OLC First Saturdays: Building Sustainability

On Saturday November 5th we hosted a great morning of presentations around the subject of sustainable building and renovation.  Here are some the materials and information from that meeting:

Melissa Everett - Keynote Message
Wayne Neckles - Building Sustainability through Energy Efficiency
Allan Shope - Sustainable Architecture: A Conversation 
Leo Wiegman - Energize Program Overview
Mark Thielking - Energize Program: Economics
Mike Purcell - Pawling Press Article About The Project

Exhibitors included:

NYSERDA
Hudson Valley Clean Energy

for more info on the event and the presenters, see: http://www.oblongland.org/pdf/olc_first_sat_nov_2011.pdf

Density and Taxes

The good news is that the Town Board of Pawling have heard the community and extended the period for public engagement in the town’s comprehensive planning process. The bad news is that the mail delivered the school tax bill. This year’s bill is 5.35% above last year’s and last year was 1.66% above the 2009 figure. No doubt many of us will have different levels of increase depending upon what has happened to the estimate of our property’s full market value, STAR savings and so on. However, the direction of market value has been down and that of taxes up.

What has planning to do with taxes?

The comprehensive plan is the blueprint for what the community will look like in the next couple of decades. It is a policy document and organic in nature but it sets out some guidelines and deals with, amongst other things, land use. School and local government taxes are generated by means of a levy upon property values. The more one’s property is worth the more taxation it will stand, at least that’s the underlying principle. Land value is a function of use and use is a function of zoning. All other things being equal (and they rarely are) land zoned for, say, retail purposes is more valuable that that zoned for, say, some types of residential use. Many, many other factors come into play including size of community, density of population, availability of utilities, size of the buildings on the property and, of vital importance, the general economic climate.

So, on the face of it, a community with more land zoned for commercial, more valuable purposes would be better off from a taxation standpoint than one with a predominance of land zoned for less valuable purposes. So far so good; however, it is not that simple. There are historic patterns of land use that have to be considered. Once land has been zoned for a particular purpose and developed in accordance with that zoning, a change to a more valuable use may not help much in the near term. Equally, and of great importance is the existing relationship between all the different land uses. It will readily be appreciated that an intensively developed community, a city for example, will offer one type of lifestyle whilst a less developed community, like Pawling, offers another type of lifestyle.

The challenge that we face in Pawling is that we have a very small percentage of our land allocated to commercial uses. It is not simply a matter of zoning more land for such purposes since that could materially affect the quality of life that we all moved here to enjoy. It also requires that there be additional land that could be allocated to commercial uses and, that again, is problematic because the land has to be physically and economically capable of being developed for those commercial uses. There needs to be suitable pedestrian and vehicular access, water, sewer, visibility and, by no means least of all, demand for the space to be created in accordance with the zoning and other regulations. Unless there is unlimited land available and one has the longest of time frames in mind, there is no point in zoning something for a particular use unless, first, there is a plan to provide access, sewer etc., and, second, there is likely to be a demand in the near to medium term for that particular use.

The comprehensive planning process has to wrestle with all these challenges and wrestle it must.

The mantra of the last three or four decades has been that growth is good and that has meant that planning, in some instances, has been driven by the desire to generate economic growth. This has its implications since it means that other factors, such as the environment, broadly defined, are much lower down on the scale of importance. Clearly human needs have to be met but the environment, in all its aspects, must be protected and there is a growing global awareness of this.

How are we going to deal with this locally?

Clearly taxes cannot continue to rise at a rate greater than residents’ ability to afford them. We also have a limited stock of additional land that can be usefully developed for commercial purposes. One obvious answer is to increase the density of the development on the existing stock of commercially zoned land. That will serve, over time, to increase the square footage of buildings that can be created and thereby increase our tax base. Another obvious answer is to look closely at the mix of commercial uses to ensure that they are complimentary and will feed off one another rather than the reverse. This is no mean challenge since we have a village core and a Route 22 commercial corridor within a relatively short distance of one another. There are also a range of macro-economic forces at work over which we have no control.

These are some of the vital matters with which the comprehensive planning process concerns itself. There are no easy answers but with the time now available to us as a result of the extended period of review of the Comprehensive Plan Update we have the chance to fully address them. There are also more than enough intellectual resources available in the community to grapple with these challenging issues. Now all we need to do is to mobilize them.

