Crow’s Nest: Upcoming outreach
By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager
Sometimes I get away from the preserve. We can reach more people if we go to where they are. This Saturday I am leading an invasive plant walk at Sugarbush Nursery, a native plant nursery very close to our Green Hills Preserve. We’ll talk about individual goals for managing a property, sensible strategies such as early detection–rapid response, and replanting with desirable species. A donation of $3 is requested.
Next week we’ll be meeting the Canoemobile when it paddles into Reading. The program puts city kids in large canoes to paddle with guides, exploring their local waters. We’ll be meeting them when they come ashore to talk about land conservation, what we do everyday outdoors.
The ties between land and the water quality of the streams running through them is a recurring theme this month. Later in the week I’ll be presenting a talk on invasive plant management for the Penn State Watershed Stewards Program. Since invasive plants can affect nutrient cycling, soil erosion and geomorphology along stream banks, and contribute leaf litter to streams that is incompatible with macroinvertebrates adapted to feed upon the leaves of native species, they can have a profound impact on water quality.
Also I’ll be attending a career day for high school students at Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Since this is the first place after college that I started working as an intern this has special meaning for me. We’ll visit the Wissahickon Woods section and do a little weeding and planting there. I made my way into my career in a roundabout way; I don’t know if it would have worked out any other way but I think it is important for young people to know what is possible.
Returning to Crow’s Nest we’ll host the Force of Nature training session on invasive plant management. These generous, knowledgeable volunteers have been a huge benefit to us on the Natural Lands Trust preserve.
Rounding out the month will be an open house at Crow’s Nest, Sunday, October 19 from 2 – 5 pm (free, RSVP required). We’ll have the renovated house at 401 Piersol Road open for tours and there will be hayrides, games and food.