Newsletter. Volume 22, Issue 2 April Kiosk Project Update

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Ethel Weaver
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Currently the cost of materials for each kiosk is about $750, and is steadily rising. All labor is provided by volunteers.

Stewards Sandy and Bruce Knepper have graciously donated all materials required to construct the kiosk for Walter Reserve.

As this reserve is under their care, the Kneppers have also offered to participate in the construction and installation of the new kiosk.

This kiosk will follow the installation of the Walter Reserve kiosk.

1 Westmoreland Conservancy Newsletter Volume 22, Issue 2 April 2013 Kiosk Project Update Westmoreland Conservancy (WC) is pleased to announce that since the successful construction and installation of the new Caywood Reserve Kiosk, we have receieved additional donations towards our Kiosk Fund. Currently the cost of materials for each kiosk is about $750, and is steadily rising. All labor is provided by volunteers. You may sponsor a specific Reserve s kiosk by covering the material cost or donate toward the General Kiosk Fund, in which case we will allocate funds where needed. Stewards Sandy and Bruce Knepper have graciously donated all materials required to construct the kiosk for Walter Reserve. Construction of this kiosk is planned for the April/May time frame. As this reserve is under their care, the Kneppers have also offered to participate in the construction and installation of the new kiosk. WC has received a generous grant from the Murrysville/Export/Delmont Community Foundation. This grant will fund the new kiosk for the King/Potter Reserve. This kiosk will follow the installation of the Walter Reserve kiosk. The treated lumber for the two Kiosks is being purchased and we anticipate the cutting and fitting to start in April. Westmoreland Conservancy greatly appreciates everyone s generous contributions toward this effort. The kiosk replacement project enables us to better serve guests who visit the Reserves under our care. Stop by, check out, and have a seat at the new Caywood Reserve kiosk; then share your pictures with us on our Facebook page. See the Boy Scouts In Action next page for Tomer Reserve kiosk. Inside Boy Scouts 2 Earth Day Annual Elections 3 Spring Excursion 3 A Rare Visit 3 CWTC Schedule of Events 5 Exclosure Study 5 Eco-Fun 6 Word Search 7 Protecting Nature s home, enriching ours

2 Page 2 Volume 22, Issue 2 Boy Scouts in Action Boy Scouts Troop 205 has two scouts working on their Eagle Scout projects for Westmoreland Conservancy. One scout is finalizing his plans for the construction and installation of a kiosk for the Tomer Reserve. Another scout is using GPS to chart out accurate maps for WC Reserves. The King/ Potter, Walter, and Tomer Reserve maps are in their final stages. This spring promises more activity from this scout team to walk the McGinnis and Caywood reserves gathering GPS coordinates and other information to generate these two maps. We thank Boy Scouts Troop 205 for their time and effort in supporting Westmoreland Conservancy. Earth Day 2013 Westmoreland Expo Sunday April 21st, 2013 marks the Westmoreland Expo Earth Day event this year. Every Piece Counts is this year s theme with a focus on What you do for the environment, even if very small, can help in some way. The Saint Vincent College Carey Center Gymnasium is the site of the Exhibition Hall where exhibitors and vendors will be located. Westmoreland Conservancy will once again have a presence at the Earth Day event. Juliene Graham & Jackie Stempfer from Westmoreland Conservancy will be on hand to greet you and answer any questions. Cache In, Trash Out Pittsburgh Area Geocaching Association (PAGA) is holding Cache In, Trash Out (CITO) at the King/Potter Reserve parking area. Additional participation is welcome! The plan for the CITO will focus on both King and Potter reserves, specifically the slope behind the parking area and wetlands below. 'Trash-Out' 9:00AM on Sunday April 21st, followed by the 'Cache-In' Ceremony and Potluck Picnic at 12 Noon Cache In Trash Out is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community. Since 2002, geocachers around the world have been dedicated to improving parks and other cache-friendly places. Through these volunteer efforts, we help preserve the natural beauty of our outdoor resources! For Earth Day 2013, geocachers will earn a 2013 CITO souvenir for their Geocaching profile if they attend a CITO during the weekend of this event. Attending our CITO event will get you that souvenir! Bring some gloves and good spirits and prepare for a grand time with fellow cachers!

Volume 22, Issue 2 Page 3 Annual Meeting and Elections Westmoreland Conservancy s Annual Members Meeting and Elections are scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th, 2013.

The Members Meeting will open at 7PM with a review of the proposed slate for the election of our Board of Governors. This election is by our general membership, so please plan to attend if possible.

