JUNE 2021
STREAMLINES: News and events from BWA
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June 26: Explore Cranberry Creek |
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BWA is once again venturing out with guided hikes in the Get Outdoors Poconos series. At 10 a.m. Saturday, June 26, registered participants will explore Cranberry Creek in Paradise Township.
Carol Hillestad will lead a 3-mile loop hike at Cranberry Creek on the Nothstein Preserve Paradise Township. The trail is of moderate difficulty with some rocky, steep sections.
The hike is limited to 20 participants. Registration is required, and the registration list is already full – but a waitlist is being kept. Call 570-629-2727 or email jimhill@ptd.net. Directions will be provided to registrants. Please be fully immunized.
If you can't make the June 26 event, you can still explore Cranberry Creek on your own! For information about this and other hikes in the free Get Outdoors Poconos series, click here. The hike series is supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
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WOMEN IN CONSERVATION AWARDS |
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Heidi Secord honored
for lifetime achievement
Eleven women are being recognized this year by PennFuture’s Women in Conservation Awards, including BWA member Heidi Secord.
Each year, PennFuture honors the accomplishments of outstanding female conservationists in Pennsylvania. This year, the Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation Award goes to Heidi Secord.
Heidi is owner/operator of the Josie Porter Farm in Cherry Valley, as well as state president and board chair of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union, board member of the National Farmers Union, former board member for the Pennsylvania State Council of Farm Organizations, PASA Sustainable Agriculture and Monroe County Conservation District. She was recently nominated for the state Conservation Commission by Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding.
The awards ceremony, a virtual/live hybrid online event, will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. Tickets will be available July 1. Click here for information about the ceremony and all the award winners.
Congratulations, Heidi!
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July workshop: Controlling knotweed |
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BWA will host a workshop in July, part of the Greening Mountainhome Series, on how to control knotweed along creeks — and in your backyard.
Last year, volunteers cut knotweed along Mill Creek in Mountainhome and treated the invasive with herbicide. Uncontrolled, the non-native plant spreads quickly and chokes out other plants.
The treatment worked. This year, there is hardly a wisp of knotweed to be seen.
That demonstration project covered just a small area. Now, knowing that this process actually works, it’s time to put the process into action.
Register for a live, on-stream workshop led by Robin Anglemyer. Learn the right time to cut knotweed, what tools you need, how low to cut it (hint: ankle height is too low!), and what to do next. The tentative date is Wednesday, July 7, at 4 p.m. — but exact timing of the workshop will depend on weather conditions and knotweed growth. Register now to get detailed updates.
On the day of the event, workers from Strauser Nature’s Helpers will clear knotweed along Mill Creek in Mountainhome from Route 191 to Route 390 to Wieboldt Road — keep an eye out!
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2021 PENNSYLVANIA ENVIROTHON |
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The Reece’s Pieces team of Pleasant Valley High School is coordinated by advisor Maricatherine Garr. Team captain: Emma Barrett. Team members: Zachary Dooner, Reece Kresge, Megan Chechel and Benjamin Keppel.
Pleasant Valley students triumph at state competition
Pleasant Valley High School students won the local Envirothon competition at Monroe County Conservation District, and then went on to triumph at the state level. The team will represent Pennsylvania at the NCF-Envirothon international competition in July.
The 37th Pennsylvania Envirothon state competition was held virtually in May. High school students from 58 Pennsylvania counties participated. The Pleasant Valley team scored 501.93 points of a possible 600.
At the Envirothon, five-member teams participated in a series of field station tests that focused on five topic areas – soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and environmental issues. The 2021 current environmental issues focused on “Water Resource Management: Local Control and Local Solutions.”
Congratulations to the Reece's Pieces team!
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NATIVE WILDFLOWER SPOTLIGHT |
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Rhododendron periclymenoides, the pinxterbloom azalea, is a native shrub which grows in acidic soils, in wetlands habitats, especially in the headwaters region of the Brodhead Creek watershed. This shrub thrives in partial sun to mostly shade, and can be found under the canopy. The flowers have evolved to attract swallowtail butterflies and moths, which brush the long anthers with their wings, spreading fine pollen. These flowers also attract hummingbirds.
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Iris versicolor, the northern blue flag or the harlequin blue flag, is an iris often found in poorly drained bogs, fens, and associated ecosystems. The blue flag iris has evolved a specialized flower that specifically attracts bumble bees (Bombus) away from competing native blooms. The large lobes have evolved to help the bees land, and the special markings direct the pollinators to the nectar. They are also visited by several native lepidoptera species.
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Control pennywort pest with less water, less mowing
The Internet is awash with “benefits” of pennywort, aka dollarweed. A quick search turns up everything from improving memory, curing acne, and healing scars to curing heat rashes and arthritis, reducing stress and blood pressure, and moisturizing skin.
When something cures everything, can it really cure anything? In your lawn, it’s definitely a pain in the neck. Find out how to eliminate this and other invasive plants here.
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MONROE COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT |
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How MCCD handles site inspections, lanternflies |
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At the May board meeting, Monroe County Conservation District staff and board discussed procedures employees follow when inspecting construction sites.
“We try to pay every respect to a person,” confirmed Shane Kleiner, conservation field representative for the DEP.
MCCD staffers also talked about their ongoing battle against the invasive spotted lanternfly, including a new video demonstrating a circle trap that captures the nymphs of the fly.
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BWA'S ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT SALE has concluded, and it was a record-breaking event, putting more than 700 plants in their native environment to help sustain local ecology.
Online sales ran March through May, and happy gardeners picked up their plants on June 5. We thank customers for their support, and volunteers for their dedication. Let’s do it again next year!
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BWA welcomes new members this month: Jeff Karpen of Bushkill, Susan McClure of Canadensis, Yvonne Novak of Philadelphia, Denise Ring of Cresco, Sally Rosen of Narberth
Perennial Club is a time-saving way to keep your membership current through automatic, online donations. For information, click here.
For information on the Environmental Partnership Program, click here.
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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
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Alex Jackson
BWA executive director
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Appreciating and preserving |
Late spring is one of my favorite periods in the Poconos.
Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) are flowering – bees and other native flying insects indulge on the pollen and nectar. Fledgling birds are beginning to forage, and the forests are loud with the sounds of birds and amphibians. Mayflies continue to hatch, an important nutrient source for locally reproducing brown and brook trout.
While the spring spectacle is stunning, our watershed is under a constant threat. Continued development pressure – and rushed planning and permitting – result in shortsighted landscape changes.
Landowners can help out. Create rain gardens, plant hedgerows of native shrubs, and mow less frequently. We can increase what is known as the “runoff coefficient” of our properties, and encourage pollinator-friendly flowers.
Last week, BWA’s Native Plant Sale provided more than 700 native plants. Native plants require less watering, fertilization, and directly benefit local native bees, moths, and butterflies.
In July, BWA will host a rain barrel workshop at Brodhead Creek Heritage Center in Analomink. In August, there will be the Delaware River Sojourn and BWA's annual Ramble. Finally, in September, BWA’s annual Members & Friends Celebration at Shawnee Inn. I look forward to seeing you at our events!
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