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| Oldtown Bridge, May 18. |
Friday, May 18, 2018
Monday, April 16, 2018
Monday, April 2, 2018
REMINDER - Saturday, April 7 Cleanup
All details are at the Alice Ferguson Foundation Page for our location.
April 07, 2018, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cleanup at the Fishermen's Access Points (Blue Ford, Indian Rock, and Mouth of the South Branch) do not require a boat. GPS Coordinates: 39.50987, -78.60052
Directions: From Green Spring, take Arnold Stickley Road approximately 4 miles to the Indian Rock Fisherman's Access on the left. The Blue Ford Fisherman's Access is approximately one mile further on the right.
Clarence Taylor Road from Springfield is gated midway to Springfield. Set your GPS to Green Spring, WV (Norton St.) as a via point to avoid a problem.
Taking advantage of two large river meanders, this is a popular canoe cleanup. A one mile shuttle allows for several miles of canoeing. There are several geocaches along the way.
Indian Rock is the takeout for a very pleasant and convenient canoe trip from Blue Ford to Indian Rock. The site director can provide a shuttle to the put-in. The terrain near the take-out is not suitable for small children, as the terrain is rugged and poisonous snakes have been found near the boat launch. The Indian Rock boat launch is suitable for power boats, and very comfortable for muscle-powered boats. After wet weather, the Blue Ford put-in may require a short walk or alternatively, 4-wheel drive (trucks, not Subaru's or Geo's!).
April 07, 2018, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cleanup at the Fishermen's Access Points (Blue Ford, Indian Rock, and Mouth of the South Branch) do not require a boat. GPS Coordinates: 39.50987, -78.60052Directions: From Green Spring, take Arnold Stickley Road approximately 4 miles to the Indian Rock Fisherman's Access on the left. The Blue Ford Fisherman's Access is approximately one mile further on the right.
Clarence Taylor Road from Springfield is gated midway to Springfield. Set your GPS to Green Spring, WV (Norton St.) as a via point to avoid a problem.
Taking advantage of two large river meanders, this is a popular canoe cleanup. A one mile shuttle allows for several miles of canoeing. There are several geocaches along the way.
Indian Rock is the takeout for a very pleasant and convenient canoe trip from Blue Ford to Indian Rock. The site director can provide a shuttle to the put-in. The terrain near the take-out is not suitable for small children, as the terrain is rugged and poisonous snakes have been found near the boat launch. The Indian Rock boat launch is suitable for power boats, and very comfortable for muscle-powered boats. After wet weather, the Blue Ford put-in may require a short walk or alternatively, 4-wheel drive (trucks, not Subaru's or Geo's!).
Sunday, March 18, 2018
History of our Modern Fruits and Vegetables
Some of the science and taxonomy in this article is lacking, but it's interesting.
Source: theplantguide.net
The History About Each Vegetable
History of vegetables reaches the most distant years of modern humankind, when hunter gatherers exited the Africa and started spreading across entire planet earth. As the birth of modern human civilizations, vegetables were identified as the sourced of great medicinal and nutritional power.
Potato
From the first moment European explorers got their hands on potato, they saw the potentials of the plant that can change the way we eat and practice medicine. After centuries of expansion, potato became one of the most beloved vegetables in the world, and here is the perfect place for you to find out how it managed to do so.
Tomato
History of the tomato reaches 2500 years to the past, when people of ancient Aztec empire saw its value and integrated it into their lives, medicine and cuisine. Now, this fascinating vegetable represents one of the most popular vegetables in the world that is present in many dishes and diets.
History of carrots spans the last five thousand years and tells the incredible tale of its domestication in the fields of ancient Iran and Afghanistan, expansion to Egypt and China, popularity in medieval
Source: theplantguide.net
The History About Each Vegetable
History of vegetables reaches the most distant years of modern humankind, when hunter gatherers exited the Africa and started spreading across entire planet earth. As the birth of modern human civilizations, vegetables were identified as the sourced of great medicinal and nutritional power.Potato
From the first moment European explorers got their hands on potato, they saw the potentials of the plant that can change the way we eat and practice medicine. After centuries of expansion, potato became one of the most beloved vegetables in the world, and here is the perfect place for you to find out how it managed to do so.
Tomato
History of the tomato reaches 2500 years to the past, when people of ancient Aztec empire saw its value and integrated it into their lives, medicine and cuisine. Now, this fascinating vegetable represents one of the most popular vegetables in the world that is present in many dishes and diets.