Chris Wood

Chairman

The Power of Ideas

It has been said that there are only three areas into which all conversation falls, people, events and ideas. Whether we ascribe to that view is another matter but Eleanor Roosevelt gave it particular pungency when she said "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”

The idea here is not so much to take up the point about conversation but rather to consider the power of ideas. In the dim and distant past it was believed that the world was flat. That was an idea that ruled the times for centuries and now we know differently. Tom Friedman may not agree but, of course, he is looking at the planet from a different perspective.

Another idea that ruled the times was that the planets revolved around the Earth. Copernicus replaced that idea with what we now know to be the situation - we and the planets revolve around the Sun. History is littered with such examples and the remarkable thing about some of these ideas is their power to occupy the mind and prevent it from seeing something as it really is. One might think of it as a form of mass chronic denial that for a period of time huge numbers of people can completely deny the fact that the idea in question just does not stand up to critical analysis.

One such idea that seems to hold sway today is that our activities are not having a material and/or deleterious impact upon the planet. One can think of this in various ways. The global population is expanding. It is estimated to be just shy of 7 billions now and could grow to 9 billions by 2050. Given that the planet is a finite resource this presents challenges as to how we will feed ourselves, where sufficient fresh water will come from, how we will manage the demands for energy including that from a depleting fossil fuel resource and a whole host of other issues. And we didn’t even mention climate change or global warming yet.

In last week’s The Economist magazine there was a rather sobering briefing entitled The Anthropocene. The thrust of the article is simply that we now appear to have moved out of a period of relative stability in the way that the planet works. This is the province of something called Earth-systems science and it examines how the planet has “worked” over very long periods of time, geologic time measured in the hundreds of millions of years. The notion is that we are now in the Anthropocene – the age of man – and we are not just spreading over the face of the planet but changing the way that it works.

Some of us will be familiar with Dr. James Lovelock and the Gaia Hypothesis. In simple terms this suggests that the Earth is a complex, living, self-regulating organism that operates to maintain the conditions for life on the planet, an homeostatis if you will. Of course when this new idea was promoted in the 1970s it was regarded as complete heresy. Lovelock and Copernicus had something in common.

But back to The Economist and the age of man. The suggestion is that we can now see clear evidence of the effect of man upon the Earth’s systems. Obviously advances in science and technology have played their part and we can now measure changes in these systems and two in particular - the natural cycles related to nitrogen and carbon.

Take the nitrogen cycle as an example. In 1890 scientists worked out that most of the atmospheric nitrogen (100 megatonnes) was converted into a useable form by plant life. Small amounts were converted by lightning (5 mt) and by the nitrogen fixing capabilities (15 mt) of farm crops. As of 1990, a mere 100 years later the plant life contribution had dropped to 89 mt and the farming contribution had burgeoned from 15 to 118 mt. What brought this about was the invention of the Haber-Bosch process which enabled atmospheric nitrogen to be used to create ammonia which, in turn, was used to create fertilizers and explosives. What stimulated this invention is an interesting digression that we will have to leave for another time.

However, per Wikipedia, fertilizer generated from ammonia is responsible for sustaining one-third of the Earth's population. Furthermore it is estimated that half of the protein consumed by human beings globally is reliant upon nitrogen fertilizers that were originally fixed by the Haber process. We know some of the effects of the application of such fertilizer. In just one example it leaches out of the soil and contaminates the Mississippi River to such an extent that at a certain time of the year the waters from the river create a hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico that is the size of the state of New Jersey. Most life forms perish in this zone and have to regenerate on an annual basis. There are dozens of other examples of the impact of just this one chemical compound.

The point is that through man’s ingenuity we have developed a capacity to make and use atmospheric nitrogen at a much greater rate than it can be recycled by nature’s processes. This is unsustainable and it is changing the way the planet works and in ways we do not fully understand.

Something similar is occurring with the carbon cycle. We are emitting far more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than Mother Nature can recycle at her own pace. By some estimates it could take 1,000 years or more for the planet to assimilate these elevated levels of this gas and that assumes that we do not continue to add to them.

The issue is that the idea that we can use and abuse the planet and its resources as we see fit is patently wrong. As long as we think that we can continue to operate as we do with impunity we are headed for trouble. We need to come to the understanding, and relatively quickly, that we are but one thread in the complex web of life that exists upon this planet. If we are to develop a sustainable way of life here in the US, and elsewhere for that matter, some new ideas are desperately needed.

