in color, with small, narrow bodies and fuzzy bellies. And they are virtually noiseless.
Do you want to do more to invite leafcutters to your yard? Some of us have been known to order boxes of ladybugs and praying mantises. You can order leafcutter cocoons, too. Here is one (of many) sources I found.
A “brief” study - Swiss researchers are burying thousands of pairs of men’s cotton briefs in a project called “Proof By Underpants” but they'll be dug up after a month or two. It’s how damaged the drawers are that scientists will be excited to see. Holes from organisms in the soil, including fungi, worms and insects will help evaluate the health of the soil. A better understanding will help to understand erosion and flood management, among other things.
Sheep-scaping? Governor’s Island will have a family of sheep in residence this summer. Unlike goats, sheep are selective grazers and will be chowing down on phragmites, mugwort and other invasives leaving the horticulture team to spend their time in more productive endeavors. Some places have used goats to help remove invasives and even poison ivy, but goats will eat the bark of trees. Sheep will eat around tender young trees. It is expected that the sheep will free up 70% of the time the hort team spent weeding. For more about Flour, Sam, Evening, Philip Aries and Chad click here.
Getting excited about Perovskites! “Huh?”, you say? Perovskites are an obscure but common mineral that may be the future of solar energy. While they are not as stable or as efficient as silicon they can be made as thin sheets or even inks; imagine them on the exterior of your car or wearing clothes that can power your Fitbit, even applied to windows, letting in light and making electricity at the same time. The US government has just earmarked $40 million for R&D into perovskites. At least for now, this is one of many materials being investigated to improve solar energy production.
A tree census. Newsday recently reported that the Town of Smithtown has been conducting a tree census along public streets. About 40% is Norway Maple, which a lot of subdivision developers planted because they were cheap and grew fast. Now they are often seen as misshapen messes that the Asplundh pruners have hacked away from our power lines. In addition NYS categorizes them as invasive species; they are also susceptible to pests and disease. The purpose of the census will be to help the town identify places where new trees can be added as well as to better manage tree removals and pruning. Here is a completed survey in the village of Poquott - it’s a lot more fun to look at than you’d think. Huntington plans to conduct a similar census, too.
A tree census. Newsday recently reported that the Town of Smithtown has been conducting a tree census along public streets. About 40% is Norway Maple, which a lot of subdivision developers planted because they were cheap and grew fast. Now they are often seen as misshapen messes that the Asplundh pruners have hacked away from our power lines. In addition NYS categorizes them as invasive species; they are also susceptible to pests and disease. The purpose of the census will be to help the town identify places where new trees can be added as well as to better manage tree removals and pruning. Here is a completed survey in the village of Poquott - it’s a lot more fun to look at than you’d think. Huntington plans to conduct a similar census, too.
April
How about a Bee-Friendly Lawn?
Some of us struggle to fit more pollinator-friendly plantings and reduce the number of chemicals in our gardens. But what about our lawns? Did you know that before WWII lawn seeds included clover? In fact, the presence of clover in a traditional turf lawn can improve the grass around it. And if you’re like me and don’t like to water your lawn, it stays green during drought. Although this is a commercial site, their blogs (and this one) are very interesting.
A Bee Whisperer?
Maybe you’ve seen the videos of this woman in Texas who moves entire colonies of honeybees. With her bare hands and no extra covering. The one thing she avoids is eating a banana before moving them, because banana smells like a pheromone that makes them more aggressive.
Water quality
This 15 minute video is just an audio clip you can play in the background, but SCWA will give you some insight into how they test our water and are creating groundbreaking ways to remove dangerous chemicals. And a little reminder at the end that if you’re using a carbon filter at home, change it out regularly - and why (about the 10 minute mark) "What About Water?" - Episode 2
OMG Those Water bills!
Last summer local residents discovered their water bills broke the bank. This is mainly because so much water is used irrigating our properties that SCWA has raised the rates for water use above a certain threshold. One of the solutions is installing smart irrigation systems. This seminar was designed for professionals, but it can give you ideas about how you might want to change your own home systems. Smart Irrigation Seminar
Virtual Travel and Garden Ideas
If you’re on our Facebook page you’ve seen there are various Zoom meetings linked. There are also some fun YouTube sites to inspire you. Here is a sample of a few things you might enjoy:
Enchanted Gardens has two wonderful lecturers, if you go to their list of Events, the ones at libraries are free Zoom meetings, search for the library and scroll to the calendar on the website. You can register for the lectures there.
Native Plant Channel is a YouTube channel with interesting videos. They even have choices for deer-resistant varieties!
Grow anything in a container - If you’re like me and want to grow vegetables but have challenges like Too Many Critters or Bad Soil, this is a clever video to get you started.
Green Animals Topiary Garden is located in Newport RI amongst all those delightful mansions.
Choose Local
As we will probably continue to stay nearby this year, here are some local resources you may want to keep for reference:
Farmstands, Breweries, etc - Listing of many Long Island agricultural businesses, what you can expect to buy, and when.
Cornell Cooperative - All the services they provide including diagnostic services, factsheets, newsletters and a whole lot more!
Peconic Land Trust - Offers many wonderful sites that can be visited, although most buildings are closed, the grounds are open.
NY State Dept of Agriculture - Although it is geared mostly toward commercial entities, there are various useful links, including food safety, water conservation, farm stands and a whole lot more.
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Attachments area
Preview YouTube video "What About Water?" - Episode 2
Smart Irrigation Seminar
Preview YouTube video How to Grow Vegetables in Containers // Container Gardening // Self Sufficient Sunday!
Preview YouTube video GREEN ANIMALS TOPIARY GARDEN
Some of us struggle to fit more pollinator-friendly plantings and reduce the number of chemicals in our gardens. But what about our lawns? Did you know that before WWII lawn seeds included clover? In fact, the presence of clover in a traditional turf lawn can improve the grass around it. And if you’re like me and don’t like to water your lawn, it stays green during drought. Although this is a commercial site, their blogs (and this one) are very interesting.
A Bee Whisperer?
Maybe you’ve seen the videos of this woman in Texas who moves entire colonies of honeybees. With her bare hands and no extra covering. The one thing she avoids is eating a banana before moving them, because banana smells like a pheromone that makes them more aggressive.
Water quality
This 15 minute video is just an audio clip you can play in the background, but SCWA will give you some insight into how they test our water and are creating groundbreaking ways to remove dangerous chemicals. And a little reminder at the end that if you’re using a carbon filter at home, change it out regularly - and why (about the 10 minute mark) "What About Water?" - Episode 2
OMG Those Water bills!
Last summer local residents discovered their water bills broke the bank. This is mainly because so much water is used irrigating our properties that SCWA has raised the rates for water use above a certain threshold. One of the solutions is installing smart irrigation systems. This seminar was designed for professionals, but it can give you ideas about how you might want to change your own home systems. Smart Irrigation Seminar
Virtual Travel and Garden Ideas
If you’re on our Facebook page you’ve seen there are various Zoom meetings linked. There are also some fun YouTube sites to inspire you. Here is a sample of a few things you might enjoy:
Enchanted Gardens has two wonderful lecturers, if you go to their list of Events, the ones at libraries are free Zoom meetings, search for the library and scroll to the calendar on the website. You can register for the lectures there.
Native Plant Channel is a YouTube channel with interesting videos. They even have choices for deer-resistant varieties!
Grow anything in a container - If you’re like me and want to grow vegetables but have challenges like Too Many Critters or Bad Soil, this is a clever video to get you started.
Green Animals Topiary Garden is located in Newport RI amongst all those delightful mansions.
Choose Local
As we will probably continue to stay nearby this year, here are some local resources you may want to keep for reference:
Farmstands, Breweries, etc - Listing of many Long Island agricultural businesses, what you can expect to buy, and when.
Cornell Cooperative - All the services they provide including diagnostic services, factsheets, newsletters and a whole lot more!
Peconic Land Trust - Offers many wonderful sites that can be visited, although most buildings are closed, the grounds are open.
NY State Dept of Agriculture - Although it is geared mostly toward commercial entities, there are various useful links, including food safety, water conservation, farm stands and a whole lot more.
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Attachments area
Preview YouTube video "What About Water?" - Episode 2
Smart Irrigation Seminar
Preview YouTube video How to Grow Vegetables in Containers // Container Gardening // Self Sufficient Sunday!
Preview YouTube video GREEN ANIMALS TOPIARY GARDEN
February 2021
Are Electric Vehicles the Environmental Solution?
Do you own one, or are you considering it? Then you’ll be ready when gas and diesel cars are no longer sold, as is planned in California and many European countries. No more smog? Sounds too good to be true? Perhaps.
Charging the vehicles requires electricity. Where does the electricity come from? Power plants fueled by oil, gas or coal? Unless you live where your electricity is hydroelectric, or otherwise renewable, mining and burning will increase the carbon footprint.
Maybe the bigger problem is the batteries. While they can last 20 years, people are not going to keep their cars that long. They are expensive, made with cobalt, nickel, and manganese from polluting mines and smelters, so you know what that means as demand increases. Manufacturers claim they can be “easily recycled” but that’s not the case. Currently less than 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled. That’s because they really can’t be recycled, despite manufacturer claims.
Each company makes their batteries differently, so there’s no standard for recycling. They can be repurposed for solar storage but have you ever read the warnings on your cell phone battery about how dangerous they are? Eventually, the batteries will need to be disposed of. And we are really bad at recycling e-waste. Only three states require manufacturers to take back lithium-ion batteries used in electronics, and none include vehicles. The Mercedes EV batteries weigh 1,400 pounds. Multiply that by millions of vehicles and you can see the problem.
Like with plastics, we are good at pushing our problems to other countries that have few environmental regulations. So we’ll ship the batteries abroad and the environment will still suffer. (As a side note, Elon Musk just announced a plan to reduce the carbon in his batteries; this will make them less desirable to recyclers, but new battery technology is definitely needed.)
Have you seen dead fish on the beach? Don’t worry.
