We have two opportunities available to participate in HGCNY.

Workshop Committee
In addition to monthly programs, HGCNY would like to host a workshop to offer people an opportunity to go into depth either with a special guest we bring in (e.g. a book author or native landscape professional) or with a workshop we develop ourselves (e.g. a morning-long how-to session).

We need a small committee to plan this workshop, a finite commitment. Most of the planning could be by email or phone call. If you would like to be on the committee, please email me.

HGCNY Secretary position
Our HGCNY secretary, Soule Leiter, is retiring from the position. Thank you, Soule, for your contributions!
Please email me if you would like to become our HGCNY Secretary. This job involves recording the minutes for our three Planning Meetings held in March, June, and September. This opportunity is available only to Wild Ones members.

Spleenwort

Learn to identify ferns and their allies

We welcome back Joe McMullen, environmental consultant and frequent HGCNY presenter. He is also responsible for the very successful habitat restoration using native plants at Onondaga Lake.

In this presentation, Joe will discuss how to identify ferns, as well as the interesting fern allies, such as clubmosses and horsetails.

When: Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 pm
Where: Liverpool Public Library (Directions)
Free and open to the public, so bring a friend or two!

Biodiversity - a fancy term meaning a greater variety of kinds of living things rather than just a few - has been shown time and again to be important to maintaining abundant life on earth.

A recent blog from The New England Wildflower Society by Elizabeth Farnsworth describes another kind of biodiversity: the variety of DEAD plant material.

Research indicates that "even dead plant material is critical to the cycling of carbon and nitrogen (and many other elements) in ecosystems, and that a more diverse "dead" layer cycles these substances faster."

And what about all those decomposers working on those dead plants? The research found that "even independent of plant diversity, more diverse suites of decomposers processed carbon and nitrogen more quickly. When both plant and animal diversities were high, the efficiency of decomposition was at its highest."

Farnsworth concludes, "Dead or alive, plant diversity is the crucible of life across the planet."
Read the whole article ...

So what can we do?

1) Grow a variety of plants and leave the leaves and other dead plant parts where they fall (or at least compost them).

2) Tend to the decomposers. Some recommendations from Colorado Master Gardeners:
* Add organic matter to the soil
* Use organic mulch on the soil surface to stabilize soil moisture and temperature
* Water effectively - enough so soil is damp like a wrung-out sponge, but not too much because water-logged soils are harmful to beneficial soil organisms.
* Avoid unnecessary rototilling since it destroys mycorrhizae and soil structure.
* Avoid unwarranted pesticide applications.
* Avoid plastic sheets under mulch since it reduces water and air movement and prevents the incorporation of organic matter.
Read more ...

Swamp milkweed pod

The good news is that the monarch population this fall so far seems to be larger than last year's population, which was the lowest ever.

The population is still so low that it remains vulnerable to vagaries of weather or other problems.

As of October 2, Journey North reports that "peak flights were witnessed along the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. Air rises when it hits these ridges and the monarchs get a free ride."

The migration maps show that "the migration is a bit late this fall, but monarch numbers are definitely higher."  Read more at Journey North.

You can help by planting milkweeds

It has been heartening to see how many people here in CNY have been planting milkweeds--not just any milkweeds, but milkweeds grown from seeds local to our area. As we're rebuilding the milkweed stands, scientists strongly believe that "local ecotype" is important for the long-term.

We've been fortunate that The Plantsmen in Ithaca has had local ecotype seeds available to grow new seedlings for us, but this year, they need some help finding seeds from wild swamp milkweeds (Asclepias incarnata).

Do you have local swamp milkweed?

If you have local wild populations of swamp milkweed, please contact Kathy at The Plantsmen (email kathy@plantsmen.com ) or bring them to our October meeting, labeled with the location and date you collected them.

A video from Monarch Watch shows how to defloss the seeds. The video happens to use common milkweed, but the idea is the same for other milkweeds. See the video at

From the National Wildlife Federation:

• Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago.

  (Juster et al 2004); (Burdette & Whitaker 2005); (Kuo & Sullivan 2001)
   
• Today, kids 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation)

   

• In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. (Children & Nature Network, 2008)

   

• Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration.

  (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007)
   

• Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children's physical and mental health. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008)

   

• The most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in "wild nature activities" before the age of 11. (Wells and Lekies, 2006)

Read more from the National Wildlife Federation about developing healthy kids through outdoor play ... 

In This Issue

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County and Finger Lakes Land Trust will present a workshop for rural landowners and their families to help them plan for the future of their land.

WHEN: Nov. 14,
9:30 - 3:30
WHERE: First Presbyterian Church, 97 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles
COST: $25/family

Pre-register on the CCE Onondaga website

For more info: Call Kristina Ferrare at 315.424.9485 ext. 231 or email kaf226@cornell.edu

When: Sat. Oct. 25, 9-11:30 am Rain or shine. Lunch will be provided

Where: Geddes Brook Wetlands

RSVP: to Montezuma Audubon Center at

Family Nature Play Day
Sat. Oct 11, 1-3 pm
Reserve your spot by calling 315.673.1350 for this FREE event.

Autumn Owl Prowl
Sat. Oct. 11, 7-8:30
Call 315.673.1350 to register ($5 members; $8 non-members)

Nature's Little Explorers
Thurs, Oct 16-Nov 20
10 - 11 am
Ages 3-5. Nature crafts and hands-on exploration. Must register for the full 6-week series and be accompanied by an adult.
Call 315.673.1350 to register ($35 members; $50 non-members)

Blacklight Hike
Sat. Oct 18, 7-9 pm
Family-friendly hike to discover a colorful luminescent world.
Call 315.673.1350 to register ($5 members; $8 non-members)