Chris Wood

Chairman

Water Quality Assessment of the Swamp River - Part IIII

This is the last in a series that records the proceedings of an important gathering at The Inn at Dover Furnace in Dover on June 4, 2011 that addressed local water quality issues. Over 40 members of the public were in attendance and included a few municipal officials

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) sponsored this strategic meeting of Harlem Valley Communities to share in this forum, which included the results of important water studies and related information applicable to our public and private water supplies in the Harlem Valley. The Baseline Water Studies and the costs of the Forum, were funded by Iroquois Gas, Constellation Energy, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, Pawling Corporation, Benjamin Companies, and Cary Institute.

Tonia Shoumatoff, Director of the New York Office of HVA, made the introductions of the panel of distinguished experts. HVA, she explained, is the oldest watershed resource non-profit organization protecting water resources in this area. HVA operates in the several states into which the Housatonic River watershed extends. The New York State office opened in 2004 and HVA’s mission is to achieve a balance between development and resource protection.

We continue our reports on the presentations:

Barbara Kendall: Hudson River Watershed Alliance

Barbara told us that the Alliance (a private, non-profit) recognizes the ecological connection between the Harlem Valley and the Hudson River. Stormwater run-off washes pollutants, including salt, into watercourses. Subject to current laws, in the NYC watershed, in southern Pawling, any disturbance in excess of 5,000 sq ft requires a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan; and in northern Pawling, the threshold is one acre. In the rest of the Harlem Valley, the one acre rule applies. The objective of this program is to get the water back into the ground, cleansed of pollution. We can reach Barbara with questions and for professional advice at Barbara@hudsonriveralliance.org.

Barbara recommended that Roundtable discussions could be held in the local communities to explore and understand the issues and the potential remedies, with support from the Alliance. The local codes could be analyzed to determine deficiencies.

She recalled that she had worked on an Intermunicipal Planning Partnership, consisting of all the municipalities in the Valley; and that Russell Urban-Meade, the Hydrogeologist, had prepared a draft of water protection measures.

Kathy Schibanoff: Kathy was present and confirmed that this draft Intermuncipal Agreement had been written, and was available. She and Barbara urged interested members of the Forum to obtain copies and to pursue this proposal. Kathy had been the former chairman of this Partnership.

Mayor Matt Alexander: Mayor of Village of Wappingers Falls

Mayor Alexander delivered a strong case for the regulation of environmental threats at the municipal level. He cited the Village of Wappingers Falls as an ideal “Poster Child for the Lack of Environmental Protection and its Eventual Costs to Taxpayers”.

He began his presentation with a brief history of the Village: How the significant feature of Wappingers Lake was constructed during the 1940s, in the deepest basin area in the Village. However, there was no planning to address the run off from the extensive upstream development that took place following the lake’s creation. Within a relatively short period of time, the lake filled with sedimentation and pollution carried by all the stormwater run off, and before long the recreational uses of the lake came to an end: like swimming, boating, fishing. Along Rt. 9, the extensive parking lots were covered with impervious surfaces (pavement), and that run off, with no remediation, and contaminated with petroleum products, also was discharged to the former lake.

Due to the changes in the hydrology, and the pollution, the Village wells, which were nearby, became unusable, and the Village had to resort to the temporary use of City of Poughkeepsie water. The Village will, however, need to develop its own permanent water supply, and its treatment. A six million dollar bond issue to pay for that is currently in the pipeline.

Flooding issues are also a growing problem. Recently, an extensive area of low lying, low income housing required emergency evacuation due to flooding. Many families required assistance to move them to safe higher elevations, and temporary housing. The elderly are those most commonly affected by such emergencies.

An estimated 10 ½ million dollars will be required to remediate the downstream areas. Overall, Mayor Alexander estimates the total cost to the Village at over $25 million, for all the proposed remediation.

In summary, Mayor Alexander stressed that Watershed Remediation costs are staggering to the public and to local municipalities. Failure to protect natural resources with sensible regulations will cost a ton of money to address at a later time, and can be the cause of a great deal of avoidable human hardship. Mayor Alexander can be reached at matt@wappingersfalls.gov

As the Forum wrapped up, HVA Director Shoumatoff, told the attendees that they would all receive information from the former Harlem Valley Intermunicipal Council that would direct them and encourage the formation of a permanent Intermunicipal Agency to follow up on the work and recommendations of the former Council.