People have been worried about the large number of fish washing up on our beaches. The reason is that there has been an abundance of bunker (menhaden) in Long Island Sound recently. The waters stayed warmer and many did not migrate south. Also, quotas on the number of bunker that can be taken by commercial fisheries has been reduced. As winter has set in they’ve faced temperature shock and reduced food sources. Regardless, it’s only a very small percentage of the fish in the sound that are dying, and that’s good news.
Do you own one, or are you considering it? Then you’ll be ready when gas and diesel cars are no longer sold, as is planned in California and many European countries. No more smog? Sounds too good to be true? Perhaps.
Charging the vehicles requires electricity. Where does the electricity come from? Power plants fueled by oil, gas or coal? Unless you live where your electricity is hydroelectric, or otherwise renewable, mining and burning will increase the carbon footprint.
Maybe the bigger problem is the batteries. While they can last 20 years, people are not going to keep their cars that long. They are expensive, made with cobalt, nickel, and manganese from polluting mines and smelters, so you know what that means as demand increases. Manufacturers claim they can be “easily recycled” but that’s not the case. Currently less than 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled. That’s because they really can’t be recycled, despite manufacturer claims.
Each company makes their batteries differently, so there’s no standard for recycling. They can be repurposed for solar storage but have you ever read the warnings on your cell phone battery about how dangerous they are? Eventually, the batteries will need to be disposed of. And we are really bad at recycling e-waste. Only three states require manufacturers to take back lithium-ion batteries used in electronics, and none include vehicles. The Mercedes EV batteries weigh 1,400 pounds. Multiply that by millions of vehicles and you can see the problem.
Like with plastics, we are good at pushing our problems to other countries that have few environmental regulations. So we’ll ship the batteries abroad and the environment will still suffer. (As a side note, Elon Musk just announced a plan to reduce the carbon in his batteries; this will make them less desirable to recyclers, but new battery technology is definitely needed.)
Have you seen dead fish on the beach? Don’t worry.
People have been worried about the large number of fish washing up on our beaches. The reason is that there has been an abundance of bunker (menhaden) in Long Island Sound recently. The waters stayed warmer and many did not migrate south. Also, quotas on the number of bunker that can be taken by commercial fisheries has been reduced. As winter has set in they’ve faced temperature shock and reduced food sources. Regardless, it’s only a very small percentage of the fish in the sound that are dying, and that’s good news.
December
The Winter Garden is Not Too Tidy
As we look out on our gardens this winter, most everything seems dormant. And we’ve probably been diligent about clearing up every leaf and stick and trimming down all the peonies and grasses. Our Christmas trees will be promptly put out to the street. Our yards are clean and ready for spring. Or are they?
Yes, the flora is seemingly taken care of. But what about the fauna? Yes, the creatures depend on fallen leaves, tree bark, downed trees, soil and dried seed heads from your garden to survive the coldest season. A vast ecosystem depends on the soil and the ground cover above. I’ve previously talked about the small centipedes, spiders, beetles, earthworms, slugs and moth pupae that live in the leaf litter and soil just below. Removing the leaves too soon removes them and their habitat, which means we then need to supplement our plants with more artificial means. Amphibians like frogs, salamanders, snakes and box turtles and small mammals depend on the ground cover through the winter. For amphibians, many in decline, yard cover is crucial.
"Leaf litter helps amphibians retain proper moisture levels and provides protective habitat," says Christopher Petersen with DoD Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Some of these animals will burrow into the muddy bottom of backyard ponds, breathing through porous skin. Reptiles also seek out shelter to protect their cold-blooded bodies during their dormant months. Most backyard mammals also tend to hibernate. Chipmunks, voles and other small rodents find spots in open logs, insulating them with plant material such as milkweed seeds.
Bigger mammals build dens, rarely moving for months. Even bats use ground cover during the winter. When temperatures drop below freezing, eastern red bats dive underneath leaf litter for extra warmth So while your yard may look "dead" in winter, it sustains a host of creatures when you leave leaf piles, flower stalks and other debris in place.
And let’s not forget the birds. I love sitting at my kitchen window on a snowy day watching the birds peck away at my spent chrysanthemum flowers and pampas grass plumes. "If you want to help animals in winter," says National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski, "let your yard be as natural as possible.” So never think things don't look tidy, remember you are helping all creatures survive the coming winter.
Christmas Tree Recycling
If you are having a cut tree for Christmas, how do you dispose of it? Some put it out to the street to be picked up to be turned into mulch and beach protection. Other choices include letting it sit in a corner of your yard to provide shelter for creatures. Hang fresh orange slices on it to provide additional sustenance for our feathered friends. The branches can be cut off to provide an added level of protection for plants in your garden. They can also be placed in your fish pond to help them winter over. Although you might be tempted to burn them in your fireplace, you should save that thought for your outdoor fireplace only. Pine trees are full of sap and creosote and can present a fire hazard in indoor fireplaces. Stay safe and enjoy your winter holidays, whatever they are!
Food Storage Tips
Full disclosure: I used to be in charge of advertising for the Reynolds Wrap company and learned far too much about how to wrap food. The holidays seemed like a good time to share some of my “secrets.”
Not to sound too scientific, but the best way to keep food fresh is to understand the properties of what you are using. Plastic is the worst choice. All plastics allow “moisture-vapor transfer” which means they breathe. Why does your block of cheese dry out around the edges? Air got in. And moisture got out. Different plastics have different properties, but the best way to keep food fresh is with aluminum foil. You can seal out air and moisture in. Glass also does not allow air to pass through, but it’s hard to wrap something tightly in glass.
As for cooking, don’t use plastic in the microwave! Heat causes the molecules in plastic to soften and they can then pass into any food you're cooking. Never cover a dish you’re microwaving with plastic wrap, rather waxed paper, a paper towel or a silicon lid. Silicon is inert under heat and makes a great choice for cooking.
And the answer to the famous question about the shiny vs dull sides of aluminum foil - it doesn’t matter. It’s that way because of the manufacturing process and doesn’t affect how the foil works.
November
Feeding Feathered Friends This Fall (and Winter)
Do you have a bird feeder? I don’t, but more on that later. Regardless, this is the season to think about what works best for our feathered friends and to provide us with some fun viewing when we’ve binge-watched everything on Netflix.
I was standing at the kitchen sink watching a huge flock of juncos flitting around in my weeping cherry tree and was wondering what attracted them. They only start to show up when cold weather sets in. They join the large number of different birds who seem to think my unmanicured yard is home. Cardinals, blue jays, hawks, sparrows, the list goes on. They seem to find plenty on my property year-round. But I’m a bad bird steward, so I don’t really augment their feed.
Why don’t I feed them, you ask? I’m not good at putting food out regularly. Feeders also need to be cleaned in a dilute bleach solution at least once a month because there’s a risk of disease from salmonella and bacterium like house finch eye disease. Hygiene is very important. I also don’t have a good location to place a feeder. Ideally you want to have bushes for protection 10-15 feet away. Closer and squirrels can leap onto the feeder. You also want to keep feeders within 3 feet of windows, or more than 30 feet away, otherwise startled birds will crash into them. We also had a bad experience with raccoons getting into my garage and raiding what I thought was a well-protected storage bin for the seed. When I did feed, I think I had more squirrels than birds, too. Again, location can make a huge difference, but there are also all kinds of new squirrel deterrents, including ones that fling them away, a whole new form of entertainment in themselves!
OK, I don’t totally leave the birds with zero help. Water is more important in winter than anything else. If there’s no snow and little moisture, I try to put a dish of warm water out daily; they do sell warming devices and even heated pet bowls, but I’d probably not clean it all winter, which might be even worse. I also save eggshells, wash them and bake them in the oven on low to sterilize them, then crush and toss them on a hard surface. They provide calcium female birds need to make eggs of their own. Suet cakes, which are one of the healthiest options for most birds are one other thing I am able to do, although I have to get creative to keep the squirrels out of it.
If you do feed your feathered friends, or are just starting out, or even want to attract different birds, you should check out the Project Feeder Watch at the Cornell Lab. https://feederwatch.org/learn/common-feeder-birds/ “We’ve put together a list of almost 100 common feeder birds and cross referenced what they like to eat and where they like to eat it. Explore your region to see what you might be able to attract to your feeder this winter!” A useful list of the “Top 10 Foods for Winter Bird Feeding” gives useful insights, too. https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/top10/winter-bird-feeding.php
If you’re interested in learning more about keeping birds from hitting windows, there are some great tips at The American Bird Conservatory: https://abcbirds.org/get-involved/bird-smart-glass/
And here are some tips on how to create a home landscape that is attractive to both humans and birds: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/realestate/attract-birds-to-your-garden-bird-friendly-garden.html
October
Oysters to the rescue!
If you’ve grown up on Long Island you know that some of the best oysters in the world come from our local waters. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Long Island was considered the Oyster Capital of the World. About 75% of the world’s oysters came from Long Island’s waters. But over-harvesting and damaging runoff into the waters in the 1970s and 1980s changed all that. Scraping the bottom of the bay to remove the oysters did irreparable damage. Nitrogen pollution from sewage was the cause of the massive fish-kill and the turtle die-off in western Peconic Bay in early summer 2015. The scallop harvest was massive in 2017; in 2019 it was over before it started. Now we associate words like “rust tide” with Peconic Bay rather than “shellfish paradise.”
Oysters are being reintroduced to clean up the bay and other waters. Oyster ranchers use new techniques, like floating cages to preserve the floor of the bay, and the ones that will not sell on the retail/wholesale market (ugly, doubles, etc,) are being used to reseed key areas to restore the health of the bay.
How do oysters clean the water? Each adult oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, which translates into approximately 900 million gallons of water each day. Through filtering, they remove organic and inorganic particles, resulting in cleaner water. Oysters grow on the bay floor and form reefs that are very much like coral reefs, providing a habitat for hundreds of species. New York Harbor has the Billion Oyster Project, hoping to restore this long-neglected body of water capitalizing on non-edible varieties that have managed to survive the inhospitable conditions there.
