Muhlenberg
Bulletin
c/o The
President:
Mike Slater (610-775-3757)Board
Members:
Vice
Pres: Joan King (717-284-5239)Cathy
Cholmeley-Jones
Secretary
and Newsletter Editor: Matt
Dilley
Ruthann Richards (717-872-7574) Tim Draude
Treasurer:
John Wolff (717-569-6955)Kathy
Tyson
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE:
We have many great programs
and field trips planned for 2008, but I want to especially call your attention
to the March meeting, where Dr. Douglas Tallamy will speak about the vital
importance of native plants to suburban landscaping. Native plants are declining due
to habitat loss and competition from invasive alien plants, insects and
diseases. As native plants disappear from around our homes, we plant mostly
alien plants that are unpalatable to native insects; those insects are in turn
the basis of the food web and support the birds and other wildlife we enjoy.
With
150 species of plants and animals already lost from Pennsylvania and another
800 species threatened or endangered, it is clear that we must change our
approach to landscaping if we hope to create homes and food for local biodiversity.
Native plants will play a key role in the restoration of our living spaces
because only natives provide the co-evolved relationships required by animals.
By supporting a diversity of insect herbivores, native plants provide food for
a large and healthy community of natural enemies that keep herbivores in
balance and our gardens aesthetically pleasing. This is a program we need to share with friends and neighbors so all of
us learn why we should plantnative plants in our yards.
An exciting project which Dr.
Chris Hardy, Botany Professor of Millersville University, has asked Muhlenberg
members to help with is that of the Wiki-Plant Atlas Project of PA—a proposed
online atlas of Pennsylvania flora. Its purpose is to increase the knowledge of
plants in Pennsylvania
and help conserve plants in the state. An online PowerPoint presentation of the
proposal is at http://herbarium.millersville.edu/slideshow/.
In mid-December Tim Draude, Dr. Larry Klotz and I met with Chris Hardy and his
co-Project Leader Nazli Mollah, Professor of Computer Sciences at Millersville,
to learn about this exciting proposal
On every field trip
we take as a society or as individuals, we gather plant occurrence information
in our heads, with our cameras and our notebooks. We have been putting our trip
plant lists online in the last few years, thanks to Joan King's record keeping,
but that data isn't usable in any scientific fashion. The Wiki-Plant Atlas
Project of PA is a “citizen science” initiative designed to enable individuals
and groups like the Muhlenberg Society to contribute plant occurrence records,
with photographs (or occasionally specimens), and help validate and update
other records. Our love of plants and enjoyment of seeing them in the field can
thus contribute to plant species conservation in the wild. We will learn more
about this at the winter workshop.
A number of members have indicated they would rather receive the newsletter ONLY by e-mail. Would all who prefer that method please e-mail me (mslater@voicenet.com)? Indicate whether you want to receive a .pdf file attached to an e-mail or you just want notification of when the newsletter is posted at http://paplantings.blogspot.com/.Mike Slater
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
This issue of the newsletter contains listings of all programs and field trips for the remainder of the 2007-08 year, as well as the winter workshop. Note that not all information is available on all field trips since some are contingent on weather or other conditions; also note that members must register or otherwise provide input for a couple of the field trips in advance. We will send out an updated list including changes or additional information in late May or early June. Anyone having information to be included in that newsletter should submit it to the secretary by May 15, preferably by e-mail (rlrichards2@peoplepc.com).
Winter Botany Workshop:Saturday,
February 2, 2008, 10am to 12 noon, James C. Parks Herbarium at
Muhlenberg
member Dr. Chris Hardy will provide an introduction to the Parks Herbarium and
show us how specimens (some dating back to 1860!) can predict likely new
locations for finding species growing now. That will be followed by group work
with actual herbarium specimens (AND the computer; each group will have at
least one person who is comfortable typing into a PC!).Information to be recorded from our specimen
"database" are species and family name, precise locale, date,
collector's name and number, and condition of the plant (flowering, fruiting,
or sporing).
Then we will
use innovative software to “translate” the location descriptions for each
specimen into latitude and longitude—thereby constructing a digital
distribution map of our specimens. Computer-savvy participants will use a
step-by-step manual, using the geographic coordinates, to make species or
genus-specific biogeographic predictions (e.g., are there counties in which
species are predicted to occur, yet for which no specimens have ever been
documented?).
Space is limited to 24 participants, so please reserve a space in the workshop by calling or e-mailing Mike Slater (610-775-3757 or mslater@voicenet.com). If your schedule is unpre- dictable, feel free to call even a couple of days in advance to find out whether there is still space.
Directions: In Millersville, travel south on
MEETINGSare held at 7:30 on the third
Thursday of the month in the Fred Kinsey Room,
February 21, 2008: Janet Novak,
"The
The landscape of northwestern
By profession a scientific
editor, Janet Novak is also an amateur botanist who lives in
March 20, 2008: Professor Douglas
Tallamy, “Bringing Nature Home”
Prof. Tallamy will explain the following: why we need biodiversity; why we need to change landscaping paradigms to save biodiversity; why animal diversity depends on native plants; and what a sustainable suburban ecosystem might look like.