The detailed results of the baseline water tests, can be obtained from HVA, toniashoumatoff@HVA.org

Sibyll Gilbert is a resident of Pawling, a member of the Baseline Studies Advisory Committee, Vice President of The Oblong Land Conservancy, and a member of the Pawling Conservation Advisory Board

Water Quality Assessment of the Swamp River - Part II

This is the second in a three-part series that records the proceedings of an important gathering at The Inn at Dover Furnace in Dover on June 4, 2011 that addressed local water quality issues. Over 40 members of the public were in attendance and included a few municipal officials

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) sponsored this strategic meeting of Harlem Valley Communities to share in this forum, which included the results of important water studies and related information applicable to our public and private water supplies in the Harlem Valley. The Baseline Water Studies and the costs of the Forum, were funded by Iroquois Gas, Constellation Energy, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, Pawling Corporation, Benjamin Companies, and Cary Institute.

Tonia Shoumatoff, Director of the New York Office of HVA, made the introductions of the panel of distinguished experts. HVA, she explained, is the oldest watershed resource non-profit organization protecting water resources in this area. HVA operates in the several states into which the Housatonic River watershed extends. The New York State office opened in 2004 and HVA’s mission is to achieve a balance between development and resource protection.

We continue our reports on the presentations:

Dr. David Strayer, Freshwater Mussel Scientist:

Dr. Strayer speculated on the disappearance of the Pearly Mussels population from the Swamp River. An examination of the life histories of these species, numbering about 10 different ones, sheds some light on the mystery. That they once existed, in the Swamp River, can be established by shell remains. In some parts of the U.S. a large button industry flourished in the old days, utilizing enormous quantities of the varied species of freshwater mussels. Pearly mussels were also an important food source, and are still used today for buttons and the production of freshwater pearls.

The Pearlies once helped to cleanse the waters of the Swamp River, because being filter feeders, they performed this important function. Dr. Strayer told us that these creatures live as long as we do! They do not mature until about the age of 8 to 10 years, and can live to be 100 years. They require fish to reproduce, in a remarkable adaptation of symbiotic cooperation. Pearly mussels are expiring throughout eastern New York, due to more aggressive species of introduced crayfish, poorer water quality in the sediments where the mussels live, excessive nitrogen from pollution and the development of a particular form of poisonous nitrogen. Baby mussels survive in the South Flow of the Swamp, probably due to the increased acidity.

Dr. Stuart Findlay: Salinization

Dr. Findlay stressed that urban environments are the worst for aquatic life, due to increased pollution, lack of pre-treatment and other factors. In general, amphibian populations (frogs, salamanders), are the most sensitive to pollution, and fish are much tougher). Growing salinization (salt) levels are a very serious problem, affecting the human population as well as animal and plants. This growing problem in the Great Swamp watershed is crossing the (safe) threshold at this time, and actions must be taken now to prevent the need to implement very expensive alternative measures.

The baseline water chemistry produced a critical surprise: during the summer months, it was assumed that most of the salt in the surface water systems would flush out. But, it seems, possibly due to the poor levels of flushing in the Valley’s waters, due to the low gradients, that the salt lingers and accumulates. Much of the salt that is applied to area roads, does not flush out. There are actually higher and growing concentrations of salt in the water environment during the summer months.

Peak concentrations are in the summer, and that is when the most sensitive life forms of baby animals in the aquatic environment are present.

80% of salinization is estimated to be attributable to road salt. 5-10% comes from water softeners, and about 1% comes from treated sewage systems. The Cary Institute has been working on this issue and has been assisting other communities in Dutchess County with technical advice. Go to: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.org. There are better ways of using road salts.

At the present rate of salinization, our groundwater in Pawling could be undrinkable within a mere 40 years. Pawling has the lowest rate of flushing action.

Reducing the use of salt saves the taxpayers money. The State highway, Route 22, sends untreated salt water directly into the Swamp River. Route 55 crosses the Swamp in two areas, and Route 292 sends salted run-off to the Swamp’s tributary wetlands and streams. The State Department of Highways (DOT) applies pure salt to these roads. Dover Deputy Superintendent, Christopher Galayda, told us that the Town of Dover has reduced salt use significantly, on their town roads, by using a mix ratio of 3 parts sand to one part salt, and that this has been effective and has saved significant costs. We also learned that the Town of Fishkill, purchased a new computerized salt applicator, which reduces the salt applied to the road to a minimum required to maintain safety. The cost of this equipment is shared by a neighboring town. The equipment was recommended by Cary Institute. Private contractors who sand/salt private roads, are also in need of education.