Oysters feed on algae in the water which helps reduce algae blooms. The way they grow, one on top of the other, form a natural defense against storm damage, reducing flooding, erosion and the force of strong waves. They sequester nitrogen and carbon. But for many of us, they are just plain delicious. A sustainable source of protein, they are low in calories, high in Omega-3, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, C, E, B12, zinc, iron, calcium, selenium. Can raw oysters harbor harmful bacteria and viruses? Rarely, yes, but the waters are tested to ensure the oysters are not harvested from areas that test positive for potential dangers. And the new farming techniques further reduce the risks. I was out east recently and enjoyed a plate of the deliciousness and encourage you to do the same! Support our bays!
Other notes: Beginning October 19, the NY State single-use plastic bag ban will be enforced by DEC. The ban began on March 1 but was not enforced due to a lawsuit which has now been decided.
And fall bird migration is in full swing, so keep your eyes peeled for your feathered visitors. If you’re interested in keeping track of those you see and learning more about them, Cornell has a nifty site called ebird.org.
September
In Praise of a Pest?
Do you curse a line of them going in and out of your pantry? Have they ruined a picnic? Did you ever wonder about the benefit of ants in our gardens? Or are they just an annoyance?
Ants disperse seeds and are responsible for the existence of many of the Eastern US wildflowers: trilliums, bloodroot, and violets, as well as about 11,000 other varieties. The plants, in turn, “pay” for the service by attaching a calorie-laden package to each seed, much like how fleshy fruits reward birds and mammals to distribute seeds or poop them out. The ants actually can change the microbiome of the seeds in the process, making them healthier and more likely to survive. In threatened woodlands, this is a blessing.
But, what do you do when you see ants crawling all over those beautiful spring peonies? If you're like me you cry and want to remove every one of them. I just want to grab a can of bug spray and make them go away. Yet they are protecting our plants from herbivores and seed-eating insects; they are attracted to sweet, sticky substances that the plants secrete. Ants are helpers, protectors. These sticky substances are rich in proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, which helps the ants thrive.
Ants even can act as babysitters for other species. Some butterfly caterpillars produce “honeydew” and the ants reward them by protecting them from predators; some even carry the caterpillars to their nests to allow them to finish developing. Yes, they do “farm” aphids, too, which will damage your plants. If you knock them off your tomatoes, they may carry the aphids back onto the plants! But a good bunch of ladybugs or a daily squirt of water infused with some garlic powder will control the aphids. While diatomaceous earth and pyrethrum spray are also effective controls, they also affect bees and other beneficial insects, so more direct approaches are better.
Aphids are hard to spot, whiteflies, too, until plants start to wilt and suffer. Ants are attracted to both, so if you see them on the plants, they are an indicator of other pests in your garden. What else do they tell a savvy gardener? Have you ever seen a wet anthill? Probably not, but ants in your potted plants and garden likely means those plants need water. Ants are excellent soil aerators, but they prefer their soil to be very dry, unlike earthworms. Ants and earthworms do different jobs and are actually incompatible in many ways. But both are necessary.
Yes, ants are generally good to have around. They’ve been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth, so they are definitely survivors. But if there are places you don’t want them, here are a few natural suggestions to discourage them. Certain scents discourage them, particularly mint and cinnamon. Spreading those scents (even chewing gum) around the base of plants deters ants. If you have the place try companion plantings; in addition to mint, geranium, garlic, aster, calendula and chrysanthemum all do the job.
Remember, ants are part of the overall food web, eaten by spiders, frogs, birds, fish and some mammals. Like bees, they are industrious creatures, and as the Bible suggests we should observe them to learn how to be productive and wise.
August
An Update on Plum Island
You may recall a film we watched at a meeting about two years ago that was about the challenges facing Plum Island. This little 840 acre island off the tip of Orient Point was for years a federal animal disease research facility, but now Homeland Security intends to sell it for private use. In December Governor Cuomo signed a bill “establishing protection and conservation areas for marine mammals and birds that live on the land and waters of Plum Island, Great Gull Island, and Little Gull Island.” Why should we care?
Various assessments of the wildlife populations that call Plum Island home, or at least a nice place to visit, indicate it is an ecological gem, despite its tiny size. It is a key habitat for several types of seals, rare plants can be found growing there, and the unique combination of currents support a wealth of underwater life as well. Divers in September even discovered coral and it may be one of the few places in NY where kelp beds thrive. Audubon has identified 227 bird species, nearly a quarter of all bird species in North America (excluding Mexico) choose to spend time there. Many of the bird, animal and plant species depend on this tiny gem are on threatened or endangered lists. Development would certainly doom them. The variety of coral found, also lives in more tropical waters; understanding the temperature variation it exists in at Plum Island may hold the key to understanding how to save those important declining species.
Historically, it appeared on a 1640 Dutch map of the area as “Pruym Eyelant;” it was used by British troops during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812; after the Spanish-American War it was purchased by the US Government and they built Fort Terry. That became the Animal Research Testing Center and remains the only place in the US which is capable of studying foot and mouth disease.
There is some new hope to save the island as a public space, as the President’s 2020 appropriations bill “defunds Government Services Administration activities involving the sale” and there are currently two bills in Congress to save this island from public auction. Perhaps by the time you read this, they will have passed both houses. So if it is saved, how would it be used? The Preserve Plum Island Coalition has produced a 72 page report that shows their vision for how the island can best be utilized. You can find it at preserveplumisland.org That site also has links to the full report prepared by the divers and photos taken by the team of what they encountered under the sea.
You may recall a film we watched at a meeting about two years ago that was about the challenges facing Plum Island. This little 840 acre island off the tip of Orient Point was for years a federal animal disease research facility, but now Homeland Security intends to sell it for private use. In December Governor Cuomo signed a bill “establishing protection and conservation areas for marine mammals and birds that live on the land and waters of Plum Island, Great Gull Island, and Little Gull Island.” Why should we care?
Various assessments of the wildlife populations that call Plum Island home, or at least a nice place to visit, indicate it is an ecological gem, despite its tiny size. It is a key habitat for several types of seals, rare plants can be found growing there, and the unique combination of currents support a wealth of underwater life as well. Divers in September even discovered coral and it may be one of the few places in NY where kelp beds thrive. Audubon has identified 227 bird species, nearly a quarter of all bird species in North America (excluding Mexico) choose to spend time there. Many of the bird, animal and plant species depend on this tiny gem are on threatened or endangered lists. Development would certainly doom them. The variety of coral found, also lives in more tropical waters; understanding the temperature variation it exists in at Plum Island may hold the key to understanding how to save those important declining species.
Historically, it appeared on a 1640 Dutch map of the area as “Pruym Eyelant;” it was used by British troops during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812; after the Spanish-American War it was purchased by the US Government and they built Fort Terry. That became the Animal Research Testing Center and remains the only place in the US which is capable of studying foot and mouth disease.
There is some new hope to save the island as a public space, as the President’s 2020 appropriations bill “defunds Government Services Administration activities involving the sale” and there are currently two bills in Congress to save this island from public auction. Perhaps by the time you read this, they will have passed both houses. So if it is saved, how would it be used? The Preserve Plum Island Coalition has produced a 72 page report that shows their vision for how the island can best be utilized. You can find it at preserveplumisland.org That site also has links to the full report prepared by the divers and photos taken by the team of what they encountered under the sea.
July
Don’t Bug Out!
I was cutting back some overgrown bushes in mid-June and discovered I’d trimmed a branch with a Praying Mantis egg case. I stuck it back on the bush, but was that the right thing to do? Googling for more information, I sadly discovered you can’t tell if the mantises have hatched or not. Good news! A week later a baby mantis appeared on the screen on my front door. Later I wondered if the extended cool weather was the reason I’d seen no fireflies yet. Like magic, they appeared later that evening. Some of my favorite wildlife was showing up, which makes me very happy.
When you think of “wildlife,” insects are probably not your first thought. Deer, raccoons, squirrels, birds .... but bugs? If you’ve visited Vanderbilt’s Eagles Nest in Centerport, you might have seen the extensive collection of insects he amassed among his accumulations. Even Charles Darwin was fascinated by beetles: “One day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles, and seized one in each hand; then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas! it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out, which was lost, as was the third one.” Another fine scientific contribution from Darwin: Don’t put beetles in your mouth.
Many species of amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals rely on insects and arthropods as their sole food source. They are vital to us, too:
Pollinators like the yellow-banded bumble bee, gather pollen and nectar from flowers, transferring it between plants, many of which need a pollen infusion to produce a fruit or seed. Think of it this way: No bees, no coffee.
Predators like the spotted orb weaver spider, hunt live prey like flies. That’s good because flies bite us. Imagine if there were lots more flies around to bite us.
Decomposers like sowbugs, break down organic matter. Without them, your compost pile would just be a pile.
Scavengers, like carrion beetles, eat rotting dead stuff. I think that one speaks for itself.
So it’s time for my little reminder to appreciate the bugs in your life. Plant native flowers for the pollinators, let your grass grow a little longer (it’s healthier for the grass and provides a habitat), avoid using pesticides so you don’t accidentally kill the beneficial ones. (I used to pick the caterpillars off my parsley until I realized I was removing Black Swallowtail Butterfly babies.) And please don’t put beetles in your mouth. (See The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin.)
June
Some of our members live in Northport Village and since the beginning of May many have found their metal/plastic/glass recycling has not been picked up by the carter. Or only partially picked up. People are rightfully up in arms, believing that either the Village or the carter has not been doing their jobs. In fact, they are just being more stringent with only picking up what can be properly recycled.
This new system may spread beyond the Village, so I thought I’d remind all of us of some key points from the recycling presentation I gave last fall.
Metal is the easiest material to recycle. In fact, aluminum can be recycled and reused an almost unlimited number of times. Glass can also be recycled easily and in many ways. However, because it breaks easily, it can mingle with other materials, causing its own problems. And glass that has been tempered, like window glass cannot be mixed with other glass as it will contaminate the whole batch.
Plastic is very hard to recycle. Those little numbers on the bottom designate the types of plastic they are made from, and you can’t mix them together to make new stuff. At best, #1 and #2 can be recycled once. The other plastics most likely end up being trucked to the incinerator. The caps on water bottles are a different type of plastic and would have to be removed at the recycling center. Lids from jars usually have a plastic lining, so they are a composite material. Most items smaller than your fist have the capability to damage the machinery; plastic bags are one of the biggest culprits for damaging sorting machinery. The little container your blueberries came in may have a #1, but it's so thin it’s useless to a recycler.
