WESTMORELAND
CONSERVANCY NEWSLETTER
We are currently in the process improving our web pages, and now have a new domain name: www.westmorelandconservancy.org. Our new e-mail address is contact@westmorelandconservancy.org and will appear at the bottom of each web page. By the time you get this newsletter, these changes will be complete. New Look, New Content, including:
· Stunning new photos taken by members
· Conservancy corner articles by Dick Byers
· PayPal Memberships and Donations done directly from our new membership page
· News page where we keep you up to date
· Coming events with a clickable calendar
· History page contains more detailed accounts and backgrounds of some of our reserves
· More maps and descriptions of our nature reserves
· We are expanding our related links section
· More newsletters are available online
· Even a 'Trees' section with interesting pages like a Nature Reserve Botanical Survey
We are committed to keeping these pages up to date and as exciting as possible. We hope you take the time to visit and enjoy our new web pages and look forward to your comments and input.
Rain or shine. Join us
for monthly walks and informal chats
in various parks and nature reserves in Murrysville. Plan with
friends to
meet at the park and then go somewhere for breakfast after the walk.
Co-sponsored by Murrysville Recreation and Westmoreland Conservancy. No
fee;
just call Recreation Director Michele Clarke to let her know if you are
coming.
(724-327-2100, Ext. 115.) Leave your name and telephone number
Spring 2004 Dinner with
The Westmoreland Conservancy
Saturday, May 15th is the date of our Dinner with the Westmoreland Conservancy. It will be held at Tivoli’s on Rodi Road at 6pm. and is open to all members and interested parties. Guest speaker will be Dr. Walter Carson, an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. See insert for menu and reservation information (click here), as well as a brief description of Dr. Carson’s projects, credits and interests. Please join us, and bring a friend!
At the end
of his book "The Lord of the Rings," J.R.R. Tolkien describes the
Hobbits, as heroes, returning home to the Shire to find many of their
prized
trees destroyed, replaced by developments and factories. Through the
magic of
the Elf Galadriel, the Hobbit Sam restores all of the lost trees in one
year's
time, including one large and glorious Mallorn tree.
Somehow,
when reading this story, the imagery immediately brought to my mind was
of the
fate of the American Chestnut Tree. While man's development and logging
certainly has caused havoc to trees in general, in the case of the
American
Chestnut tree, it has been a blight introduced at the beginning of the
20th
century which has brought about its near demise. In the last century we
have
lost over 4 billion of these real-life grand and glorious trees. Except
for
very small shoots, virtually all trees in the eastern half of North
America are
gone, and of the larger trees in the mid-west, only a few stands
remain, and
those have recently become infected by the blight.
Many
have been searching for a way to save and even restore the American
Chestnut trees. Rather than the magic of Elves, they have employed
scientific
research to achieve this goal. Recently the American Chestnut
Foundation (www.acf.org) has embarked
upon a promising
journey to develop a hybrid Chestnut tree, which is 94% American and 6%
Chinese. By producing many of these trees they hope to statistically
chance
upon an almost pure American Chestnut hybrid which retains only the one
characteristic of the Chinese Chestnut which makes it resistant to the
blight.
They predict that in 5 to 10 years we may see the return of the
king
of Eastern North American trees to our woods and forests. Let us cross
our
fingers and roll up our sleeves.
Just
as in the world of the Shire, as described by Tolkien, a living
memory of an old age may continue into a new age. In fiction it was the
Mallorn, but in our reality the American Chestnut, with any luck and
diligence,
shall be that living memory, reintroduced into all our intensely
colored
forests that remain.
I have personally been interested in Chestnut trees since I was a small boy. My grandfather had a large, spreading Chinese Chestnut tree in his yard. As a gardener he taught me much about things that are green and grow. Every autumn, we would enjoy collecting the Chestnuts, and roast them in the oven. Just as I suppose is so of most grandparents, mine would let me have most of the nuts myself. Since that time I have always collected nuts from Chestnut trees anywhere I could find them. Thirteen years ago I discovered five trees in Northmoreland Park. Every fall I go there still, my family helps me pick up the nuts just for the fun of it, I am the only one who actually likes to eat them. I have also been planting the nuts almost every fall. I have one tree on my own property that is now thirteen years old, and various others that range from there to young seedlings. One of my favorite aromas is that of the Chestnuts in bloom around early summer.