The detailed results of the baseline water tests, can be obtained from HVA, toniashoumatoff@HVA.org

###

Sibyll Gilbert is a resident of Pawling, a member of the Baseline Studies Advisory Committee, Vice President of The Oblong Land Conservancy, and a member of the Pawling Conservation Advisory Board.

Water Quality Assessment of the Swamp River - Part I

This is the first in a three-part series that records the proceedings of an important gathering at The Inn at Dover Furnace in Dover on June 4, 2011 that addressed local water quality issues. Over 40 members of the public were in attendance and included a few municipal officials

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) sponsored this strategic meeting of Harlem Valley Communities to share in this forum, which included the results of important water studies and related information applicable to our public and private water supplies in the Harlem Valley. The Baseline Water Studies and the costs of the Forum, were funded by Iroquois Gas, Constellation Energy, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, Pawling Corporation, Benjamin Companies, and Cary Institute.

Presentations were made by Dr. Jim Utter of FrOGS, Drs. William Schlesinger, David Strayer and Stuart Findlay of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Barbara Kendall of the Hudson Rover Watershed Alliance and Matt Alexander, Mayor of Wappinger’s Falls.

Tonia Shoumatoff, Director of the New York Office of HVA, made the introductions of the panel of distinguished experts. HVA, she explained, is the oldest watershed resource non-profit organization protecting water resources in this area. HVA operates in the several states into which the Housatonic River watershed extends. The New York State office opened in 2004 and HVA’s mission is to achieve a balance between development and resource protection.

Dr. Jim Utter, the chairman of Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) was first on the agenda, with his talk on “The Interdependence of Man and Nature”.

Dr. Utter went on to explain the great size of the Great Swamp, which protects it to some extent, but it sprawls across 3 towns and one village, extending for about 20 miles in length. Because of this length, it has extensive edges, and it is these edges that are so vulnerable to degradation. The southernmost areas tend to be more acidic due to the bed rock conditions, but in the center of the Harlem Valley, conditions are very alkaline and rare plants abound in this environment. The south flow moves in a southerly direction, from Dutcher Avenue, located in the Village of Pawling. At Dutcher, on the western side of the road, the flow moves northerly. This is the divide area. In both directions, the gradient is very slight, which restricts the movement of the waters. It is the sluggishness of the flow that tends to retain the sediments and the pollutants, and transfer these to the groundwaters. Low gradient rivers like the Swamp River (which flows north) create great challenges to flush out the pollutants that they collect.

Dr. Utter spoke at length about the functions and values of the Great Swamp. He stressed the enormous flood stage capacity of the Swamp, and how it traps sediments.

The Great Swamp is the largest red maple swamp in New York. The Burton Brook Watershed, in Dover, is the largest drainage area in the North Flow. Any pollutant that enters a stream can find its way into the Swamp and pollute. Preventing pollutants from entering streams is the easiest way to protect the Swamp and the Groundwater.

FrOGS started a Biologic Stream Monitoring (Analysis of Macro Benthic Invertebrates) Project this past year, at 6 selected sites on the Swamp River and its tributaries. An analysis of certain stream insect larvae, like mayflies and caddis flies can tell us a great deal about the health of the water and its suitability for sustaining living organisms. In Pawling, results at Murrow Park and downstream at the base of Corbin Hill, the two the testing sites in Pawling, received passing grades, but showed some degradation.

Dr. William Schlesinger, President, Cary Institute:

Baseline water samples were taken at representative streams in the Great Swamp, from Spring to Fall during 2010. Five (5) sampling sites were chosen by an advisory committee, consisting of persons from the affected communities who were familiar with the science. The samples were tested for their water chemistry by the lab at Cary Institute and by a contract lab for controls: the results were very similar. This is a hard water system, with a high ph, in the North Flow. Allowing for the expected, due to this chemistry, there were a few surprises, related mostly to the salinity, which will be addressed by the reporter who follows, Dr. Findlay. Overall, the worst pollution, not surprisingly, was found in the Village of Pawling discharges, due to the urban run off, and the large amount of salting, and the reduced flows.

Dr. Schlesinger stated that tracking down the sources of pollution that were discovered should be undertaken to see how they can be addressed.