So we need to become better at sorting. When we see how much actually has to be thrown in the garbage, it should make us more aware of the amount of disposable waste we create. How can we consume less?
If you get a chance, check out the latest (June 2020) issue of Consumer Reports, which you can access digitally through the library*. The featured article is “How to Eat Less Plastic … You may be consuming as much as a credit card’s worth of plastic a week” - you may remember I’ve written about microplastics in the past, and this article has some excellent suggestions on how we can reduce the amount of plastic we drink, eat and breathe in.
*From the NENPL.org main page, click on Downloads in the left hand column, then go to Flipster to choose a magazine to read. You can print pages you are interested in reading offline, too.
May
Now that we’re spending so much more time at home, let’s think about our water use.
As you know, water is the most valuable resource on Earth. Humans are 75% water, and 75% of the surface of the planet is covered in water. Every living creature depends on water. Yet, only .007% is available for us to use. Let’s take the time to observe how careful we are in limiting our own use.
1. Handwashing - We’re doing a lot more of it now. Sing the Happy Birthday song twice, right? Do you let the water run down the drain while you do that? Try turning it off. Same goes for brushing your teeth, men shaving, any other personal care done at the sink.
2. Showers - Typically, that’s five to ten gallons a minute! If you have a flow restricted showerhead, that’s still three gallons a minute. So take shorter showers. Better yet, a partially filled bathtub uses the least amount of water.
3. Toilets are water hogs - If your toilets were installed after the mid-1990s, they likely only use 1.6 gallons per flush. Before that, it was 3.5 - 5.0 gallons. If you have an older toilet, consider putting a couple of bricks, a rock or even a weighted-down 1 liter water bottle in the tank to make each flush matter less. Also, check for leaks, a few drops of food coloring in the tank should not show up in the bowl a couple of hours later. That could amount to hundreds of wasted gallons.
4. Dishwashers - Use about 25 gallons of water, so only run with a full load.
5. Washing machines - Can use 30 - 35 gallons per cycle. Again, a full load is a good idea.
6. Kitchen sink - If you hand-wash dishes, fill up a side sink or dishpan with clean water so you don’t have to let the water run when you rinse. When washing vegetables, fill the side sink or dishpan with cool water and add ¼ cup of white vinegar. Soak all vegetables for 10 minutes, then let air dry before putting in the refrigerator. Kills mold spores so they last longer.
7. Drinking water - store a bottle of tap water in the refrigerator so you don’t have to run the faucet until it’s cold.
8. Lawns and gardens - Water deeply only when needed. A light watering mostly evaporates. Water early, too, for less evaporation in the heat of the day. Late in the day encourages fungus. Mulch also slows evaporation. There are ‘smart” sprinkler systems out there that take the guesswork out of watering.
9. Outdoor cleanup - Washing cars? Use the hose only to rinse. Driveways and sidewalks should be swept, not sprayed with a hose. That can waste hundreds of gallons of water. Give the kids a bucket of water, not a hose to play with.
10. Leaks - Check for leaks inside and out. One drippy faucet can waste 50 gallons a day. Leaks outside often go unnoticed, so take the time to examine all your hoses and couplings.
Finally, consider planting more native trees and plants. They require less irrigation and support native birds and pollinators.
April
EARTH DAY 2020
It’s hard to believe the first Earth Day was 50 years ago! The main thing I remember about it was that I was allowed to wear pants to school that day; this was at Simpson JHS in Huntington and the pants I wore were white with big red and blue flowers all over them. Probably bell bottoms too.
And as much as clothing styles have changed, so have the concerns and our understanding about the environment. The first Earth Day in 1970 launched a wave of action, including the passage of landmark environmental laws like the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Inspired by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, as well as oil spills and the smog hanging over industrialized areas. It was the largest single event ever staged, as 20 million Americans, or 10% of the population took part in some way. The movement has expanded its focus over the years to encompass virtually every aspect of our lives.
Fifty years later many of our problems have only become worse. Rising populations worldwide and growing industrialization have put a strain on resources and increased global pollution, even as the US has made dramatic improvements. Factory smokestacks no longer spew every conceivable pollutant. Smog from millions of tailpipes has been dramatically reduced. Rivers no longer catch on fire. Clean energy is a phrase that didn’t exist in 1970.
The primary purpose of Earth Day raises awareness and provides hands-on experience with environmental issues. Many of us clean the beaches or plant a tree. The theme of Earth Day 2020 is “climate action.” It will be celebrated with The Great Global Cleanup, a day dedicated to “removing trash from green spaces and urban centers alike.” The biggest challenge is getting people to think about it more than one day a year. And, sadly, the event is being overshadowed by the coronavirus and is unlikely to take place on April 22.
Maybe something good will come out of the pandemic. More people will be spending time at home. They may use less disposable product material. More trash will go where it’s supposed to. Maybe stuff will get recycled. New habits will be created. There will be a movement back to some of the basics. If nothing else, it will give us time to reflect. We’ll spend more time in our gardens. Maybe there will be more time to observe tiny creatures and think of ways to make our yards more hospitable. It will be very interesting to hear what all of us have learned from our time away from the hustle and bustle of life as we knew it.
March
Spring Brings Thoughts of Planting
Since I’ve been spending more time learning about ways to make my little acre more friendly to the environment, one of my goals this year is to incorporate a rain garden into my landscape. There are so many ecological benefits - like a home garden version of a native forest, rain gardens use heavy rain to recharge the aquifer, support wildlife habitat, and also filter out toxic materials before they can pollute waterways. Browsing the NGC website I found two themes popping up, “pollinators” and “sustainability.” To that end, the initiative for 2020 is to have every member plant one native tree, a total of 165,000 new trees. I’m sure I can find something that will fit in whatever version of a rain garden I install.
It was a recent report in the journal Science on the decline (and possible extinction) of bumblebees that has me thinking harder about what I can do. In North America, you are nearly 50 percent less likely to see a bumblebee in any given area than you were prior to 1974. They are susceptible to rising temperatures, so having more areas where they can hide from the heat may help.
I don’t have a sprinkler system and I only water minimally. My house is situated on a slope below street level, so runoff during a heavy storm is an issue. I have a lot of lawn area, but it is not lush grass, yes lots of weeds, so I’d really like to replace some of it with something more practical as well as pleasing to the eye. Many trees on my property had become dangerous and were removed this winter. So I now have space to fill somehow, which is good. I also have a lot of deer, which is my biggest challenge.
A rain garden is a shallow, bowl-shape area that collects water runoff from impervious surfaces such as downspouts, paved areas, roofs and lawns. Often, the heavy rain from a thunderstorm comes down so quickly that the water runs off rather than soaking into the ground. An inch of rain on a 100-square-foot surface results in 60 gallons of water!
When planted with native species that are attractive to birds and pollinators, it can provide a habitat that can benefit the rest of the garden. And it can collect and filter stormwater runoff, which accounts for 70% of the pollution that runs into our waterways. Oil and other contaminants from roads, pesticides and fertilizers and even animal poop all contribute to the problem. We all know we’ll hear about all the beaches that close after a heavy rainstorm. A rain garden can help filter that runoff, acting like a sponge of soil, plants, roots, and mulch. Creating one can be very complex, but there are ways to create something simple that will still make a difference. Keep your fingers crossed that I can figure it out..
And as you think of planting, where can you plant a new native tree in your own yard? If you’re looking for tips on how to start, this website can help: https://gonativeli.com/
December
Keeping Your Winter Birds Cozy and Safe
Not all the birds migrate to warmer climes. As the habitats of our feathered friends continue to disappear, what can we do in our own yards to ensure they are sheltered and fed throughout the winter? No matter the size of your garden (even if all you have are a few flower pots), you can help create a bird-friendly environment.
The things birds need most are food, water and shelter.
Food: You don’t have to put out an array of bird feeders; plants can provide most of what our feathered friends need. But our tendency to want a well-manicured garden in the winter means much of their foodstuffs have been trimmed and carted away. Those dried out brown coneflowers and black eyed susans can provide wonderful sustenance throughout the winter. And there’s loads of protein in the insect larvae, such as the fly and wasp larvae that are found in goldenrod galls. Leaf litter (aka free fertilizer) provides a habitat for snails, worms, and toads. Those little shiny brown squirmy things in the soil are likely moth pupae, which in their caterpillar phase are a crucial food source for birds. If you do want to augment your yard with bird feeders but have been attracting squirrels instead, there are a number of novel new feeders that deter even the most determined squirrel - picture a feeder that will spin madly when the weight of a squirrel is detected, flinging him off. Quite entertaining on a cold winter day. Remember when you have bird feeders, consistency is vital. Be prepared to keep them filled.
Water: If there’s snow, it’s enough of a water source, but if not, a shallow dish of unfrozen water will do the trick. There are heaters for bird baths to keep the birds from getting parched, too.
Shelter: Evergreen bushes and even some sticks as a brush pile in a corner of your property can help keep birds protected from predators and in a storm. Some people put out nesting boxes with clean fill.
One more thought … Do birds collide with your windows? It’s estimated one BILLION birds die from window strikes in the US annually. Unfortunately, most solutions don’t allow us to enjoy looking out the windows in an unobstructed way.
Information all of the above ways to keep birds safe and healthy throughout the winter can be found at allaboutbirds.com and audubon.org.
Not all the birds migrate to warmer climes. As the habitats of our feathered friends continue to disappear, what can we do in our own yards to ensure they are sheltered and fed throughout the winter? No matter the size of your garden (even if all you have are a few flower pots), you can help create a bird-friendly environment.
The things birds need most are food, water and shelter.
