WESTMORELAND CONSERVANCY NEWSLETTER
www.westmorelandconservancy.org
April 2006 Editor: Shelly Tichy (724) 325-5523 newsletter@westmorelandconservancy.org
2006 Annual Conservancy Dinner
The 2006 Annual
Conservancy Dinner will be held Sunday, May 7th
from 5-9 PM at The Willowbrook Country Club. Invite your friends, as
everyone is welcome! Menu, map and reservation information are being
made available via a separate insert in this issue of the newsletter
and on our website. A detailed map is on the back of the reservation
insert.
Our guest and
speaker for the evening is James C. Finley, Associate Professor of Forest
Resources at The Pennsylvania State University School of Forest Resources.
"Our forests provide diverse and important values to our lives
and the places where we live. Conserving and managing forests and other
greenspaces is critical as they are under increasing parcelization and
development threats. The evening's program will help us explore these
threats, look at forest values, and allow us to consider reasons and
approaches for conserving forests in the landscape so that they continue
to provide the ecological, social, and economic values that we must
conserve for today and for tomorrow."
Reservations
must be made by Friday, April 21st and are
$25/per person. The evening’s menu will be your choice of Stuffed
Pork Chop with mushroom sauce, Chicken Cordon Bleu or Scrod Florentine.
All dinners include soup, salad, rolls, potato, vegetable, dessert and
non-alcoholic beverage. There will be a cash bar.
After our featured
presentation we will award the door prize and the 50/50 raffle winner.
Throughout the evening you will be able to participate in a Chinese-type
auction. This entails purchase of tickets which you will place in the
box for the desired items. The winning ticket will then be drawn to
determine the winner. These items will include a “pampered pet”
basket, a wine basket, a “spa” basket with massage & manicure
and a restaurant certificate package. We will also hold a silent
auction of items donated by local artisans and including the wildlife
prints "Great Horned Owl" by Richard Evans Younger and
"Saw-Whet Owls" by Don Whitlatch. The latter is numbered
and signed. Both were generously donated to this event by Susan Dunbar
and are similar to the “Bald Eagle” print on display in the Murrysville
Library. There will be lovely paintings and photographs and a spectacular
piece of glass art as well. Fair retail value of these items will be
posted along with a minimum opening bid. You write your name and
bid, then watch the fun!
Please fill out and return the enclosed Reservation form with your check before the April 21st deadline. Mail your remittance to: The Westmoreland Conservancy, P.O. Box 446, Murrysville, PA 15668 and mark it “Annual Dinner”. Bring your checkbooks and be ready for good food, interesting conversation and a great time!
2006 Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Westmoreland Conservancy will be held April 26th at 7:30 pm in the Municipal Conference Room adjacent to the Library. It is very important that members be there to participate in the election of new Governors. Following the election of Governors will be the election of Officers, then the monthly meeting. The more the merrier!
Spring Migration Road Trip
It’s that time of year again! Anyone interested in going up to Crane
Creek May 13th
Please call Shelly Tichy at 724-325-5523. We’ll decide whether to
leave Friday evening or Saturday morning (at 3:30 am) when we see how
many will attend. Crane Creek is an important location, as this is where
the birds stop to rest and eat before a long, dangerous flight over
the Great Lakes on their way North. You’ll be amazed at the variety
of birds to be seen here, so bring binoculars & cameras.
WHEN IS EARTH DAY?
By Jan Fitzpatrick
Is it March 21st or April 22nd? Actually both dates are used to encourage active participation in programs designed to protect, enhance and improve the condition of our planet.
On March 21, 1970, the first Earth Day celebration was held in San Francisco. On this date (the Vernal Equinox) night and day are equal lengths throughout the earth. It was John McConnell’s idea to use this date to symbolize the balance among the systems in nature and call attention to the danger of upsetting that balance by abusive practices. In selecting this date, Margaret Mead noted that "...Earth Day attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the March equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible". To acknowledge the global commitment to work for the protection and care of our planet, the United Nations has staged an Earth Day ceremony on the Spring Equinox since 1971. At the first ceremony, U Thant, Secretary General of the U.N., called on all the peoples of the earth to consider their role in the "nurturing of Earth and their commitment to its care". In 1975, Congress and President Gerald Ford also proclaimed the observance of Earth Day on March 21st.
If this is the ‘authentic’ date, then why do we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd? For the answer to this question, we must look back to 1969, when Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide grassroots demonstration, the Environmental Teach-In, to be held in the Spring of the following year. It was to be the first environmental protest, challenging citizens and the government to cooperate in reducing pollution and improving the health of the ecosystems. April 22nd, a date chosen for convenience of the college students, became known as Earth Day. Twenty years later, what had been an American activist movement went global. By 2000, an estimated 184 countries observed Earth Day on April 22nd. In 1995, Gaylord Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his efforts to establish an Earth Day.