The reports of the presentations of the other speakers at the forum will follow in further issues of this newspaper.

The detailed results of the baseline water tests, can be obtained from HVA, toniashoumatoff@HVA.org

Contributed by Sibyll Gilbert, a member of the Baseline Studies Advisory Committee, Vice President of The Oblong Land Conservancy, and a member of the Pawling Conservation Advisory Board

For The Birds

The news from Beebe in Arkansas, Point Coupee in Louisiana and, indeed, Sweden is troublesome if you are a bird lover. By the time you read this we will probably know more but it sounds as though in the case of the Beebe event it was trauma associated with fireworks that caused all these red-winged blackbirds to literally drop out of the sky. In an effort to avoid the explosions the birds are believed to have flown at low altitudes and collided with things not normally in their flight paths. It seems that these events involving mass die-offs are not so rare. This leads to another disturbing aspect concerning our feathered friends – there seems to be far fewer of them around the bird feeders this year. At least it seems that way when viewed from your Editor’s perch.

This could be put down to a variety of causes including different food. However, we have used the same supplier for years. It could be the weather since that has been more than usually capricious. But neither of these seems to provide a satisfactory answer since the demands placed upon our bird feeders over the last few years have been declining. We have no scientific data to back this up but there are definitely fewer birds and nothing like the same variety. Perhaps something else is at work.

Recently we were lent a rather interesting book entitled Bringing Nature Homeby Douglas W. Tallamy. He is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. Tallamy has authored dozens of articles on the relationship between plants and insects and his book provides some real insight into sustainable biodiversity. The point in issue is the unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife.

The relationship between the impact of development, habitat destruction and the impact of invasive or non-native plant species does not seem to have attracted a lot of attention thus far. Tallamy does sterling work in drawing together a lot of the disparate research and how it all plays into, for example, how many birds there are squabbling to get to the sunflower seeds or the suet cake suspended outside our windows.

The principal point that is made concerns the importance of plant life. One does not often think about this but it is vegetation in its multiplicity of varieties that sustains most of the higher forms of life on the planet. Without plants and the miracle of photosynthesis there would be no oxygen and precious little to eat. The sun’s energy gets converted to plant life, which in turn gets consumed by all sorts of things, including us.

The essential message seems to be that there are fewer birds around because there is less food for their young. This makes sense when one considers that the principal source of food for young birds is insects which operate as a kind of vehicle for transforming leaves into something much more appetizing and nutritious. How many adult birds does one see feeding its young dandelion leaves as opposed to caterpillars or spiders?

It turns out that insects are at least as picky eaters as most of us. If the right kind of vegetation does not exist the insect moves on or dies out and the source of nourishment that it provides to others up the food chain vanishes. This means that those that rely on insects for their sustenance either have to skip town or adapt.

This is a key point. As invasive or non-native species of plants establish a beachhead in an area so they drive out the natives with all sorts of unintended consequences.

By way of example Tallamy notes that many suburban gardens sporting well manicured lawns and generously appointed flower beds are as damaging to the delicate balance of native flora and fauna as filling in a wetland. Many of the non-native plants, shrubs and trees that we plant are not readily digestible by many of the participants in the complex web of life that makes up our ecosystem. They may look nice but they do not provide an appropriate source of food. Just think of those acres of lawns in the countless sub-divisions across the nation that are now inhospitable to countless forms of insect life.

One of the questions that may arise is what is an invasive? Fair question but there is no easy answer. The mere fact that something has been established here for 100 years does not make it a native in the eyes of a hungry caterpillar. It turns out that most insects adapt their diets at a glacial pace, if at all.

One of the telling tables in the book reveals that Clematis vitalbahosts some 40 species of herbivore in its host country. Yet, despite having been in North America for 100 years it supports only a single herbivore. Phragmites australis, that bane of pond owners has been here over 300 years. At home in Europe it supports some 170 species but only 5 species of herbivore here. So, if you are an insect partial to whatever Phrag has displaced you are out of luck and so is everything else that forms part of the food web of which that insect was itself a part.

So where does this leave us? The title of Tallamy’s book gives us a clue; bring Nature home. At its most simplistic it means simply planting natives rather than nonnative plant species. That will support the food web that is necessary to feed the bugs that will feed the birds. The point is that just as that famous spiritual poem tells us . . . the leg bone is connected to the knee bone . . . we are all connected to everything else.

