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Murrysville Community Day 2004 was held Saturday, September 18th, at the Murrysville Municipal Complex on Sardis Road. The weather was beautiful and clear, and being held in the Public Works area protected the larger booths and displays such as ours. Plumline Nursery again loaned us trees and ferns to give our booth a warm, natural flavor. Frank Peters, "The Reptile Guy", was present with his traveling menagerie. Frank brought rat snakes, boa constrictors, an alligator snapping turtle, a beaded lizard, a copperhead and a Black Widow spider. Allowing the non-poisonous snakes to climb up and sun themselves in a small oak tree both fascinated and delighted onlookers.

The Vernon Bachelder Hometown Photo Show was held during the Murrysville Community Day September 18^th. The public voted for their favorite pictures. The intent of this show was to celebrate what is unique and special within our hometown. It was named after Vernon Bachelder, who was a dear friend of the Westmoreland Conservancy and who encouraged others to try photography for the pure enjoyment of it. He also used photography as a tool for recording and sharing the beauty he found everywhere in nature. His images of nature are reminders of what is worth preserving in a community. The images in the show at Community Day likewise reflected this theme.

Community/Family/Pets/Sports category 1st - Truby Buccille  "Honest Mom, they just followed us home.  Please can we keep them?" 2nd - Joan Kearns (untitled) Young boy, spoon trick 3rd - Jorge Valdes  "Murrysville Cycling Classic,  Pro/elite race" Nature, Wildlife and Gardens category 1st - Dorothy Benevento  "Peaceful Awakening" 2nd - Mark McConaughy  "Red Fox" 3rd - Dev Bucciero   "I See You"

Thank you to all who visited the Westmoreland Conservancy exhibit to view the photos, find out about the activities of the Conservancy, and to take an up close and personal view of the reptiles of Frank Peters. And thank you to Katie Blackmore, who chaired the committee this year.

Saturday, August 21^st started out looking gray and threatening, but it shaped up into a beautiful day! It was our annual Picnic with the Conservancy at Townsend Park, and the day did not disappoint. While the Pot Luck-style meal was set up and the tables prepared there was a game of croquet being enjoyed above the lower parking area. Then we had good food around the table and lots of lively conversation while we did some serious eating.

After lunch we all got a lesson in Bocce from Fiore Benevento and got down to some pretty intense competition. Green Team won game 1 and Red Team took game 2.

Good games work up good appetites, so we settled in to share desserts and coffee before wrapping it up around 5 PM.

The heavy labor phase has been completed. The landscape timbers, planted at least 2 feet deep, which will support the fencing, are in place. The scouts had to go through almost solid rock at one site on the McGinnis Reserve. When the netting is erected and staked down the project will be complete. The scouts have also staked out an area beside each exclosure for a control area. The plants in both the fenced and open areas have been identified as a basis of comparison later.

I have challenged our membership to share with us your experiences with and/or observations of nature. The following segments have been offered by some of our members:

On September 19^th, after several pleasant hours of sailing on Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park; my wife Alice and I decided to visit the waterfowl viewing area at the end of the Big Run arm of the lake. The viewing deck was underwater as were the docks in the marina.  We noticed two ospreys circling over the cove.  I often see hawks circling over our home and hoped to someday see one dive for a prey.  While we watched, the two ospreys made about eight dives.  Only once was a fish captured, which was clearly visible in the osprey’s talons as it flew off toward the trees.  The other osprey was still circling and looking down when we left. Several things I found particularly interesting.  While circling and when the osprey sees what might be a meal, it sort of hovers looking down while doing a lot of wing flapping. The osprey is a big hawk and when it hits the water on what seemed like a vertical dive, it creates quite a splash. After a dive and starting to gain altitude, the osprey while flying would shake itself like a wet dog.  Since the osprey was usually between us and the late afternoon sun, we saw a halo of spray as the osprey shook the water off.  It was a memorable experience.  I had a camera but was so fascinated by the action I didn’t try to get a photograph. 

Ed Straub

When the doorbell rang our fearless leader (Mount) took immediate command of the situation after being informed by the neighbor lady that "a chipmunk is acting strangely. He’s chasing my children!" Stocking feet notwithstanding, a Wild West-type confrontation immediately ensued. The squirrel advanced. Mount advanced, feet stomping and hands clapping. The squirrel’s advance slowed but did not stop. Mount stopped. Mount retreated amid peals of laughter from the surrounding children. Dignity was restored only after the squirrel was tricked into crossing the road into another neighbor’s yard and a final admonition of "You should probably keep the children indoors for an hour or so."

Governors of the Westmoreland Conservancy decided to do a little star gazing after the regular monthly meeting on Sept. 22 using a telescope recently acquired by Doug Bauman.  While viewing the moon, stars of Cassiopeia, and other wonders of the night sky, Doug noticed a star in the north east sky shimmering green and red. At first all thought this object to be a plane or helicopter, but after viewing for a while through the telescope it was realized that it never moved. Bizarre scenarios danced through their heads, was it a UFO? The next day, research on the internet proved that it was the star Capella, a bright star at low altitude which often puts on this display in late September. Here is a poem written by Doug describing the encounter:

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The meetings are open, and we look forward to seeing you there. Meetings are held the 4^th Wednesday of each month at the Murrysville Library at 7:30 pm.

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Murrysville, PA 15668

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