Brooklyn Centre National Wildlife Community

In Honor of Trees

Each Arbor Day, I try to share something about trees. This year a friend shared a video about trees on facebook that had some facts exemplifying the importance of trees, what is happening to trees, and why it is necessary for our continued existence to replenish trees.

Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds.

The average tree will drink approximately 2000 liters of water each year.

By cooling the air and ground around them, the shade from trees helps cool the earth’s temperature.

trees renew our air supply  by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

Trees provide shelter and a home for wildlife.

It takes approximately 2 tons of lumber to make 1 ton of paper.

One ton of recycled paper saves approximately 15 trees and their habitat.

On tree removes about 3/4 ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

One car can produce up to four tons of pollutants a year, but over time 2 trees will remove it.

A single mature beech tree can provide the oxygen for 10 people in a  year.

Over one given year, one hectare of mature woodland will absorb the carbon emissions of 100 average family cars.

An oak spends 300 years growing, 300 years resting and 300 years declining gracefully.

Britain has the largest population of ‘ancient’ trees in Europe.

The world’s Britain’s oldest tree is probably the Fortingall Yew in Tayside, which is believed to be over 3000 years old.

The tallest tree is a Coastal Redwood in California at 360 ft.

The world’s oldest trees are Bristlecone pines in the USA,  with confirmed ages up to 4600 years..

The world’s oldest tree  has recently been discovered in Sweden. It is a tenacious spruce with a root system 9550 years old.

It’s estimated there are 400 billion trees on earth now, that’s 61 per person.

We are destroying the world’s precious ancient forests at an unprecedented rate.

Less than 10 percent of the planet’s land area remains as intact  forest landscapes.

Only now are we realizing the importance of replenishment.

Do not look on trees as a commodity,  but as an endangered species.

 

I took the facts above from this You Tube video.  Take the 5 minutes to watch the video and see some spectacular images of some amazing trees.

 

 

Then, go plant a tree or two or three.

Herb and Dye Garden One Step Closer To Reality

Last fall, we walked away from an overgrown area full of knotweed dreaming of the Herb and Dye Garden we envisioned for this space.

                                          

Saturday April 14th a group of energetic, hardworking Baldwin Wallace students descended on Art House.  They were ready to tackle the side lot that didn’t look anything like the Herb and Dye Garden that Brooklyn Naturalists spokesperson Gloria Ferris described.  They looked around and saw Amy Craft, Executive Director of Art House, nodding her head “yes” and saw the other BCN volunteers walking towards the area with determined looks on their faces.

These BW students were ready to work and had come with the intention of helping make a dream become reality.  From the looks of things, it was going to take a lot of elbow grease and some decision making as to how to tackle the Japanese Knotweed that had taken over a garden delineated by sandstone. Dave Boyce and his crew worked tirelessly on chopping down that stubborn knotweed.

Another crew followed Tim Ferris and began pruning the overgrown honeysuckle on a chain link fence while still others began pruning tees that had sprouted where the honeysuckle wasn’t.  Ken Wohlgemuth brought his chain saw which made short work of the trees, but then the challenge was the great piles of branches in the lot.

The trailer was full and  their time in Brooklyn Centre drawing to a close, the BW students came up with a plan to at least control the remaining branches until another day. 

 

Discussing the Knotweed dilemma over pizza, our BW crew 

felt they had conquered it for now, but we would have to constantly look out for the sprouts because the twining underground root system led to the source on another property. After much praise and many “thank yous”, the BC Naturalists watched as they drove out of sight. 

Imagine our surprise on Monday when the branches were gone and our garden was ready to become reality. Just like magic, we were ready for the next step. Actually, Dave and his crew had arrived on Sunday to take the trailer away and saw that we had much more work to do.  They set to work and finished the job. 

                                                                              

 

In May, we will be setting the stones in place, building pillars, and planting the herb and dye garden which will surround an open air studio which some day will have tables and chairs where we can create art or where we can sit and enjoy nature in a beautiful garden filled with sights, sounds, and smells.

Interacting With Nature

 

This NY Times article “NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER” by Timothy Egan cities many reasons for communing with nature and turning the clock back  to when spring time meant waking from a long winter’s nap eager to begin tilling the soil, planting, and preparing for summer’s harvest. Many a person my age spent hours with their back bent to the baking sun as they pulled weeds, picked berries, or shucked corn for grilling.

One benefit of getting out into the sunshine and hiking through our favorite park or taking a trek to a little known woods in our urban area is a heightened immune system making us healthier and mentally alive

Many of us grew up roaming the hills and valleys of our beautiful county or maybe somewhere else we called home.  Maybe now, we should mentor today’s children so that they too can experience nature at its best like we did. Share your knowledge of gardening and nature with the young people of your community through Scouts, your church or as a volunteer at Cleveland MetroParks.  

