Newsletter-FALL '10 FINAL FINAL - Tinicum Conservancy

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THE GREEN THUMB: Putting the Focus on Invasive Plants Karen Budd (foreground) and group What do Japanese knotweed, purple loosestrife and English ivy have in common? They are all invasive exotic plant species that are an environmental concern in Tinicum Township and surrounding areas. Tinicum Conservancy members had the chance to learn about these and other problem plants—how to identify and manage them—at a late summer workshop at the Budd farm, a conserved property on Geigel Hill Road. Kelly Germann, Conservancy Resource Manager, and Karen Budd, Conservancy Trustee and former invasive species specialist for the Nature Conservancy, led the workshop, assisted by Diane Allison, Conservancy Trustee and director of Conservancy educational programs. Next to habitat destruction, invasive exotic species are the greatest threat to biological diversity. These plants have been introduced in the U.S. for many reasons: sold by nurseries as ornamentals, planted by government agencies to control erosion and stabilize soil, and even used as packing material for imported porcelain. Mile-a-minute seeds came in to a nursery in Tennessee with a shipment of holly. Invasive species thrive here, where they have none of their native diseases or predators. They outcompete and displace native vegetation, and are passed up by browsing deer. Each year, the U.S. spends about $120 billion nationwide in the effort to control these species. Workshop participants first saw a presentation on invasives not found on the Budd property but which are of concern elsewhere in Tinicum. These included Japanese knotweed, mile-a-minute weed, purple loosestrife, bittersweet, bamboo, English ivy, and burning bush. Participants then moved out onto the property to see other problem species: Japanese stiltgrass, garlic mustard, multiflora rose, Chinese lespedeza, autumn olive, and Japanese honeysuckle. Participants were encouraged to remove these plants wherever appropriate by pulling, digging, or mowing. In instances where all else fails, participants were told about the proper and careful use of herbicides. This was the last in a series of 2010 workshops to promote the Conservancy’s new Resource Conservation Education Center for landowners. - Article by Karen Budd/Photos by USDI National Park Service Red Twig Dogwood Mile-A-Minute Asian Bittersweet Japanese Knotweed Tree of Heaven Exotic Bamboo Page 10 TI�ICUM CO�SERVA�CY Fall 2010
2010 CONSERVATION PROGRAMS We are still finalizing our 2011 Conservation program series, but one topic for spring will be “Plant/Don’t Plant,” a follow-up to this year’s invasive plant workshop. Just in time for the spring gardening season, the program will offer suggestions about choosing native plants. Check our website, www.tinicumconservancy.org, for program dates and times. Cleanup Crew THE PEOPLE PAGE: On the Road With John Moore Take a look at the happy crowd decked out in orange vests and work boots. They are members of the River Road Cleanup crew – and they are smiling because of the hard work of John Moore. Moore and his partner, Rob Morrison, have spearheaded the River Road Cleanups for about four years, building a network of about 30 volunteers who turn out again and again to help collect trash. “It’s become a social thing,” Moore says. He sets the mood with humorous emails alerting participants to each cleanup date, and lures volunteers with fresh-baked goodies – scones and muffins from the Bridge Café or Milford Station – that he brings to each cleanup. He also makes sure to take a group photo just before the trash bags are opened and work begins. “People like to be appreciated,” he explains. The stretch covered by the cleanups runs from Jugtown Hill Road in the north down to the southern tip of Tinicum Park. At times, volunteers have filled up more than 50 large bags with trash, but lately, the number has dwindled to less than a dozen. “I don’t know if the economy is having an effect,” Moore jokes. More likely, it’s because volunteers have worked so hard to keep the road clean, he says. What motivates Moore to donate his time? “This is a unique area, with steep ravines and creeks,” he says. He has worked for the New Jersey Department of Transportation in land use planning and understands the need to make wise decisions about development. “If there’s a land that needs preservation, this is it,” he says. “That’s why we’re so interested in helping.” Moore was one of two people honored at this year’s Membership Celebration as an outstanding TC volunteer (see Page 5). - Article by Dianna Sinovic/Photo by John Moore Marcellus Shale and Natural Gas Drilling Marcellus Shale is an organic-rich shale formation that underlies much of western and northeastern Pennsylvania, including about a third of the Delaware River Watershed. The shale is deep – 7,000 feet or more below the surface in the Delaware Valley – but it’s been the focus of the energy industry recently because of its extensive reservoir of natural gas. Thousands of wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania in the last two years, and many property owners in areas where the shale lies closer to the surface have been under pressure to sign leases for mineral rights. Getting the gas out of the shale isn’t easy, but advances in drilling technology have now made it financially feasible for the industry. To tap into the gas, a well is drilled vertically until it reaches the shale, at which point, special tools turn the well so it runs horizontally, into the formation. Because the shale is dense and doesn’t easily yield the gas it contains, drillers use hydraulic fracturing. “Fracking” injects hundreds of thousands of gallons of fluid such as water or kerosene along with sand into the rock formation under extremely high pressure, cracking open fissures in the rock and releasing the gas. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the possible environmental impact of the drilling and the waste water produced by the “fracking” process. Several legislative efforts have been proposed to address safety and environmental issues. Three moratorium bills - House Bills 2713, 2609 and 1447 – are being considered. In addition, HB 2213 adds protection for communities where drilling is taking place; HB 2235 calls for a three-year moratorium on gas leases; and HB 1489 proposes a natural gas tax to help pay for environmental conservation. Contact state Rep. Margaret Quinn at mquinn@pahousegop.com or state Sen. Charles T. McIlhinney Jr. at cmcilhinney@pasen.gov if you have concerns about drilling in the Marcellus Shale. - Article by Tracy Carluccio/Dianna Sinovic Fall 2010 TI�ICUM CO�SERVA�CY Page 11
Page 1 and 2: FALL 2010 GREEN ACRES Northern Tip
Page 3 and 4: Your Conservancy could not function
Page 5 and 6: Membership Celebration: Celebrating
Page 7 and 8: HE FUTURE - OUR LAND MEMBERS heir c
Page 9: EARTH Photo by Kathleen Connally As

Newsletter-FALL '10 FINAL FINAL - Tinicum Conservancy

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