Food: You don’t have to put out an array of bird feeders; plants can provide most of what our feathered friends need. But our tendency to want a well-manicured garden in the winter means much of their foodstuffs have been trimmed and carted away. Those dried out brown coneflowers and black eyed susans can provide wonderful sustenance throughout the winter. And there’s loads of protein in the insect larvae, such as the fly and wasp larvae that are found in goldenrod galls. Leaf litter (aka free fertilizer) provides a habitat for snails, worms, and toads. Those little shiny brown squirmy things in the soil are likely moth pupae, which in their caterpillar phase are a crucial food source for birds. If you do want to augment your yard with bird feeders but have been attracting squirrels instead, there are a number of novel new feeders that deter even the most determined squirrel - picture a feeder that will spin madly when the weight of a squirrel is detected, flinging him off. Quite entertaining on a cold winter day. Remember when you have bird feeders, consistency is vital. Be prepared to keep them filled.
Water: If there’s snow, it’s enough of a water source, but if not, a shallow dish of unfrozen water will do the trick. There are heaters for bird baths to keep the birds from getting parched, too.
Shelter: Evergreen bushes and even some sticks as a brush pile in a corner of your property can help keep birds protected from predators and in a storm. Some people put out nesting boxes with clean fill.
One more thought … Do birds collide with your windows? It’s estimated one BILLION birds die from window strikes in the US annually. Unfortunately, most solutions don’t allow us to enjoy looking out the windows in an unobstructed way.
Information all of the above ways to keep birds safe and healthy throughout the winter can be found at allaboutbirds.com and audubon.org.
November
I’m So Embarrassed! I’ve Been Recycling All Wrong!
I was so proud of myself, recycling every bit of everything I thought could be reusable, faithfully filling my recycle bins every week. It pains me to do it, but I’m now throwing a good portion of that stuff away in the regular garbage.
My wake up call was when the international market for our recyclables dried up. I thought China’s refusal to accept our goods was political, but actually it’s because Americans are lousy at recycling. We have good intentions, but we’re lazy and uneducated. The biggest problems are contamination, products that can’t be recycled and items that damage the sorting machinery.
We do pretty well with metal. It’s fairly easy to separate aluminum from steel using magnets. Labels and glue burn off in the melting process. But that metal cap on your bottle of olive oil or beer is a no-no. There’s probably a plastic lining where it contacts the glass which would have to be removed. But don’t bother trying, because they are so small that they can actually damage the sorting machinery.
Most glass is pretty simple, too. Just take the metal lids off first. You can’t recycle window glass, drinkware, mirrors. They have different melting points, so are difficult to recycle.
Paper is easy to recycle. But avoid those day-glo flyers. That’s like doing a load of white laundry with a red sock. Same goes for gift wrap. Don’t tie up your newspapers and cardboard with twine, one more step for the human sorters. Shredded paper goes out with the garbage, it’s impossible to sort. Paper food containers and coffee cups often have a plastic coating or have some sort of food residue, so also just garbage.
Plastic is the most complicated thing to recycle. And where I’ve made most of my huge mistakes. It seems that most plastic that we have in our lives is not worth recycling! Plastic degrades when it’s recycled, so it can only go through the process once or twice before it’s destined for the incinerator. Pumps have metal in them. The clamshells that berries come in are such low quality that they have no value to recyclers. Black plastic items are difficult to identify. Those little numbers in the triangles are basically meaningless, although the 1 and 2 soda, shampoo, and laundry detergent bottles have the most consistent recycling markets. And we all know that a single plastic bag can ruin the sorting machinery.
The most important rule is anything you recycle has to be clean. A little organic material of any kind (grease, tomato sauce) can ruin an entire batch. And pretty much anything smaller than your fist isn’t worth recycling either. The best solution? Buy fewer over-packaged plastics.
October
Why We Need Biodiversity - Oct 2019
A recent article in the journal Science stunned me. In the past 50 years 30 billion North American birds have vanished. Ninety percent of the missing birds came from just 12 families, such as sparrows, warblers, blackbirds, finches, larks, starlings, and swallows. We marvel at the reappearance of the bald eagles in Centerport, and we notice an overabundance of Canada geese. These have proliferated. But there is serious concern that many birds we take for granted could go the way of the passenger pigeon, now extinct, but at one time the most common bird in the world.
What may have caused this dramatic loss? Most likely it is loss of habitat. We have 4 million miles of roads (the size of Pennsylvania), 40 million acres of lawn (the size of Oklahoma), our 2 hundred million acres of parks and open spaces are invaded by 3,400 species of alien plants. Combined with urban spread, it’s estimated that we’ve taken 95% of nature and turned it unnatural. It’s no wonder that species that depend on native plant and animal life are threatened. Think of this: species are lost proportionally to the reduction in size of their habitat. If we have taken 95% of the US from nature, we can expect to lose 95% of the species that once lived here, along with the benefits they have provided us.
Our carefully landscaped gardens are much to blame. We have planted “insect resistant” ornamentals from China, such as the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), instead of our native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) that supports 117 species of moths and butterflies alone. Native insects can’t digest leaves of the non-native species, so they can’t proliferate and fulfill their role in the food web. Afraid of defoliation? In a healthy, diverse garden, studies have shown only 3% of the leaves were damaged by insects. One bluebird pair brings up to three hundred caterpillars back to their nest every day.
As we plan our gardens for next year consider native plants, at least around the border of your property. Studies have shown that even modest increases in the native plant cover on suburban properties significantly increases the number and species of breeding birds, including birds of conservation concern. A list of resources, including lists of native plants can be found here: http://www.hobaudubon.org/wildlife-friendly-gardening.asp
A recent article in the journal Science stunned me. In the past 50 years 30 billion North American birds have vanished. Ninety percent of the missing birds came from just 12 families, such as sparrows, warblers, blackbirds, finches, larks, starlings, and swallows. We marvel at the reappearance of the bald eagles in Centerport, and we notice an overabundance of Canada geese. These have proliferated. But there is serious concern that many birds we take for granted could go the way of the passenger pigeon, now extinct, but at one time the most common bird in the world.
What may have caused this dramatic loss? Most likely it is loss of habitat. We have 4 million miles of roads (the size of Pennsylvania), 40 million acres of lawn (the size of Oklahoma), our 2 hundred million acres of parks and open spaces are invaded by 3,400 species of alien plants. Combined with urban spread, it’s estimated that we’ve taken 95% of nature and turned it unnatural. It’s no wonder that species that depend on native plant and animal life are threatened. Think of this: species are lost proportionally to the reduction in size of their habitat. If we have taken 95% of the US from nature, we can expect to lose 95% of the species that once lived here, along with the benefits they have provided us.
Our carefully landscaped gardens are much to blame. We have planted “insect resistant” ornamentals from China, such as the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), instead of our native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) that supports 117 species of moths and butterflies alone. Native insects can’t digest leaves of the non-native species, so they can’t proliferate and fulfill their role in the food web. Afraid of defoliation? In a healthy, diverse garden, studies have shown only 3% of the leaves were damaged by insects. One bluebird pair brings up to three hundred caterpillars back to their nest every day.
As we plan our gardens for next year consider native plants, at least around the border of your property. Studies have shown that even modest increases in the native plant cover on suburban properties significantly increases the number and species of breeding birds, including birds of conservation concern. A list of resources, including lists of native plants can be found here: http://www.hobaudubon.org/wildlife-friendly-gardening.asp
September
Four-Footed Friends Combat Invasive Species
As it becomes more important to find and eliminate invasive plant species, a new tool is proving to be very useful. We know dogs have excellent noses, able to detect everything from truffles to illicit drugs. Now they are being trained to root out invasive species. In a test in several NYS Parks the past year, an energetic Labrador retriever named Dia is proving to be a powerful weapon against invasive species in New York State Parks.
She has been specially trained to sniff out the invasive plant Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), one of the most destructive invasives on the Pacific Coast. They form dense clusters that can displace native plant species and reduce biodiversity that is essential for a healthy ecosystem. Presently in very low numbers here in NY, it is hoped it can be completely eradicated before it becomes established.
“Dia first comes into the field with her nose up, smelling what’s in the air, working to detect the Scotch broom scent,” explains her trainer. “She’s using what are called scent cones; she works her way into a cone and uses that cone to help her narrow down the source.” Once in a cone, she will search until she gets to the source and put her nose to the ground to sniff out smaller plants that may be tiny and low to the ground. She signals that she’s found the species by standing or sitting. “The most important thing is that she’s committed to an area where she’s detected the plant until I come and reward her, then we can mark it and remove it.” Dia’s reward: Her ball on a rope with a game of tug and fetch. See Dia in action by following her on Instagram @diasavestheforest.
Not only does Dia make search-and-destroy efforts more thorough within infestations, she is also able to find stray plants outside the known boundaries where people had focused their searches. Dia helps make sure the area is really cleared to reduce the potential for reinfestation or further spread. With better search efficiency, it should be possible to declare New York State parks Scotch broom-free in the near future. Conservation dogs can learn to detect up to three new species each year, meaning Dia’s incredible talents will continue to develop. This is a huge step forward in fighting invasive plants.
As it becomes more important to find and eliminate invasive plant species, a new tool is proving to be very useful. We know dogs have excellent noses, able to detect everything from truffles to illicit drugs. Now they are being trained to root out invasive species. In a test in several NYS Parks the past year, an energetic Labrador retriever named Dia is proving to be a powerful weapon against invasive species in New York State Parks.
She has been specially trained to sniff out the invasive plant Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), one of the most destructive invasives on the Pacific Coast. They form dense clusters that can displace native plant species and reduce biodiversity that is essential for a healthy ecosystem. Presently in very low numbers here in NY, it is hoped it can be completely eradicated before it becomes established.
“Dia first comes into the field with her nose up, smelling what’s in the air, working to detect the Scotch broom scent,” explains her trainer. “She’s using what are called scent cones; she works her way into a cone and uses that cone to help her narrow down the source.” Once in a cone, she will search until she gets to the source and put her nose to the ground to sniff out smaller plants that may be tiny and low to the ground. She signals that she’s found the species by standing or sitting. “The most important thing is that she’s committed to an area where she’s detected the plant until I come and reward her, then we can mark it and remove it.” Dia’s reward: Her ball on a rope with a game of tug and fetch. See Dia in action by following her on Instagram @diasavestheforest.