Chris Wood

Chairman

Land Jenga

This simple game will be known to many. The idea is that you construct a small tower out of 54 small wooden blocks, three per layer, with each successive layer at right angles to the one below it to afford stability. Any number of players may participate and the game is to remove, using one hand only, a block at a time. Each player gets to remove one block per turn and the player that brings down the tower loses. Blocks can be removed from any level of the tower and a really steady hand is an advantage.

The game comes in a rather attractive multi-colored box with some simple instructions in a number of languages. On the bottom of the box there is some sort of recommendation or caution. For one reason or another it does not appear in English so perhaps it only applies to German, Dutch and Spanish speakers. There are also some statements in some languages that confirm that the toy meets certain safety standards. The multi-lingual approach confirms the universality of the game.

For those who have played Jenga they know that the first few blocks can be removed fairly readily. A deft hand is required but they slide out easily. Obviously, as the game proceeds it gets progressively more difficult to identify the blocks that can safely be removed. It is also clear that after a certain point, a player cannot be certain that having begun to remove a block the edifice will continue to stand after its removal. Experienced players will know the feeling as the tower starts to sway but somehow manages to stay upright although clearly far from stable. It may be that a few more blocks can get removed, with care, before the whole thing comes tumbling down. However, there always comes a point where the tower collapses.

According to a 2002 inventory of major land uses some 26% of the U.S is given over to grassland and pasture, 20% to cropland and about 13% to some form of urban and suburban development. This means that about 60% of the land area is subject to some sort of active human management. To a lesser extent this may also apply to the 29% given over to forest uses. This means that a very large proportion of the land in the U.S. is subject to some sort of periodic human intervention with only a relatively small area that could be considered as wild and undisturbed habitat. Why is this of interest?

Well, in an urban or suburban context virtually all the natural undisturbed habitat has been compromised. Of course there are parks and lawns and other open spaces but they are hardly wild. This means that the original inhabitants, be they plant, insect, bird or animal, have decamped to another location; or more likely become functionally extinct. How many of us have homes that sport a verdant sward of lawn kept in a bug-free condition by the copious application of pesticides, herbicides and who knows what else. Result – a largely sterile parcel of land from which only the hardiest species of flora and fauna can eke out an existence. Where are the butterflies, the insects, the amphibians?

The land under the plough is not much different. The influence of the industrialization of agriculture demands the use of chemicals to control pests and weeds. Indeed, the creation of large areas given over to a single crop reduces the variety of life that can subsist in its midst.

This is no small matter and it is all about biodiversity. However one looks at it, species are being eradicated at an alarming rate. Nature is a truly remarkable thing; there is something occupying every conceivable crevice on the planet. Take plants, for example. Most require a particular type of habitat and as that habitat changes as a result of the development pressure exerted by us (and of course, climate change – also down to us in some measure) so particular types of plant, bush or tree are no longer viable in a particular location. Invasive species move in that may, for example, leaf out earlier thus precluding the natives from getting established at the start of the growing season. This means not only the loss of the native plant life but also the food source that was relied upon by insects, birds and other animals up the food chain. In fact, it is not so much a matter of a chain but rather that of a web. Everything is interconnected. As Professor James Lovelock, Edward O. Wilson and others have pointed out the planet is a finely balanced self-regulating organism and we interfere with her natural processes at our peril.

As plant variety changes so does the rest of the web upon which it was reliant. In few cases can native wildlife adapt in the short term to a new diet provided by non-native plants. So, being unable to eat the leaves of the new plant species the insect population becomes less diversified, the birds that rely upon the insects to feed themselves and rear their young also diminish in number and variety. And so it goes.

The diversified natural world, upon which we are totally and utterly reliant, is having its building blocks removed. How long before we figure this out and, as Jenga players know, we pass the point at which the tower loses its innate stability.

Chris Wood

Chairman

H.S. students in joint conservation project

The bright sunny weather of Saturday May 7th was perfect for working outdoors, which is exactly how a group of volunteers spent the morning. A line of cars could be seen parked along the unpaved portion of Cushman Road in Pawling just beside the Oblong Land Conservancy’s (OLC) Cushman Road conservation easement.

Pawling High School student volunteers, as well as some parents, came out to help members of OLC, the Pawling Conservation Advisory Board (CAB), the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) and the Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA) clear away garbage, dig out invasive plant species like Russian olive, Eurasian honeysuckle, and multiflora rose, which were replaced by native plant species such as pussy willows, northern red oaks, eastern white pine and elderberry.