Is the date really that important? Shouldn’t every day be a celebration of earth’s bounty, a time to reflect on our role as stewards of the environment, an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the restoration and/or preservation of the ecosystems?
Margaret Mead’s dictum from 1969 still rings true: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
Another reason to donate to the Westmoreland Conservancy.
by Doug Bauman
Our web page indicates:
"Membership dues are needed to keep the Conservancy running. They
pay for postage, insurance, signage, and the other expenses of maintaining
the nature reserves and the organization."
But I'll bet that most people don't realize that there are other big
costs associated with the acquisition of land to be set aside as nature
reserves.
When a gift of land is made to the Westmoreland Conservancy the gift
doesn't end there. Bringing this transaction to fruition involves many
considerations and incurs many costs. The major consideration is usually
the cost of a survey. This can often run into the tens of thousands
of dollars. Factors include the size of land, subdivision requirements
and multiple neighboring parcels which sometimes have to be demarked
in a way that may involve additional fees.
The good news is that once past all that initial up-front expense the
land becomes a nature reserve which is not taxed and is set aside for
all the reasons we know.
Thanks again for your continuing support.
Mark Your Calendar!
Several members have expressed interest in becoming more familiar with the Conservancy nature reserves. Accordingly, walks have been scheduled, initially for the King-Potter reserves, and later for the McGinnis reserve. Although the walks will be leisurely, there are some steep slopes along the path.
The King-Potter reserve walk is scheduled to start Saturday morning, May 27th, at 9:00 AM, rain or shine.
The McGinnis reserve walk will start Saturday afternoon, June 17th, at 2:00 PM, again irrespective of the weather.
Because there
are only a limited number of parking spaces, consider sharing a ride
with a friend. Please call Clara Feibelman at (724)327-3454 as soon
as possible if you are planning to attend. Directions to the Reserves
can be found on the website: www.westmorelandconservancy.org.
The Municipality has released their schedule for the Park-Chat walks which are held the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 8:30 AM, rain or shine. Three of our reserves are included: King Reserve on Wednesday, May 17th, McGinnis Reserve Wednesday, July 19th, and Walters Reserve Wednesday, September 20th.
Editor’s note
I would like
to challenge our membership to let us in on your experiences with and/or
observations of nature. Is there a bird or some wildlife that visits
frequently? Do you have a photograph or a story to share? We’re interested!
Send your stories and pictures to : Westmoreland Conservancy, P.O. Box
446, Murrysville, PA 15668 OR email them to newsletter@westmorelandconserva
Awaken Spring
Listen to the dawn chorus,
as early birds sing their song,
sung perhaps not just for us,
yet believed as we belong.
And I perceive not randomness,
but music to my ears,
I hear an oral symphony,
methinks pure thought appears.
Happy Spring!
Doug Bauman
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Westmoreland
Conservancy
An all volunteer,
non-profit, 501c-3 Corporation dedicated to acquiring and preserving
rural and rustic lands for the public good.
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Westmoreland Conservancy
P.O. Box 446
Murrysville, PA 15668
contact@westmorelandconservancy
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Schedule of Upcoming Events
Wednesday, April 26th: Annual Elections/ Monthly meeting
Sunday, May 7th: 5-9 PM: Annual Dinner. Willowbrook Country Club. See front page and insert for details, menu & map.
Wednesday, May 17th, 8:30 AM Park Chat Walk, King Reserve, rain or shine
Wednesday, May 24th: Monthly Meeting
Saturday, May 27th: 9:00 AM, King-Potter reserve walk rain or shine.
Saturday, June 17th: 2 PM: McGinnis reserve walk, rain or shine
Wednesday, June 28th: Monthly Meeting
hghghghghghghghg2005 Board of Governors/Officers
Officers: President – Mount Fitzpatrick
Vice President – Shelly Tichy
Secretary – Doug Bauman
Treasurer - Bjoerg Granger
Governors: Dick Byers, Doug Bauman, Charlie Conway, Theo van de Venne, Don Harrison, Richard Wagner, Cary Bohl, Katie Blackmore, Hank Kendall
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.
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Westmoreland Conservancy
Membership Application
P.O. Box 446
Murrysville,
PA 15668
Membership
Levels
Individual...................…
Family........................
Business membership...………..40.00
Additional
Donation…….$_________
Name__________________________
Address_______________________
City__________________________
State _________ Zip Code__________________
e-mail________________________
For your
convenience, you may also renew your membership or give donations through
our website at www.westmorelandconservancy.org
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The next Newsletter is
scheduled for April 2006.
Opossum, wild turkey, raccoon