Not only does Dia make search-and-destroy efforts more thorough within infestations, she is also able to find stray plants outside the known boundaries where people had focused their searches. Dia helps make sure the area is really cleared to reduce the potential for reinfestation or further spread. With better search efficiency, it should be possible to declare New York State parks Scotch broom-free in the near future. Conservation dogs can learn to detect up to three new species each year, meaning Dia’s incredible talents will continue to develop. This is a huge step forward in fighting invasive plants.
August
Plastics, Plastics Everywhere! The Future of Eco-Friendly Packaging.
We have banned plastic bags and straws. Plastic water bottles may also be on the chopping block. Snapple has switched back to glass -- yet the town of Brookhaven doesn’t recycle glass anymore. How much impact will this have in the grand scheme of things?
Plastic waste is everywhere, particularly in over-packaging. Predictions are that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. As just one example, personal care products account for a significant portion of the waste; it is estimated that over 129 billion units of packaging are wasted by the cosmetic industry every year. The packaging industry is looking at innovative ways to reduce solid waste; that industry's conservative estimate is that 23% of the waste that makes it to landfills is packaging. Much of it is not recyclable. Many companies, both big and small, are making a concerted effort to change the status quo.
Some creative choices are already available. Meow Meow Tweet makes a natural deodorant in cardboard packaging that completely biodegrades in 12 months. Seed Phytonutrients shampoo is made in a water-resistant paper bottle that interlocks instead of using glue, its food-grade, recycled plastic liner is 95 percent thinner than that of standard bottles, so it collapses as it’s used. Other companies are making products that are refillable, you send the package back once you’ve used it and the company cleans and refills it.
Yes, much of this will likely add to the cost of many of our products, but it is likely companies will realize the benefits of appealing to a growing, eco-conscious consumer base. And they might find ways to actually reduce their packaging costs. Since investing in sustainability, Coca-Cola reports they have saved approximately $180 million a year. Other companies, like Procter & Gamble have reduced the amount of water in many of their products, leading to a variety of eco-friendly benefits, including smaller, lighter-to-ship packages and less water wasted in the manufacturing process.
The future is definitely promising.
We have banned plastic bags and straws. Plastic water bottles may also be on the chopping block. Snapple has switched back to glass -- yet the town of Brookhaven doesn’t recycle glass anymore. How much impact will this have in the grand scheme of things?
Plastic waste is everywhere, particularly in over-packaging. Predictions are that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. As just one example, personal care products account for a significant portion of the waste; it is estimated that over 129 billion units of packaging are wasted by the cosmetic industry every year. The packaging industry is looking at innovative ways to reduce solid waste; that industry's conservative estimate is that 23% of the waste that makes it to landfills is packaging. Much of it is not recyclable. Many companies, both big and small, are making a concerted effort to change the status quo.
Some creative choices are already available. Meow Meow Tweet makes a natural deodorant in cardboard packaging that completely biodegrades in 12 months. Seed Phytonutrients shampoo is made in a water-resistant paper bottle that interlocks instead of using glue, its food-grade, recycled plastic liner is 95 percent thinner than that of standard bottles, so it collapses as it’s used. Other companies are making products that are refillable, you send the package back once you’ve used it and the company cleans and refills it.
Yes, much of this will likely add to the cost of many of our products, but it is likely companies will realize the benefits of appealing to a growing, eco-conscious consumer base. And they might find ways to actually reduce their packaging costs. Since investing in sustainability, Coca-Cola reports they have saved approximately $180 million a year. Other companies, like Procter & Gamble have reduced the amount of water in many of their products, leading to a variety of eco-friendly benefits, including smaller, lighter-to-ship packages and less water wasted in the manufacturing process.
The future is definitely promising.
July
Land Stewardship, An Inspiration
When we think about the state of our Earth, we are surrounded by a great deal of doom and gloom and negativity everywhere we turn. So it is refreshing to find a group that is actively spreading positivity by embracing the concept that the environment is sacred. In fact, it is sacred in every sense to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood.
Their 200+ acre campus is being turned into a model of conservation in the 21st century. Sustainability is important. They have bee hives for honey, chickens for eggs, organic gardens. They are replacing high-maintenance lawns with a native grass meadow, much like the one that existed as the Hempstead Plains, which I’ve seen in old family photos.
They’ve installed the largest private solar panel array on LI, which provides two-thirds of the electricity used by the 100 nuns who live there. They have rain gardens and have leased large parcels of land to organic farmers; the produce is available at a farm stand at the edge of the property, in season. Much of the produce is provided to their low-income neighbors. A novel wastewater treatment facility seeks to improve the sewage disposal system in a cost-efficient sustainable manner while reducing the nitrogen threat to the groundwater. They have partnered with LINPI and LIISMA, organizations that support growing native plants and removing invasive species.
It truly is inspiring to see the grand-scale commitment these women have made to the land they are responsible for. We will gain a better understanding and appreciation of ways to care for our fragile earth.
When we think about the state of our Earth, we are surrounded by a great deal of doom and gloom and negativity everywhere we turn. So it is refreshing to find a group that is actively spreading positivity by embracing the concept that the environment is sacred. In fact, it is sacred in every sense to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood.
Their 200+ acre campus is being turned into a model of conservation in the 21st century. Sustainability is important. They have bee hives for honey, chickens for eggs, organic gardens. They are replacing high-maintenance lawns with a native grass meadow, much like the one that existed as the Hempstead Plains, which I’ve seen in old family photos.
They’ve installed the largest private solar panel array on LI, which provides two-thirds of the electricity used by the 100 nuns who live there. They have rain gardens and have leased large parcels of land to organic farmers; the produce is available at a farm stand at the edge of the property, in season. Much of the produce is provided to their low-income neighbors. A novel wastewater treatment facility seeks to improve the sewage disposal system in a cost-efficient sustainable manner while reducing the nitrogen threat to the groundwater. They have partnered with LINPI and LIISMA, organizations that support growing native plants and removing invasive species.
It truly is inspiring to see the grand-scale commitment these women have made to the land they are responsible for. We will gain a better understanding and appreciation of ways to care for our fragile earth.
June
Announcing a new water conservation effort.
I attended the launch of a new initiative on May 16. Called “Our Water Our Lives” it was created to raise awareness and educate residents about the importance of preserving our aquifers.
The website ourwaterourlives.com is still somewhat austere, but it asks people to sign a pledge to reduce water use on Long Island. Sponsored by LICAP (Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection), and supported by a slew of local organizations that believe water conservation is vital, the site is expected to grow as the education effort takes flight. The opening address by former Suffolk County Executive and current Director of the Suffolk County Water Authority Pat Halpin pointed out that there is great stress on the water system; by far the greatest water usage is between July and September. In fact ⅔ of the water used on LI is for watering our lawns and gardens! The vast majority of that water never makes it back to replenish the aquifers.
Current Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone praised the professionalism and initiatives undertaken by the water authority, excited to see so many organizations across both counties joining in, which at this point totals 28. Among the various programs include a Water Wise Club, free one-on-one consultations, public presentations, and tiered structures to encourage conservation, including penalties for those who use more than 70K gallons in a single quarter. Beyond the water component, Ty Fuller, the Chief Hydrologist, noted that the carbon footprint is affected just by the process of powering the well pumps, which take 35 KW to start (compared to 5 KW to run a house).
Sewer and septic improvement campaigns are an important component according to Adrienne Esposito Of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. Paul Granger, Chairman of LICAP envisions tying all these efforts together as a “holistic approach” to the situation. There was a display of the latest home irrigation technologies for those who were interested.
As a start to their campaign Our Water Our Lives suggests to start with these conservation steps:
1. Use smart irrigation controllers and rain sensors when watering your lawn
2. Water less often
3. Use EPA WaterSense toilets, showerheads, faucets, etc.
4. Shorten your showers
5. Fix leaks
6. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
7. Fully load clothes and dish washers
8. Mulch your plants to preserve moisture
9. Don’t use a hose to wash away debris if a rake, broom or shovel will work
10. Wash your car at the car wash, not at home.
It is hoped that News12 will broadcast the video of this launch campaign.
I attended the launch of a new initiative on May 16. Called “Our Water Our Lives” it was created to raise awareness and educate residents about the importance of preserving our aquifers.
The website ourwaterourlives.com is still somewhat austere, but it asks people to sign a pledge to reduce water use on Long Island. Sponsored by LICAP (Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection), and supported by a slew of local organizations that believe water conservation is vital, the site is expected to grow as the education effort takes flight. The opening address by former Suffolk County Executive and current Director of the Suffolk County Water Authority Pat Halpin pointed out that there is great stress on the water system; by far the greatest water usage is between July and September. In fact ⅔ of the water used on LI is for watering our lawns and gardens! The vast majority of that water never makes it back to replenish the aquifers.
Current Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone praised the professionalism and initiatives undertaken by the water authority, excited to see so many organizations across both counties joining in, which at this point totals 28. Among the various programs include a Water Wise Club, free one-on-one consultations, public presentations, and tiered structures to encourage conservation, including penalties for those who use more than 70K gallons in a single quarter. Beyond the water component, Ty Fuller, the Chief Hydrologist, noted that the carbon footprint is affected just by the process of powering the well pumps, which take 35 KW to start (compared to 5 KW to run a house).
Sewer and septic improvement campaigns are an important component according to Adrienne Esposito Of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. Paul Granger, Chairman of LICAP envisions tying all these efforts together as a “holistic approach” to the situation. There was a display of the latest home irrigation technologies for those who were interested.
As a start to their campaign Our Water Our Lives suggests to start with these conservation steps:
1. Use smart irrigation controllers and rain sensors when watering your lawn
2. Water less often
3. Use EPA WaterSense toilets, showerheads, faucets, etc.
4. Shorten your showers
5. Fix leaks
6. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
7. Fully load clothes and dish washers
8. Mulch your plants to preserve moisture
9. Don’t use a hose to wash away debris if a rake, broom or shovel will work
10. Wash your car at the car wash, not at home.
It is hoped that News12 will broadcast the video of this launch campaign.
May
The impact of microplastics
We frequently hear about microplastics, but what are they and why are they dangerous?
Plastics, either through degradation or manufacture, that are 5mm or smaller are microplastics. They pass through water filters and get into our oceans and drinking water. You might find tiny beads in your facial scrubs, toothpaste and cleansers. They are shed by synthetic clothing and produced by vehicle tires wearing down.