Doug Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of
Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the
April 17, 2008: Chris KlinedinstFirestone, “Threatened and Endangered Plants of
Ms. Firestone is the Wild Plant Program Manager for the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources/Bureau of Forestry. She is a botanist who is on the Invasive Species Team, who leads native plant walks and who also works with vulnerable plant licensing. She is at present based in Wellsboro and will give a presentation on the Wild Plant Program.
May 15, 2008: Members Night and Plant Exchange
Bring your pictures, slides or digital show to share; we will have a laptop and digital projector set up as well as a carousel slide projector. That will be followed by the traditional plant sharing—one of everyone’s favorite activities. Bring any plants, especially natives, that you wish to share with others. Everyone, whether a plant donor or not, may select plants to take home!
March, date TBA; Lichen Walk
The location and date of this walk will be determined by scouting trips this spring. Therefore, if you are interested, contact Tim Draude, the leader (717-393-7233), who will notify you when he determines where and when the conditions will be best.
Saturday, April 19:
Meet at Musser Grocery Store on Rt. 272 at the Buck, south side of parking lot at 9:00 am. We’ll go Benton Hollow first. Bring your own bag lunch; we’ll return to the cars to eat. In the afternoon we'll visit Haines Station to see the pink Trillium grandiflorum.Each walk is 1 ½ mile round trip, easy to moderate. Trip leader: Joan King(717-284-5239 or jsking1@lycos.com).
Sunday, April 27:
At Nolde we will see astreamside woodland with spring ephemerals
and an upland forest. Easy walking trails, but some hills. After lunch those
who wish to will travel to State Game Lands #52, about 5 miles away on the
Berks Co./Lancaster Co. line (between
Directions from
Take US 222 north, past the PA Turnpike for 2 miles to the NEW
Adamstown-Knauers exit.
Turn Right onto Rte 568 east, go 2 miles. At the traffic light, turn left on
Rt. 625 north. Go approximately 4.25 miles (past
Nolde Entrance). Turn left into the Sawmill parking lot entrance; if you
come to
on the left you have gone too far.
There is no trail along the creek, so some boulder hopping is necessary. We
will park in the big parking area along Edwards Rd. just north of the bridge
over the PA Turnpike. Moderate walk, bring your own bag lunch. Trip leader:
Mike Slater (610-775-3757 or mslater@voicenet.com).
Sunday,May 4: Natural Landscape Nursery
We will visit Jim Plyler's nursery from
10:00 am til ? (
Saturday, May 10: Maria Cattell's
Meet at
June, date TBA: Mosses and
Liverworts in the Susquehanna Glens
Leader: Dr. Susan Munch,
Meet 9:30 at the
Coordinator: Mike Slater (Home: 610 775-3757; Cell: 610 698-4031; e-mail:
mslater@voicenet.com).
June 5th-7th:
Millersville Native Plant Conference
http://www.millersvillenativeplants.org/
Saturday, July 19: Middle Creek
Meet at 10:00 am at the visitor’s
center at
Trip leader Fred Habegger (717-859-2521 or suissefred@yahoo.com)
Possible trip to
Saturday, August 16:
This is a combined trip with
Mason-Dixon Chapter NARGS. Meet at 10:00 AM at the boat launch off
September, date TBA: Barren walk - Trip leader Tim Draude
Sunday, September 21: Red
Hill/Garden visit at Joan King's
Joint trip with Mason-Dixon Chapter NARGS. Meet at 10:00 AM at Red Hill (directions will follow). This is a sunny power cut, and the trail rating is rugged (1 ½ miles round trip, many steep hills). Take your bag lunch on the walk. If you prefer, come just for the garden visit. Trip leader: Joan King (717-284-5239 jsking1@lycos.com).
ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS:
In mid December it was announced that PPL will
transfer 3,500 acres it owns—including the Pinnacle Overlook, Kelly's
Run Gorge, the Pequea Creek, Shenk's Ferry Wildflower Preserve, Otter Creek
Campground, Holtwood Arboretum, and the Lock 12 Historic Area—to the Lancaster
County Conservancy. Long-time Muhlenberg members will remember that there have
been rumors for years that at least parts of this acreage would be sold,
probably for development. According to the Conservancy, the properties are
assessed at $20 million and will more than double its holdings of over 3,000
acres. Those of you who truly appreciate (and are breathing a sigh of relief!)
this news might want to consider sending a note applauding the decision to PPL,
with copies to the Conservancy and to Gov. Ed Rendell, who is instrumental in
having the state invest $2 million to help the Conservancy buy the land.
MEMBERSHIP DUES were payable in September. They are $10.00 per household.If you would like to be contacted by e-mail for occasional spontaneous work days, plant “rescues,” or similar events, please include your e-mail address. At the bottom of the form, please include comments or suggestions for field trips, meetings, or topics you might like to see added to the newsletters. Bring this form to the February meeting or mail it with your dues to
John Wolff
Name:
Address:
City:State:Zip:
Phone:E-mail
address:
Suggestions for speakers, meeting topics, trip destinations, etc.:
If you would rather receive the newsletter ONLY by e-mail. Mike Slater (mslater@voicenet.com). Indicate whether you want to receive a .pdf file attached to an e-mail or you just want notification of when the newsletter is posted here at http://paplantings.blogspot.com/.