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/nature-deficit-disorder/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20120330

Making The Connection: Water, Trees, And Dirt

“I believe that we are at a point in time that we actually have an opportunity to improve the ecological integrity of our region. I’d like people to walk away from my presentation with a sense that each of us has a real and an important role in regional environmental health.”

The above quote comes for our third and final speaker Linda Mayer Mack, Environmental Specialist from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

She has been given the task of discussing how trees and dirt affect our Big Creek watershed as well as all other watersheds in our area and beyond.  There will be time for questions and discussion as well as networking.

Friends of Big Creek and Brooklyn Centre Naturalists hope that when the symposium attendees walk away they are armed with the knowledge that they as individuals can make a difference as “middle managers”.  As each drop of rain that falls comes together in the oceans, we can make sure that that water is cleaner, healthier, and an asset to our planet.

  “Above Our Heads, Below Our Feet”

a mini-symposium

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

6-8:45 pm

Click on the link above for information on how to register for the symposium.  Deadline Noon March 26, 2012

Upcycling on Display At Grace Church Craft Fair

We talk a lot about recycling, but we are a bit lax sometimes at upcycling and repurposing trash.  Actually, “trash” is definitely the wrong word to use when describing the old things that find new purposes in art at this show.   There was some really creative and artistic people at this first ever craft show at Grace Church on Broadview Road. 

                                                      

Innovation and artistic flair were evident at many if not all of the booths at this small, but jam packed event.  There were SO many unusual and unique things for sale I will describe only a few, but if you have an extra hour or two or need a break from your Saturday routine.

WJLM Creations out of Parma Heights was phenomenal. Izzy and Lisa Hall take every day mechanical items and make whimsical bugs, dragonflies, dragons, flowers and much more into garden sculptures. This couple upcycles things that other people would throw away as trash. Believe me, folks, these sculptures are as far from the junk pile as you can imagine.  They take custom orders.  www.facebook.com/WJLMcreations 

                                                    

Moving on through the garden art section,  I found the cutest birdhouses made from watering cans that you can imagine.  The houses were made from different sized cans and the holes were sized for different kinds of birds.  Perfect to hang on a garden fence.  They also had concrete sculptures of birds, snails, and garden angels.  Like their page www.facebook.com/gardenaccents           

 

I wrote about these three talented ladies on this blog a few years ago.  They have added new items to their booths and deserve a second look.

Denise Donaldson. Denise creates one-of-a-kind pieces and uses mostly semi-precious stones, the more unusual the better. She also enjoys working with clients to create custom pieces.

Sharon Martyn. Sharon’s stained glass designs are original and unique and the glass is hand cut and hand ground. Her handmade wire work adds flow and beauty to each piece she crafts.  The addition of crystals  to her sun catchers adds a dimension of light and sparkle not often seen.  Sharon has created fan lights, fireplace panels and other custom windows for our neighbors.

Marge Pauls.  Marge creates original artwork that appeals to the romantic in each of us.  She paints fairies, angels, society moguls and a myriad of other subjects. She incorporates pen and ink in her work which gives it a sharpness and edge that adds “pop” to her work.  Her artwork is available as prints, matted or unmatted, and as note cards. Each year we eagerly await her yearly Christmas card and the party invitation for New Year Eve’s because it will be a new, never seen mpauls original. 

Sharon and Marge have collaborated to create Designs From The Heart , a series of pendants and brooches that combines Ms. Paul’s artwork with Ms. Martyn’s unique wirework.

I must mention Becky Derwis at Knot Your Yarn and her crocheted potholders that used recycled T shirts.  She said that her next project was going to be crocheted rugs made from old T’shirts.  I told her I would be one of her first customers because I still miss the rugs my grandmother made me that I finally had to throw away.

And now, I am going to dream of sitting on my back porch with my feet resting on my crocheted rug while I gaze at my garden art placed perfectly in my garden and think just where in the neighborhood a crocheted chain link fence would fit perfectly.

If YOU Were A BUG Would You Build A Home in Your Garden?

A bug needs to move freely, find water and store food.

That bug looking to move into your garden, raise a family, and provide good food and water to that family knows that the first thing needed in a successful garden is a rich, loamy soil.  You may have started with such a soil but any good gardener knows that adding compost and manure periodically keeps soil healthy.

The first, and most important thing to remember, is that good soil is a living, breathing mass. Picture your soil as a living being, it needs to breathe, retain moisture and provide a good food supply to all the microorganisms, insects and other members of this intricate community.

Attend “Above Our Heads, Below Our Feet” and listen closely to  Todd Houser’s Talk on “Dirt” and how it is essential to the quality of life in and around the Big Creek Watershed. Learn many things that you as an individual can do to amend your soil using composting, worms, and other methods to turn your soil into a rich, loamy mix.

“Above Our Heads, Below Our Feet”

a mini-symposium

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

6-8:45 pm

Click on the link above for information on HOW TO REGISTER!