I
do quite a lot of hiking in various woods around the area, including
the woods beside my own property. I have seen Chestnut trees which I
have
rather suspected to be American Chestnut trees. None of these are very
big,
they are slender and for their size quite tall, they range from about
two to
eight inches in diameter. I read a few years back about their plight,
and of
efforts to restore them. At the time I never paid much attention,
except to
pause at the foot of few Chestnut trees in the woods that I have seen,
to pay
my respect to a once mighty king, and reflect upon what it might have
been like
to have seen these trees when they were grand. I can only imagine that
same
aroma I enjoy now from Chinese Chestnuts in June, wafting at one time
many
years ago all through the woods. That must have been something
wonderful to
experience.
Recently,
because of joining the Westmoreland
Conservancy, I became interested in the plight of the American
Chestnut in
a more tangible way. After doing much research on the web, I memorized
the
characteristics which distinguish the American Chestnut from various
other
varieties. My plan is to go back to the parks and woods where I know of
these
few trees to try to identify and verify, beyond my mere original
suspicion,
that these are really what I think they are. There is one tree in Duff
Park on
Trillium Trail just beyond the bridge. Another is in Townsend Park.
There were
once four of these trees in the woods near my house. Two have since
died,
indicative of the stories I have heard, that the trees will grow only
to a
certain age. One of the two that died, around 8 years ago, was larger
than the
rest, and actually did produce nuts in the final year before it died. I
wish
back then, that I had the knowledge I do now, and had tried to identify
the
burs and nuts from that tree. The tree still stands, I hike by it all
the time,
a no longer living memory, yet I feel blessed to have once known it.
Spring Migration Outing
If you’re
looking for something fun, perhaps even educational, here’s something
to
consider. Crane Creek, a bird refuge and wildlife sanctuary near
Sandusky,
Ohio, is a wonderful place to see all kinds of birds as they travel
through
their migratory routes OR make their homes within McGee Marshes. If you’re interested in joining a group to
bird-watch or take pictures Saturday, May 8th, contact Shelly Tichy at
724-325-5523 or e-mail at baghera@adelphia.net.
We can either head up the evening before, plan to leave Murrysville by
3 AM, or
pass along maps and meet there.
President's Report
April 2003 - April 2004
We are pleased that the Murrysville
Council recently voted five to two in favor of retaining municipal
property on
Pleasant Valley Road as parkland. To
sell or not to sell Pleasant Valley Park was a hotly debated issue and
council
did an excellent job of creating a format that gave everyone an
opportunity to
make his or her views known in a calm and orderly manner.
Preserving PV Park is significant. It
encompasses in one parcel nearly as much
acreage as the Conservancy has managed to protect from development in
twelve
years.
As most of you are aware, Council was
considering selling this large tract of land in order to fund amenities
at the
new Community Park. The Conservancy’s
winter newsletter informed our membership of this possibility and many
of you
responded. Members of our Conservancy
and others in the community voiced their objection to the sale of this
public
land through email, notes and by speaking at the public hearing portion
of
council meetings. The Conservancy
presented two statements urging that the land remain public green
space;
providing well-researched and relevant arguments to support that
position.
While
we are pleased that PV Park
will remain as green space, we also recognize the contributions to
quality of
life that active recreational opportunities provide.
Murrysville is in need of funds to help develop the Community Park and would
welcome any
suggestions you may have.
Last September the Westmoreland
Conservancy’s booth at Murrysville’s Summer Celebration was one of the
most
popular at the event. Plumline Nursery
loaned us trees and plants for the day and consequently our area looked
like an
oasis on the tent-filled grounds. Many
visitors came into the Conservancy space where they enjoyed the
interactive
live reptile display, the first annual Hometown Photo Contest and
Conservancy
literature and apparel. Many thanks go
out to all the Conservancy volunteers who worked to make this event a
success. We value the opportunity to
participate in
this outreach and educational activity, and look forward to it every
year.