The portion of the 200 acre easement that volunteers worked on is known as a fen, or a low land area which is covered, wholly or partially, with water. The project attempts to protect the land from rapidly growing invasive plant species that overtake native species, which negatively impact plants, animals and amphibians. Replacing these invasive species with native plants will preserve the ecosystem.

Student volunteers Taylor Dolce, Jandy Torres and Jimmy Boo, as part of their environmental studies class, have been working on a class project focused on solving local environmental issues that relate to watershed and municipal water supplies. The students were encouraged by their teacher, Lucille Prendergast, to team up with community organizations, such as OLC and the CAB.

A large amount of trash was cleared and a huge pile of invasives was also removed to make way for the planting of approximately 40 new trees and shrubs generously donated by WAC and ELLA through the good offices of Mike Purcell of the CAB.

The volunteers from PHS were Kayla Barnard, Jimmy Boo, Michelle Bissett, Gabrielle McGrath, Will Webber and Jandy Torres. They were joined by Jandy’s mother and brother, Kevin Torres, Gabrielle’s father Pat, Lucy Prendergast, Mike Purcell of the CAB, Brendan Murphy of the WAC and Sibyll Gilbert & Chris Wood of the OLC.

by Callye Rose for The Pawling Press

OLC's First Saturday 5/7 at SMP - Bird ID List

OLC teamed up with Audubon New York educator Larry Federman for “Birding 101 – Basic Birding Techniques,” a guided walk through prime bird habitat, including an upland cedar grove and the Great Swamp floodplain.

It was the height of migratory bird season, and the walk focused on learning bird identification by sight and sound. Larry is an accomplished photographer and enjoys sharing his techniques.

Number of species: 55

Canada Goose 5
Wood Duck 1
Mallard 1
Wild Turkey 1
Great Blue Heron 8
Turkey Vulture 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Virginia Rail 2
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 3
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 4
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 9
American Crow 3
Tree Swallow 9
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 4
Cedar Waxwing 3
Blue-winged Warbler 6
Northern Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 3
Ovenbird 4
Common Yellowthroat 3
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 3
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Baltimore Oriole 10
American Goldfinch 3

Pine Island Hike - January 30th

Sunday, January 30th 1 - 4 PM

Naturalist led hike across the ice and snow (weather permitting) to explore the Rocky Ridge of Pine Island. Number of participants is limited to 20 and participants must be over 12 years old. Departure location depends on weather conditions. Hike is moderately strenuous so be prepared for some climbing.

Call Judy Kelley-Moberg at 845-878-7740 to reserve your space. Reservations a Must!

for more info - see the F.R.O.G.S. site

Pine Island is the jewel of the Great Swamp. The island's gnarled lumps of granite rise like a great dark whale out of a sea of red maples. It has served as a hideaway and a haven for wildlife and its human inhabitants. A visual focal point from all sides of the valley, it represents the "heart " of the Great Swamp. Hemlocks and hardwoods dominate the steed slopes. The evergreens and uplands forest here are sought as nesting sites by many upland songbirds that normally would nest in other areas. As it can only be reached by water, Pine Island retains some of the wild isolation with crags and cliffs covered with ferns and the towering hemlocks. Bobcat, fox and coyote find good den sites while hawks and owls roost in the evergreens. One lone pine can be found on the entire island. At the southern end, Muddy Brook joins the East Branch Croton River.

Pine Island and History

After the last great ice sheets melted back to Canada about 10,000 years ago, Pine Island must have been surrounded by a shallow lake from Quaker Hill to Cornwall Hill. The swamp and river were filled with fish, beaver, otter and wildfowl of all kinds. The first human inhabitants, probably hunters traveling toward the Long Island shell beds left stone tools and pottery shards along all ridgeline travel routes and probably hunted in the Swamp. More colorful "residents' hid in the Swamp from colonial officials trying to capture them. From 1740 to the 1750's an infamous band of Counterfeiters called the "Oblong Gang" or the "Dover Money Club" used the Piney Swamp as a hideout when hounded by officials from over the border in Connecticut. They passed fake New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island currency back and forth between the various states. After countless captures and amazing escapes, these members, who were related to some of the area's earliest settlers broke up the gang in 1756, and Sullivan, the talented engraver was hanged.