History of carrots spans the last five thousand years and tells the incredible tale of its domestication in the fields of ancient Iran and Afghanistan, expansion to Egypt and China, popularity in medieval
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Planning for Hummingbird Arrivals
We should begin to see an increase in our Ruby-throated hummingbirds in our region during the first weeks of April.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
South Branch Cleanup - April 7, 9am - 12 noon
All details are at the Alice Ferguson Foundation Page for our location.
April 07, 2018, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cleanup at the Fishermen's Access Points (Blue Ford, Indian Rock, and Mouth of the South Branch) do not require a boat. GPS Coordinates: 39.50987, -78.60052
Directions: From Green Spring, take Arnold Stickley Road approximately 4 miles to the Indian Rock Fisherman's Access on the left. The Blue Ford Fisherman's Access is approximately one mile further on the right.
Clarence Taylor Road from Springfield is gated midway to Springfield. Set your GPS to Green Spring, WV (Norton St.) as a via point to avoid a problem.
Taking advantage of two large river meanders, this is a popular canoe cleanup. A one mile shuttle allows for several miles of canoeing. There are several geocaches along the way.
Indian Rock is the takeout for a very pleasant and convenient canoe trip from Blue Ford to Indian Rock. The site director can provide a shuttle to the put-in. The terrain near the take-out is not suitable for small children, as the terrain is rugged and poisonous snakes have been found near the boat launch. The Indian Rock boat launch is suitable for power boats, and very comfortable for muscle-powered boats. After wet weather, the Blue Ford put-in may require a short walk or alternatively, 4-wheel drive (trucks, not Subaru's or Geo's!).
April 07, 2018, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cleanup at the Fishermen's Access Points (Blue Ford, Indian Rock, and Mouth of the South Branch) do not require a boat. GPS Coordinates: 39.50987, -78.60052Directions: From Green Spring, take Arnold Stickley Road approximately 4 miles to the Indian Rock Fisherman's Access on the left. The Blue Ford Fisherman's Access is approximately one mile further on the right.
Clarence Taylor Road from Springfield is gated midway to Springfield. Set your GPS to Green Spring, WV (Norton St.) as a via point to avoid a problem.
Taking advantage of two large river meanders, this is a popular canoe cleanup. A one mile shuttle allows for several miles of canoeing. There are several geocaches along the way.
Indian Rock is the takeout for a very pleasant and convenient canoe trip from Blue Ford to Indian Rock. The site director can provide a shuttle to the put-in. The terrain near the take-out is not suitable for small children, as the terrain is rugged and poisonous snakes have been found near the boat launch. The Indian Rock boat launch is suitable for power boats, and very comfortable for muscle-powered boats. After wet weather, the Blue Ford put-in may require a short walk or alternatively, 4-wheel drive (trucks, not Subaru's or Geo's!).
Friday, February 9, 2018
New invasive - Spotted Lanternfly
wjla.com
Virginia Department of Agriculture reports, new invasive insect found in state
Kendra Mann/ABC7
Virginia Department of Agriculture reports, new invasive insect found in state in January 2018. (Photo courtesy of USDA)
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — An invasive insect that is native to countries such as China, India and Vietnam was found in Frederick County near Winchester in the first detection of its kind for the state, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced on Thursday.
The invasive pest, called the Spotted Lanternfly or Lycorma delicatula, was discovered at a stone yard last month and officials say the site had previously received products from a Pennsylvania business in 2014 where the pest was first detected in the U.S. Officials have been monitoring the Frederick County site ever since the delivery from Pennsylvania, but say this is the first time they've actually detected it there.
Officials say a Spotted Lanternfly can cause serious damage to plants and can feed on more than 70 different types. "Spotted Lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plants, including grapes, stone fruits, hops and ailanthus (Tree of Heaven). The insect causes damage to plants because of its method of feeding, the rapid buildup of large populations and the production of honeydew, a by-product of their feeding activity that serves as a medium for fungal growth. SLF can also be a nuisance pest to homeowners when found in large numbers," the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated in a press release sent to ABC7.
Both egg masses and dead adults were found on ailanthus trees located throughout the site's property, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services confirmed.
The department says early detention is key in containing these pests and confirmed they're working with officials in both Virginia and Pennsylvania in stopping its spread.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
South Branch Trout
Reach John McCoy at johnmccoy@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1231 or follow @GazMailOutdoors on Twitter.
--------------
From earlier in 2017
FRANKLIN — Standing at the edge of the stream, Dustin Wichterman watched intently as his trout fly drifted through a pool that didn’t exist a year ago.