The Conservancy has two exciting Eagle
Scout projects underway. Tim Forrester
of Troop 208 is preparing to build three deer exclosures; one on the
McGinnis
Nature Reserve and the other two in the King Reserve.
The purpose of these structures is to study the effects of deer
browsing on the forest ecosystem. Scott
Ackman, of Troop 206, is currently designing a walking bridge across
Pearson
Creek in the Potter’s Corner section of the King Reserve near Sloan
Elementary
School. We are grateful to these
Scouts for the valuable contribution that these projects will make to
our
reserves.
Conservancy members enjoyed several
opportunities to get to know each other better. At
membership dinner in late April at the Mountain View Inn,
Court Gould, Founder and Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh gave an
interesting
presentation. Attendees were treated
to a magnificent display of flowering trees and shrubs as the planning
committee for this dinner made great use of what nature had to offer at
the
time. In August, a casual picnic in Townsend Park, and
the Fall
Membership Walk were held; the latter on a sunny day under a canopy of
color in
the McGinnis Nature Reserve. This walk, however, was lightly attended
and we
sent everyone home with leftover refreshments.
Please consider attending the walk this fall- it’s a fun
activity for a
lazy Sunday afternoon.
People surfing the World Wide Web can
now visit a new Westmoreland Conservancy website (www.westmorelandconservancy.org
). It has additional information and a
more professional look thanks to the generosity of two talented people: Joseph Brady, a web designer from
Pittsburgh, and Doug Bauman, a new Conservancy member.
Joe designed a sample homepage for us about
the same time that Doug joined our conservancy.
Doug is very skilled with the computer and was able to take
Joe’s great design and move ahead from that point, creatively adding a
calendar
page of upcoming events, a page of photographs by our own small group
of
budding nature photographers, and much more.
We’re excited to introduce you to this new look- please check it
out and
offer us any suggestions you may have as this is a work in progress. Perhaps you’d like to offer some of your own
photographs, or interesting wildlife stories.
Our Conservancy has always functioned
through the talents, hard work and generosity of people who care deeply
about
conservation. Thank you for supporting
the Westmoreland Conservancy as we work to preserve natural areas for
the
benefit of biodiversity, wildlife habitat and contribution to the
quality of
life of the people of our area, now and for years to come.
Cary M. Bohl, President
For those who enjoy bicycling or hiking and would like to visit
our
nation's capital, there is a trail in the works leading from Pittsburgh
International Airport to Washington, DC along the Great Allegheny
Passage. This
is being made possible by a coalition of seven rails to trails
organizations
known as the Allegheny Trail Alliance. The Great Allegheny Passage is a
152-mile
bicycle/walking trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD that will
eventually
link to the C & O Canal Towpath, a trail that leads to Washington,
DC.
Eventually the total length of the trail will be 335 miles! For
event
calendar, trail construction updates, help with planning long trips,
printable
maps, and other resources, visit the Allegheny Trail Alliance's Web
site at: www.atatrail.org.
P.O. Box 446
Murrysville, PA 15668
Calendar
of Events
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Westmoreland Conservancy
2003 Board of
Governors/Officers
Officers:
Cary Bohl: President
Mount Fitzpatrick: Vice
President
Joanna Franz: Secretary
Cindy McCormick: Treasurer
Governors:
Katie Blackmore, Paul Bramson, Dick Byers, Charles Conway, Don Harrison,
Shelly Tichy, Richard
Wagner, Theo van de Venne
The 2004
Annual Meeting and Election will be held Wednesday, April 28th.
As
always, the meetings are open, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Meetings are held the 4th Wednesday of each month at the
Murrysville
Library at 7:30 pm.
Contact Numbers
Volunteers
for Walters Reserve work on Wiestertown Rd., please call Theo
van de
Venne at 724-733-2770.
Volunteers
for McGinnis Reserve work on Hunter Drive, call Shelly Tichy 724-325-5523.
Support us and the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas project (Carnegie Museum) by purchasing this T-shirt
Click
here for details..