Here’s Why Planting A Tree Native to Our Region Makes Sense

Here is what Organic Gardening has to say about planting Native Trees

Planting a tree can be a deeply satisfying act, a commitment to the future of the place where it will grow. Choose a tree that's native to the region and your rewards multiply. Natives are likely to thrive in your conditions with minimal attention after the first two or three years. They provide the food and shelter local wildlife depends on. Native trees have survived thousands of years of climate extremes, they have reached equilibrium with their environment, and most of them learned to cope with native pests or they would not still be here. This is truly organic!

 

Some good choices for our area.

 

Maples                                         

 

 

 

Oaks  

                                    

 

 

Birches                               Sumacs 

Tuesday March 27, 2012 Above Our Heads And Below Our Feet

Reinberger Education Center, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

3900 Wildlife Way (next to the Zoo's Main Entrance), Cleveland 44109

The natural landscape is degraded in our heavily developed area. Learn how our trees above and soil below improve our water quality, our urban landscape, our quality of life.  Become a savvy “middle manager” with top-down and bottom-up management of storm water runoff.  Be a steward of our precious resources and contribute to a healthier watershed – starting in your own yard!

Trees – Green Infrastructure
Garrett Ormiston, GIS & Stewardship Specialist, Natural Areas Division, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Our tree canopy—a natural system with water, air, and energy benefits plus economic and aesthetic value too! Find out how our urban forest functions and how careful selection and placement of trees minimize maintenance and maximize benefit.

Urban Soils and Water Quality – Conservation From the Ground Up
Todd Houser, Storm Water Program Manager, Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District
Our urban soil is "disturbed." Get the dirt on our dirt—its composition and structure and how we can replenish it. Learn about composting and worms and how it all works together to form a good rich soil with restored function as brown infrastructure.

Making the Connection: Water, Trees, and Dirt
Linda Mayer-Mack, Environmental Education Specialist, Watershed Programs Dept., Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
We have an opportunity to improve the ecological integrity of our region. Discover how each of us has a real and an important role in the big picture!

6:00 pm    Registration, pasta dinner, exhibits & networking 
6:30 pm    Welcome & program                          
8:30 pm    Closing remarks & evaluation     

Free and open to the public. Please register by email to bcnaturalists@gmail.com or
call Gloria Ferris at 216-351-0254.  Deadline is March 23^rd.

www.friendsofbigcreek.org/puuws/2012

Event partners/sponsors
Friends of Big Creek | Brooklyn Centre Naturalists | Cleveland Metroparks | Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Home Made Gifts from the Heart

Try these eco-friendly, easy to make gifts for the nature lover in your family.

Backyard Bird Feeder

 

Total Time Needed :        

1 Hour

Spoon-feed your winged neighbors with this homemade birdseed dispenser.

Materials 

Clean 1-liter soda bottle

Craft knife

wooden spoons

small eye screw

Length of twine for hanging

 

Instructions

1. Start by drawing a 1/2-inch asterisk on the side of a clean 1-liter soda bottle, about 4 inches from the bottom. Rotate the bottle 90 degrees and draw another asterisk
   2 inches from the bottom. Draw a 1-inch-wide circle opposite each asterisk, as shown.
2. Use a craft knife to slit the asterisk lines and cut out the circles (a parent's job). Insert a wooden spoon handle first through each hole and then through the opposite asterisk, as shown.
3. Remove the bottle cap and twist a small eye screw into the top of it for hanging.
4. Finally, fill your feeder with birdseed, recap it, and use a length of twine to hang it from a tree.

 

 

Pinecone Bird Feeder

Difficulty: Very Easy

What you'll need:                   

• Pine cone
• Paper plate
• Butter knife
• Smooth peanut butter
• Birdseed
• Ribbon or yarn
• Scissors

How to make it:

1. Cut a long length of yarn or ribbon to hang the bird feeder.
2. Tie the ribbon in a knot around the pine cone near the top (about 3 sections down).
3. Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon.
4. Use the knife to get a large clump of peanut butter on the paper plate.
5. Use the knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges.
6. Sprinkle the birdseed over the pine cone.
7. Roll the pine cone in the birdseed that is on the plate.
8. Hang the bird feeder on the tree.
9. Enjoy watching the birds eat their treat!

 

Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio City, Bridge Avenue, street sign, historic district, (image preview: FOT788543) | fotoLibra

At the link is the source of the sign picture. All the bands are a visual problem for me, as well as the fact that the vertical side of the sign does not come as close to the pole as the blue street sign—good idea, makeshift execution. Also, the horizontal edge of the red sign may or may not be aligned with the blue street sign—how do you get them into the same plane uniformly, in each and every application?

I think that if we start with the mechanics of mounting the sign to the poles and also integrating them with the existing blue street signs, the materials available for mounting and aligning will dictate the sign’s design and composition.

First comes the craftsman or the artisan; after that, the graphic artist or the designer. This project should start at the pole, not at the drafting table, and take into account available mounts and brackets first of all.

 

Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio City, Bridge Avenue, street sign, historic district, (image preview: FOT788543) | fotoLibra