“There!” His rod bent into a deep arc as a 15-inch trout tugged hard at the business end of the line. In the span of just a few minutes, Wichterman hooked two trout and missed three or four others.
“We built this pool just last year,” he said afterward. “Almost immediately, the trout started moving into it.”
Wichterman is one of the point men for a public-private effort to improve trout habitat by narrowing and deepening flood-scoured streams and creating streamside shade. Called “Partners for Fish & Wildlife,” the program is administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with cooperation from Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Much of the effort’s current work is concentrated in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands, and particularly on the Potomac River’s headwaters in Pendleton County. Floods in 1985 and 1996 damaged many of the watershed’s trout streams, and the government-funded streambed channelization that followed the flooding stripped away most of the good habitat that remained.
As a result, native brook-trout populations became isolated into only the smallest of tributaries, and mostly in the portions of those waters that flowed through the Monongahela National Forest.
In the mid-1990s, the Fish and Wildlife Service started trying to repair damaged streams that flowed through private lands outside the national forest. They hired contractors to widen the streams’ “riparian zones,” the margins between the creeks and the surrounding farmlands.
The contractors erected high-tension fencing to keep cattle out of the streams and planted water-loving trees and plants along the banks. The idea, long-term, was to have the vegetation trap silt during high-water events, gradually narrowing and deepening the streams’ channels.
Wichterman, Trout Unlimited’s Potomac Program Manager, said workers have installed more than 30 miles’ worth of fencing, have created more than 300 acres of riparian-zone habitat, and have created channel-narrowing, pool-creating, trout-holding structures in more than nine miles’ worth of streams.
“And we have at least that much more work currently under contract,” he added. “We’re going full-bore right now.”
There’s enough work to keep a crew of about 30 workers going full-time. The work crews are Trout Unlimited employees, and they use equipment owned and maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
“They sign up as Fish and Wildlife Service volunteers, and that allows them to operate our equipment,” said John Schmidt, project leader for the agency’s West Virginia Field Office. “The crew builds the fence and does the in-stream habitat work using heavy equipment. The machines, fuel and tools are all owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service.”
Funding for the program comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and from state agencies.
“We also get grants from non-profit organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,” Schmidt added. “All that money goes into a great big pot that we manage, and our job as managers is to cover the costs of the labor and materials.”
Farmers and landowners who participate in the program must contribute to the effort, either through in-kind work or monetary contributions.
“We ask them to do site prep for the building of the fences. If the area needs to be mowed or brush-hogged, or in rare cases bulldozed, we ask them to do it,” Schmidt said. “Depending on circumstances, they may have some financial skin in the game, too.” On average, he added, the landowners’ contributions amount to about one-fourth of each project’s cost.
Farmers like the program because the fencing allows them to divide their property into units. By shifting their cattle from one unit to the other, they can avoid overgrazing and ensure that their animals are eating fresh green growth.
“It helps their operation to become more profitable, and they like that,” Schmidt explained. “They’re responsible for only a fraction of the cost, and we handle all the paperwork.”
Some landowners, he said, have signed up for multiple projects. “They’ll have us work on one section of stream, then, as they can afford it, they have us come back for a second, third or fourth time,” he said.
The end result is that more and more of the Potomac’s headwaters are now able to support year-round populations of trout.
“That wasn’t always the case,” Schmidt said. “In the past, when there were droughts, the water in some of these creeks got too warm and shallow to support trout. Trout in the lower parts of the streams were unable to migrate to the headwaters, and vice versa. The work we’re doing connects the lower ends with the upper ends, which results in better genetic diversity [in the trout population].”
Trout Unlimited’s Wichterman said the initiative’s biological benefits are already showing up. “We’re seeing a decrease in water temperatures and an increase in the number of trout,” he said. “Not only are we expanding trout populations, we’re strengthening them genetically as well.”
--------------
From earlier in 2017
wvgazettemail.com
Public-private venture restores trout habitat in upper Potomac watershed
John McCoy
FRANKLIN — Standing at the edge of the stream, Dustin Wichterman watched intently as his trout fly drifted through a pool that didn’t exist a year ago.
“There!” His rod bent into a deep arc as a 15-inch trout tugged hard at the business end of the line. In the span of just a few minutes, Wichterman hooked two trout and missed three or four others.
“We built this pool just last year,” he said afterward. “Almost immediately, the trout started moving into it.”