Animals, particularly aquatic life, including turtles and birds, ingest microplastics; this can block their digestive systems, leading to starvation and death. Various chemicals are attracted to these plastics as well, such as PCBs and heavy metals. Bacteria easily adhere to their surfaces.
There are countless types of plastic, and all have additives, pigments, stabilizers, retardants; many are endocrine disruptors and contain the potential to affect fetal development. The numbers are stunning: 94.4% of US tap water samples contained microplastics. Bottled water is not a safer alternative. Further notice that we need to keep plastic debris out of the environment.
Sources: National Geographic, NOAA, The Guardian.
April
Don’t spring into garden cleanup too soon! Our pollinators still need protection.
Spring is here. A time when warmer weather naturally turns a winter-weary homeowner’s thoughts towards tackling outdoor chores. The first warm weather of the season may coax us out into the yard, but pollinators in your garden aren’t ready to take a chance on the first warm day. Chrysalides still cling to last season’s dried standing plant material. While you may begin to see bumble bees and ground-nesting bees emerge as flowering trees and shrubs burst into bloom, they still need cover during chilly nights. While mining bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, and bumble bees may be out and about by early April, others species such as sweat bees are still hiding out, waiting for the warmer days that arrive in May. Meanwhile, last year’s leaf litter is still providing protection for both plants and invertebrates against late-season frosts. If you haven’t stuck the snow shovel in the back of the garage yet, and if you’re still wearing cozy socks, it’s too early. Better to do some indoor spring cleaning instead. In northern states mid-late April should be the earliest you consider cutting back perennials and clearing garden debris. Keep in mind that some bees don’t emerge until late May, so the longer you can tolerate your “messy” garden the better.
Spring is here. A time when warmer weather naturally turns a winter-weary homeowner’s thoughts towards tackling outdoor chores. The first warm weather of the season may coax us out into the yard, but pollinators in your garden aren’t ready to take a chance on the first warm day. Chrysalides still cling to last season’s dried standing plant material. While you may begin to see bumble bees and ground-nesting bees emerge as flowering trees and shrubs burst into bloom, they still need cover during chilly nights. While mining bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, and bumble bees may be out and about by early April, others species such as sweat bees are still hiding out, waiting for the warmer days that arrive in May. Meanwhile, last year’s leaf litter is still providing protection for both plants and invertebrates against late-season frosts. If you haven’t stuck the snow shovel in the back of the garage yet, and if you’re still wearing cozy socks, it’s too early. Better to do some indoor spring cleaning instead. In northern states mid-late April should be the earliest you consider cutting back perennials and clearing garden debris. Keep in mind that some bees don’t emerge until late May, so the longer you can tolerate your “messy” garden the better.
March
In the winter we spend a lot of time indoors. However, this exposes us to a variety of toxins emitted by furniture, cleaning products, varnishes, detergents, perfumes, air fresheners, etc. Formaldehyde can be detected in almost every indoor environment. It is emitted by pressed wood cabinets, curtains, carpets and upholstery. Fabric glues and paints are other toxic sources. The EPA reports these toxic levels are up to 40x higher indoors than outdoors. The good news is NASA research reveals that certain plants can remove 80% of toxins within 24 hours.
Spider plants, philodendron and golden pathos are the most active formaldehyde- absorbers. To remove a broad variety of toxins, place peace lilies, ficus, corn plants, English ivy, Chinese evergreen, bamboo palm, dracaena, chrysanthemums, gerbera daisies or snake plants around your home. It is recommended to place 3 plants (8-10 inch pots) per 100 square feet of space, to purify the air of toxins.
Let us create a green indoors, pleasing to the eye, calming to the mind, but most important of all, beneficial not only to our health, but to the health of our earth.
Spider plants, philodendron and golden pathos are the most active formaldehyde- absorbers. To remove a broad variety of toxins, place peace lilies, ficus, corn plants, English ivy, Chinese evergreen, bamboo palm, dracaena, chrysanthemums, gerbera daisies or snake plants around your home. It is recommended to place 3 plants (8-10 inch pots) per 100 square feet of space, to purify the air of toxins.
Let us create a green indoors, pleasing to the eye, calming to the mind, but most important of all, beneficial not only to our health, but to the health of our earth.
Conservation Corner by Karen Breen
December 2018
The Huntington Town recycling program announced the return to dual system recycling effective November 28, 2018 due to increased levels of contamination within the residential recyclables. The recycling industry has experienced elevated levels of contamination in the residential recycling collections. “Clean-recycling “ requirements have become stricter.
How to Prepare Recycling
1) Empty and rinse all containers. Lids on containers and bottles are acceptable.
2) Paper clips, staples, rubber bands and plastic windows on envelopes and paper are ok.
Signing off as the Conservation Corner writer. Looking forward to Karen Fuller’s articles in the new year.
November
Conservation Corner (from the pen of Karen Breen)
“If you chewed the air hard enough you could swallow it,” said a resident from Donora, Pennsylvania looking back at the 1948 Donora Smog event. On October 27, 1948, Donora was engulfed by smog caused by emissions from the American Steel & Wire Company and Donora Zinc Works. The smog became trapped in the valley by a temperature inversion which occurs when cold air becomes trapped by warmer air above, especially within valleys. It inhibits turbulence and rising air that normally disperses pollutants.
Due to low visibility, evacuation was nearly impossible during the Donora smog event, which led to 26 people dying and around half of the residents becoming ill. After five days of smog, a rain storm blew in and dispersed the pollution.
This event was an important contributor to the creation of the first air pollution-related regulations in the U.S., resulting in the passage of the 1955 Air Pollution Control Act. This act gave funding to states and local governments for research to determine the source and scope of air pollution. Air pollution research began in 1957 in New York State with a small unit of staff in the Department of Health. Air pollution research and control was moved to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in 1970, where it still is today.
The 1948 Donora Smog event brought national attention to the detrimental effects of air pollution and made both federal and state governments take action to reduce air pollution. It is important to continue to reduce pollution to protect ourselves, the environment and future generations to come. For more information on the Donora Smog of 1948, visit the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum website. This article appeared in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“If you chewed the air hard enough you could swallow it,” said a resident from Donora, Pennsylvania looking back at the 1948 Donora Smog event. On October 27, 1948, Donora was engulfed by smog caused by emissions from the American Steel & Wire Company and Donora Zinc Works. The smog became trapped in the valley by a temperature inversion which occurs when cold air becomes trapped by warmer air above, especially within valleys. It inhibits turbulence and rising air that normally disperses pollutants.
Due to low visibility, evacuation was nearly impossible during the Donora smog event, which led to 26 people dying and around half of the residents becoming ill. After five days of smog, a rain storm blew in and dispersed the pollution.
This event was an important contributor to the creation of the first air pollution-related regulations in the U.S., resulting in the passage of the 1955 Air Pollution Control Act. This act gave funding to states and local governments for research to determine the source and scope of air pollution. Air pollution research began in 1957 in New York State with a small unit of staff in the Department of Health. Air pollution research and control was moved to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in 1970, where it still is today.
The 1948 Donora Smog event brought national attention to the detrimental effects of air pollution and made both federal and state governments take action to reduce air pollution. It is important to continue to reduce pollution to protect ourselves, the environment and future generations to come. For more information on the Donora Smog of 1948, visit the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum website. This article appeared in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
October
Con Edison has teamed up with Brooklyn-based Propel to provide technology for some recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help them save on food for nourishment and energy to heat, cool and light their homes. Propel's free Fresh EBT app now has access to information on Con Edison's energy efficiency rebates and incentives program.
Con Edison reports that 500 customers have enrolled and will be receiving 1,000 smart AC kits. These kits can set the temperature on their units remotely and will help them to better manage their energy usage. They also are sharing conservation tips such as: Reorganize your refrigerator to let cold air circulate between items; keep shades, blinds and curtains drawn - 40% of unwanted heat comes through windows; purchase ENERGY STAR products; beware of vampire voltage - many electronics continue to draw power even when they're turned off - unplug devices when not in use; run appliances during off- hours; give your computer a rest - set your computer to go to sleep after 20 minutes of inactivity.
September
As the world's oceans become more acidic, damage to the coral reefs and harm to marine life is increasing. Long Island Sound is the home of Bluepoint Oysters and other Northeast favorites. These oysters are big and strong-shelled and are dredged from the bottomlands on the Connecticut side. Many other briny oysters are farmed in the enclosed bays that line the LI Sound.
New York State has established an ocean acidification task force to commence meeting this Fall to "identify local factors causing acidification, craft measures to monitor the early effects, recommend policies and educate the public" according to Newsday. These findings will be important to maintaining the health of the coastal waters which are crucial to Long Island's economy, ecology and recreational activities.
July
3D Ocean Farming System may be coming to Northport Harbor. Local government officials met in May and were “introduced to the idea of 3D ocean farming, a vertical aqua farming system that grows seaweed and shell fish in a sustainable form of food production and ecosystem development”, according to Newsday.
They are low impact, no impact (no fertilizer, no feed and no freshwater) with high yields which produces nutritious seaweeds. They also act as ‘carbon sinks’ which filter nitrogen and phosphorus.
Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said “In the tradition of Huntington’s proud maritime heritage, ocean farming would be a boon to the Northport community, and Huntington as a whole, benefiting our local economy, creating jobs and protecting our environment.” Federal and state funding will be sought to bring the ‘farms of the future’ to Northport Harbor
3D Ocean Farming System may be coming to Northport Harbor. Local government officials met in May and were “introduced to the idea of 3D ocean farming, a vertical aqua farming system that grows seaweed and shell fish in a sustainable form of food production and ecosystem development”, according to Newsday.
They are low impact, no impact (no fertilizer, no feed and no freshwater) with high yields which produces nutritious seaweeds. They also act as ‘carbon sinks’ which filter nitrogen and phosphorus.
Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said “In the tradition of Huntington’s proud maritime heritage, ocean farming would be a boon to the Northport community, and Huntington as a whole, benefiting our local economy, creating jobs and protecting our environment.” Federal and state funding will be sought to bring the ‘farms of the future’ to Northport Harbor
June
Be alert for turtles crossing the streets during May and June. New York State native turtles look for sandy areas or loose soil to lay their eggs, so watch the roadways for them on the move. Unfortunately, thousands of turtles migrating to their nesting areas are killed every year by motorists.
The slogan "If You Care, Leave Them There" refers to the arrival of young wildlife in the spring and summer to our area. If you come across young wildlife that appear to be abandoned, think twice before deciding to "rescue" them. Often the parents are nearby but stay away when humans are present. Young fawns, cottontail rabbits and fledgling birds are most often deemed in need of assistance, but the statistics prove that most of these well meaning acts of trying to help end badly. If you see a young wild animal that is injured or obviously abandoned call a wildlife rehabilitator who is a trained volunteer licensed by the DEC.
Be alert for turtles crossing the streets during May and June. New York State native turtles look for sandy areas or loose soil to lay their eggs, so watch the roadways for them on the move. Unfortunately, thousands of turtles migrating to their nesting areas are killed every year by motorists.
The slogan "If You Care, Leave Them There" refers to the arrival of young wildlife in the spring and summer to our area. If you come across young wildlife that appear to be abandoned, think twice before deciding to "rescue" them. Often the parents are nearby but stay away when humans are present. Young fawns, cottontail rabbits and fledgling birds are most often deemed in need of assistance, but the statistics prove that most of these well meaning acts of trying to help end badly. If you see a young wild animal that is injured or obviously abandoned call a wildlife rehabilitator who is a trained volunteer licensed by the DEC.
May
In 1970, New York State adapted the Blue Bird as our state bird. During that decade there was a 70% decline in the Blue Bird numbers due to a loss of habitat and the introduction of House Sparrows and Starlings. Cornell University's Backyard Bird Count reported Bluebird sightings in 2005. The return of the Blue Bird to our region is largely attributed to volunteers that established and are maintaining Blue Bird trails. The Blue Birds are attracted to platform feeders filled with meal worms. Thankfully they also like to eat raisins soaked in water. Hopefully we'll see this beautiful bird in our area this summer.
Since we're on the topic of state symbols...did you know that the Sugar Maple tree became our state's tree in 1956, the Lady bug our official insect in 1989 and the Lilac bush (Syringa vulagris) became the state's bush in 2006.
April
AGC members are invited to attend a Water Quality Presentation at Northport Yacht Club on Thursday April 26, 2018. A cash bar and complimentary appetizers will be available at 6:45 pm. The program starts at 7:30 pm. RSVP by email to [email protected]
Earth Day 2018 is April 22nd. The theme for this year is End Plastic Pollution. The plastics concern is from poisoning and injuring marine life, littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills. There will be a beach clean up and educational program for children ages 8 and up at Asharoken Beach on April 22nd. What will your Act of Green be?
AGC members are invited to attend a Water Quality Presentation at Northport Yacht Club on Thursday April 26, 2018. A cash bar and complimentary appetizers will be available at 6:45 pm. The program starts at 7:30 pm. RSVP by email to [email protected]
Earth Day 2018 is April 22nd. The theme for this year is End Plastic Pollution. The plastics concern is from poisoning and injuring marine life, littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills. There will be a beach clean up and educational program for children ages 8 and up at Asharoken Beach on April 22nd. What will your Act of Green be?
March
If you’ve driven past the Chalet Motor Lodge on 25A in Centerport lately you may have seen groups of people standing in the parking lot looking up. What a majestic site to see two American Bald Eagles soaring overhead. They have built a huge nest in one of the trees and it’s so exciting to watch them perched atop their nest or flying over the nearby pond. Birdwatchers and photographers are mingling with children to share stories of these two Eagles. At our next meeting I’ll share the story of how these American treasures came back to New York State.
December
November 15, 2017 was the 20th anniversary of America Recycles Day. Did you know that recycling 10 plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a lap top for more than 25 hours? During the Holiday Season remember to recycle all those bottles and cans that you use to prepare your delicious feasts. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reminds us to donate your food to local shelters rather that disposing of it. If you plan to fertilize your lawn this fall, remember it is against NYS law to fertilize lawns between December 1 and April 1. To all of our artists: The Arbor Day Planning Committee is accepting original art and photography submission to be selected as the 2018 NYS Arbor Day Poster. The DEC is accepting submissions through December 31, 2017. Send artwork directly to [email protected].
November
What to do with Fall leaves....Green Alternatives to Burning that Keep our Air Clean
Create a valuable compost from your leaves. To speed up the process shred leaves with a mulching mower to reduce their volume and speed up
decomposition time. Use leaves as mulch to cover bare soil in your vegetable garden during the winter. In the Spring, turn the leaves into the soil.
Shredded leaves make good mulch in the flower garden. They turn into compost, enriching your soil. Keep mulch depth to 3" and don't let the
mulch touch tree trunks or the base of shrubs.
Burning leaves is illegal anywhere in New York State.
Smoke from burning leaves contains dangerous compounds. Smoke can irritate anyone's lungs but is especially harmful to children, t
he elderly and anyone with respiratory or cardio-vascular disease. Outdoor fires can spark accidental brush, forest or house fires.
"All the trees are losing their leaves, and not one of them is worried." - Donald Miller
October
The Central Park Conservancy recently announced the Dene Slope is now open after 2 years of preparation. This 1.23 acre area on the east side of
Central Park (near 66th Street) features a vibrant native meadow and stunning views of the Park. What once was a lawn has been transformed
into a thriving meadow featuring native plants, a trail with seating and a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife.
A variety of wildflowers such as smooth blue and showy aster, gray goldenrod, rough blazing star, slender goldentop and cool season grasses
have bloomed during it's second growing season. This may be an ideal trip for a group of AGC members this autumn.
David George Haskell has written a stunningly beautiful book called The Songs of Trees. In the chapter dedicated to the Amazon Rain forest
he writes "We hear the rain not through silent falling water but in the many translations delivered by object that the rain encounters."
August
Nine grants have been issued to Suffolk County residents to help replace their outdated septic systems or cesspools with advance wastewater technologies. To date 165 homeowners have applied for the Septic Improvement Program designed to significantly reduce nitrogen pollution. Look for the Suffolk County Government press release on the bulletin board at our August meeting.
Important phone numbers: To report dead birds (concerns for West Nile Virus) take a photo and call the Public Health line @ 631 787-2200. To report mosquito problems or stagnate pools of water call 631 852-4270.
July
Water and Invasive species seems to be continually at the forefront of conservation and environmental concerns in the USA and around the world. Startling statistics show that 663 million people lack access to safe, clean drinking water; 4,100 children under the age of 5 die every day from water-related illnesses. It is estimated that 88% of disease rates could drop just by providing safe drinking water. Organizations like Thirst Project are working on improving these statistics in areas affected the most: Swaziland, Uganda, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Kenya and Colombia. Locally we read of the Norwegian firm prepping to build 100 wind turbines off the coast of Long Beach, Long Island. Commercial fishing groups have raised concerns about losing access to vital fishing grounds. They raise the point "if everyone put solar panels on their roofs, there would be no reason to destroy the fishing grounds" for wind turbines.
A cost of being one of the busiest airports and seaports in the world is that invasive species can be brought in on the wheels of planes and in cargo containers. New York State spends millions on fighting the menace whether it's aquatic, forest or terrestrial. The NY Times article, "Being Global Hub of Commerce Has a Persistent Downside: Invasive Species", will be on the Conservation board for you to read. Please continue to clip articles you find interesting or worthy of discussion for future
Conservation Corner columns.
May
Earth is known as the Blue Planet due to its abundance of water. The Earth is an incredibly complex and vibrant ecosystem where living organisms interact with each other and their environment to create the ideal conditions for life - Google May 3, 2012
Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin founded Earth Day in 1970 as an "environmental teach-in". This year in NYC, Broadway became a pedestrian mall from Union Square to Times Square, volunteers cleaned up the city's parks and playgrounds, Urban Park Rangers gave guided tours of the best viewing locations of Raptors and other wildlife in Central Park.
Native trees (Tulip Poplar, Serviceberry and Black Tupelo) were given away to NYC residents to plant in their yards in the five boroughs.
On Long Island the William Floyd Estate sponsored a three mile Nature Walk to learn about the different habitats and inhabitants on the property. Visitors met some of the animals who live in the forests of the Bailey Arboretum during the Earth Day Nature Walk. The Fire Island Lighthouse celebrated American's National Parks, their history and the people who protect them.
The Asharoken Garden Club started Earth Day activities early with the Centerport Garden Club during the Raingardens presentation. AGC members will be planting bulbs and plants at the Northport VA to beautify the Gardens in April.
Every day is Earth Day!
April
The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a living plant museum located in Washington, DC. George Washington had a vision for the capital city that it would "include a botanic garden that would demonstrate and promote the importance of plants to the young nation." The USBG is one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America; established by Congress in 1820. The USBG maintains about 65,000 plants and is one of the many botanic gardens around the world that participates in the conservation of endangered species. They maintain live specimens in their collections, study at risk wild plants, bank seeds of rare plants as well as introduce rare plants to the horticultural trade. In the US one out of every 10 plants species is threatened.
The nearby National Garden highlights the diversity of American plants. It is a three acre garden which provides "living laboratories for environmental, horticultural and botanical education in a contemplative setting." I haven't visited this national treasure yet but it's on my bucket list.
March
The Sierra Club Long Island Group announced its "first ever" Poetry Contest. The theme of the 2017 contest is "Nature, Conservation or Long Island." Cash prizes will be awarded. For details visit www.lisierraclub.org. Good luck ladies.
The Long Island Gold Medal Plant Program began in 1999 and is administered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. The program's mission is to identify and promote "exceptional ornamental plants that will thrive in the Long Island home landscape." Each year four plants are awarded Gold Medal status. The 2017 winners are 1) Goshiki Holly Olive or False Holly (evergreen shrub) 2) Tupelo, Sour Gum, Black Gum (deciduous tree) 3) Amethyst Falls Wisteria 4) Madagascar periwinkle (annual). Let us know if you spot one locally.