Common Ground Newsletter - Tinicum Conservancy

More documents

Recommendations

Info

TC Newsletter-Spring '13-4-23-Replaced map and seal:TC Newesletter-Spring '13 4/23/13 6:30 PM Page 10 Save These Dates! Opportunities for exercise, good deeds, and education. WALKS ON CONSERVED PROPERTIES Walk the conserved property of Martie and Neil Kyde Saturday, June 15 at 10 am. This property was heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Come and learn about the unique and exciting ways the landowners are using that impact to improve the forest’s health. Refreshments served. Ottsville. Walk the conserved property of Sally Mirick Saturday, October 5 at 10 am. Botanist Sally Mirick will lead a walk on her property which abounds in diabase rock, native plants, and aquatic organisms. Tributary to Beaver Creek runs through the property. Bring your boots and be ready for some challenging walking! Ottsville. Tour Jose Garces’ Luna Farm Saturday, September 28 at 10 am. The weekend home of Jose Garces and his family doubles as a kitchen garden for some of the chef ’s restaurants. The farm manager will show us the operation. Ottsville. VOLUNTEER Stream planting and restoration of Swamp Creek Saturday, May 18 at 9 am. The natives planted by volunteers last year are flourishing. Now we need to control invasives that threaten to choke them out. Our partner is Delaware River Keeper. Meet at Erwinna Covered Bridge. Control exotic invasive plant species at The Giving Pond Saturday, June 8 from 8-11 am. Our partner is the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The Giving Pond Park in Upper Black Eddy. Volunteer days and property walks contact: Karen Budd at 610 294- 9069 or kbudd3030@gmail.com for directions and to register. FIELD TRIPS Bird-watching walk with Diane Allison Saturday, June 1 from 8-9:30 am. Diane, a former board member of Bucks County Audubon, is an international birdwatcher and a local expert, having lived in Tinicum for over 35 years. Dress for the weather and bring your binoculars. Appreciating local produce Saturday, September 7 from 9-11 am. Spend a morning with farmers John Crooke and Stefan Streit learning– and tasting–why CSAs (communitysupported agriculture) are so popular. Limited to 15 so register now! Schneiderwind Farm. Field trips are free. Contact: Bill Cahill at 610 294-9732, or cahill@ptd.net for directions and to register. Enhanced Tax Incentives In 2013, going green can save you some green. A voluntary conservation easement is always a smart way to preserve the land you love, while retaining private property rights. Donating an easement now can also be a way to gain significant federal tax benefits since Congress renewed tax incentives for conservation easements through 2013. How easement donors can benefit: • The maximum deduction donors can take has been raised from 30% to 50% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). • Qualifying farmers and ranchers can deduct 100% of their AGI. • Donors can take deductions over a period of 16 years (instead of six). It’s possible Congress will extend these incentives again, or make them permanent—in March the Rural Conservation Extension Act was reintroduced in the Senate. If Congress does not act, the tax benefits will expire at the end of the year. If you have been considering an easement, now is an especially good time to act. The Tinicum Conservancy will be happy to answer your questions and explain the process. Contact Jim Engel at 610 294-1077 or tinicumconserv@epix.net. 10 TINICUMCONSERVANCY.ORG Spring 2013
TC Newsletter-Spring '13-4-23-Replaced map and seal:TC Newesletter-Spring '13 4/23/13 6:30 PM Page 11 Resource Protection Notes Thousand Cankers Disease and Emerald Ash Borer threaten important PA trees. Two pests are posing serious threats to Pennsylvania’s ash and black walnut populations, both of which are key components of the state’s forest ecosystems, landscapes, and hardwood industry. Thousand Cankers Disease and the Emerald Ash Borer have both been confirmed in Bucks County. Large-scale management and control options do not exist for either. shaped exit holes left by emerging adult beetles. Vertically split bark may appear over larval feeding galleries. As infestation takes hold, foliage wilts, branches die, and the canopy thins. Heavily infested trees may die within 3-4 years. Individual trees can be treated with sprays and injections, at a cost of about $50 a year, per tree over many years, so there is an option leaves in mid-summer are two signs to look for. A thinning canopy from twig and branch dieback and ultimately thousands of cankers girdling the branches and trunk are further identifiers. No effective treatment exists for TCD. The public is encouraged to examine trees, know about state and federal quarantines and regulations, and follow Sticky, purple Emerald Ash Borer traps; D-shaped exit holes left by the 1/2” long beetle; the EAB and S-shaped larval tunnels under bark. Pennsylvania’s 300 million ash trees are under attack from the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a beetle native to Asia and first detected in North America in 2002. It has since spread to 14 states and Canada, moving aggressively throughout Pennsylvania since discovery in 2007. The first known case in Bucks was documented in 2012. Infestations often go unnoticed, but one early sign is the appearance of jagged holes in the bark where woodpeckers feed on EAB larvae. Trunks and branches sometimes show D- for homeowners (or municipalities) with “high-value” trees. In 2011 the first case of Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) in Pennsylvania was detected in a Plumstead Township black walnut. The black walnut’s extreme susceptibility to TCD and its prevalence in Pennsylvania and eastern forests generally means TCD is expected to have a severe impact. TCD is a disease complex—the combined work of a fungus and the walnut twig beetle. Tiny (2 mm) holes in the bark of branches, and wilting, yellowing the simple directive “Don’t Move Firewood” (or other raw wood) which limits the spread of all tree diseases. Much more information on detection, quarantines, and how to report suspected infestations can be found at: tinicumconservancy.org emeraldashborer.info thousandcankers.com dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/insectsdisease An infected black walnut’s yellow, flagging leaves; the fungus-produced cankers; at 1.5 mm, the tiny walnut twig beetle is doing major damage. Spring 2013 TINICUMCONSERVANCY.ORG 11
Page 1 and 2: TC Newsletter-Spring '13-4-23-Repla
Page 9: TC Newsletter-Spring '13-4-23-Repla

Common Ground Newsletter - Tinicum Conservancy

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?