Wichterman is one of the point men for a public-private effort to improve trout habitat by narrowing and deepening flood-scoured streams and creating streamside shade. Called “Partners for Fish & Wildlife,” the program is administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with cooperation from Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Much of the effort’s current work is concentrated in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands, and particularly on the Potomac River’s headwaters in Pendleton County. Floods in 1985 and 1996 damaged many of the watershed’s trout streams, and the government-funded streambed channelization that followed the flooding stripped away most of the good habitat that remained.
As a result, native brook-trout populations became isolated into only the smallest of tributaries, and mostly in the portions of those waters that flowed through the Monongahela National Forest.
In the mid-1990s, the Fish and Wildlife Service started trying to repair damaged streams that flowed through private lands outside the national forest. They hired contractors to widen the streams’ “riparian zones,” the margins between the creeks and the surrounding farmlands.
The contractors erected high-tension fencing to keep cattle out of the streams and planted water-loving trees and plants along the banks. The idea, long-term, was to have the vegetation trap silt during high-water events, gradually narrowing and deepening the streams’ channels.
Wichterman, Trout Unlimited’s Potomac Program Manager, said workers have installed more than 30 miles’ worth of fencing, have created more than 300 acres of riparian-zone habitat, and have created channel-narrowing, pool-creating, trout-holding structures in more than nine miles’ worth of streams.
“And we have at least that much more work currently under contract,” he added. “We’re going full-bore right now.”
There’s enough work to keep a crew of about 30 workers going full-time. The work crews are Trout Unlimited employees, and they use equipment owned and maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
“They sign up as Fish and Wildlife Service volunteers, and that allows them to operate our equipment,” said John Schmidt, project leader for the agency’s West Virginia Field Office. “The crew builds the fence and does the in-stream habitat work using heavy equipment. The machines, fuel and tools are all owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service.”
Funding for the program comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and from state agencies.
“We also get grants from non-profit organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,” Schmidt added. “All that money goes into a great big pot that we manage, and our job as managers is to cover the costs of the labor and materials.”
Farmers and landowners who participate in the program must contribute to the effort, either through in-kind work or monetary contributions.
“We ask them to do site prep for the building of the fences. If the area needs to be mowed or brush-hogged, or in rare cases bulldozed, we ask them to do it,” Schmidt said. “Depending on circumstances, they may have some financial skin in the game, too.” On average, he added, the landowners’ contributions amount to about one-fourth of each project’s cost.
Farmers like the program because the fencing allows them to divide their property into units. By shifting their cattle from one unit to the other, they can avoid overgrazing and ensure that their animals are eating fresh green growth.
“It helps their operation to become more profitable, and they like that,” Schmidt explained. “They’re responsible for only a fraction of the cost, and we handle all the paperwork.”
Some landowners, he said, have signed up for multiple projects. “They’ll have us work on one section of stream, then, as they can afford it, they have us come back for a second, third or fourth time,” he said.
The end result is that more and more of the Potomac’s headwaters are now able to support year-round populations of trout.
“That wasn’t always the case,” Schmidt said. “In the past, when there were droughts, the water in some of these creeks got too warm and shallow to support trout. Trout in the lower parts of the streams were unable to migrate to the headwaters, and vice versa. The work we’re doing connects the lower ends with the upper ends, which results in better genetic diversity [in the trout population].”
Trout Unlimited’s Wichterman said the initiative’s biological benefits are already showing up. “We’re seeing a decrease in water temperatures and an increase in the number of trout,” he said. “Not only are we expanding trout populations, we’re strengthening them genetically as well.”
Sunday, December 10, 2017
US Watersheds - Lower 48
Ignoring Alaska and Hawaii temporarily, this map shows the scope and inter-connectedness of major US watersheds.
Sunday, November 5, 2017
West Virginia flood of 1985
Remembering the Flood of 1985
This YouTube video by the WV Public Broadcasting Association shows video of some of the flooding:
The setup for this historic flood is a bit complicated meteorologically. Hurricane Juan made landfall in Louisiana on October 28th, 1985 and generally moved north into Canada over the following days.
On November 3rd, a low pressure area developed over Florida and moved northeast along a cold front. This northeast movement brought in a large area of moisture that had been influenced by the remnants of Hurricane Juan’s track. That area of low pressure moving into the region became cutoff from the main jet stream as it moved in late November 3rd. Due to a lack of upper level winds, the remnants remained over the area for about 2.5 days, causing extreme rainfall totals to be recorded before moving out on November 6th.
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