3 Volume 22, Issue 2 Page 3 Annual Meeting and Elections Westmoreland Conservancy s Annual Members Meeting and Elections are scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th, The meeting will be held in the Murrysville Municipal Building, in the conference room next to the Murrysville Community Library. The Members Meeting will open at 7PM with a review of the proposed slate for the election of our Board of Governors. This election is by our general membership, so please plan to attend if possible. After the members elect the new Governors the Members Meeting will formally close and the Annual Organizational Meeting of the Board of Governors will convene wherein the Governors will then elect the officers. Finally, the April Business Meeting will come to order. Annual Election Meeting April 24th, PM 2013 Spring Migration Excursion It s that time of year again! Spring migration is at hand and Magee Marsh Wildlife Refuge is the place. Magee Marsh is an important location, as this is where an amazing variety of migratory birds stop to rest and eat before a long, dangerous flight over the Great Lakes on their way North. We are planning a full day at the Refuge on Saturday May 4th. We will leave Murrysville on Friday May 3rd at 5pm and drive to Sandusky Ohio. We will stay at the Fairfield Inn in Sandusky (20 miles from the Refuge), so we can be at the Refuge at sunrise. Anyone interested in going please call Sohail Khwaja ( ) by April 20th so we can make appropriate arrangements. Bring cameras, binoculars and your sense of awe! As energetic as their electric zapping call notes would suggest, Common Redpolls are active foragers that travel in busy flocks. These small finches of the arctic tundra and boreal forest migrate erratically, and they occasionally show up in large numbers as far south as the central U.S. Our very own Dick Byers was graced with one of these rare visitors twice this year, once in January and once very recently. We only see them about once every six to 10 years when the pinecone crop fails on their Canadian wintering grounds. They will be leaving soon for their Arctic breeding grounds. A Rare Visit

4 Page 4 Volume 22, Issue 2 Caching With the Conservancy 2013 Are you ready for some caching? So are we! The event geocachers look forward to all year long is almost upon us. Mark your calendars and clear out your day, for Saturday June 1st, It is time for Caching With The Conservancy 2013 at Townsend Park, Murrysville. This, our sixth year we are going to free all you crazy cachers to hunt for caches All Day Long! We have simplified the program and returned to our roots. You will not have to check-in before heading out to the Reserves and/or Municipal parks. All day local caches may be done at the participant s leisure. Murrysville boasts a variety of places to break for lunch and refreshment, but make sure to join us for the 5:30 PM picnic! An all day geocaching event includes six WC Reserves, 1 private Historic Site, 2 Municipal sites, and Don Harrison Community Trail (5 caches). For a group/cooperative caching experience we will have the following: 1. Don Harrison Community Trail 5-Mile Cache Hike from Townsend Park to Walter Reserve. Steep hill down. Allow 3 hours(please arrange for carpooling or pick-up). 2. Don Harrison Community Trail 5-Mile Cache Hike from Murrysville Dog Park to Townsend Park. 2 Steep hills to climb. Allow 3 hours. West to East Difficulty level: 1.5. Terrain difficulty: 3. East to West Difficulty level: 1.5. Terrain difficulty: 3.5. Coordinates for all the caches will be available on Geocaching.com, the Conservancy website, or our Facebook page after 10PM on May 31st; OR a page will be available at Townsend Park at 9AM on June 1st. At 5:30PM a Pot Luck picnic will be held in the Townsend Park Lower Pavilion. Hot dogs will be provided by Sportsmen and Landowners Association of Murrysville (SLAM). Raffles will be drawn at 6PM and you must be present to win. Please let us know in advance if you are planning on attending the picnic and if you are planning on bringing your special dish, or just some goodies to share with fellow geocachers. Westmoreland Conservancy Online Website: Flickr: Facebook:

Volume 22, Issue 2 Page 5 Schedule of Events Saturday, April 13-1:30PM. Spring Hike. Please meet at the Tomer Reserve by the start time. Sunday, April 21-9AM. Cache In Trash Out.

5 Volume 22, Issue 2 Page 5 Schedule of Events Saturday, April 13-1:30PM. Spring Hike. Please meet at the Tomer Reserve by the start time. Sunday, April 21-9AM. Cache In Trash Out. PAGA is hosting a CITO event at King/Potter Reserves. Meet in the parking lot. Sunday, April 21-11AM. Westmoreland Expo-Earth Day. Visit the Saint Vincent College Carey Center Gymnasium. Wednesday, April 24-7PM. April Member Meeting & Murrysville Library Complex. Friday/Saturday, May 3/4. Annual Spring Migration Excursion. We will travel to Magee Marshes in Ohio. We plan on departing Friday evening to get an early start at the Marshes on Saturday. Please contact Shelly Tichy ( ) by April 30th. Saturday, May 11-10AM. Mushroom Hike. Scott Hamilton, from PAMushroom.org will lead this hike in the McGinnis Reserve. Please meet in the parking lot by start time. Saturday, June 1-8AM. CWTC2013. Townsend Park, Westmoreland Conservancy Reserves, DHCT & Municipal locations. Saturday, June 22-9:30AM. Hike. Dick Byers will lead this hike in the Walter Reserve. Please wear sturdy shoes, leg protection and weather-appropriate attire. Scheduled Hikes may be cancelled In case of Heavy storms and/or lightning. Expanding An Environmental Study deer exclosure (a plot of vegetation enclosed by a high fence) demonstrates what an over-sized deer A herd can do to vegetative cover. The trees and shrubs inside the fence grow much taller than the outside where browsing deer keep them trimmed and thinned. Some exclosures in high deer density areas look like a jungle inside the fence and scrub desert outside. While our McGinnis exclosure (pictured) successfully demonstrates this study, our exclosure in the King Reserve has not shown the same growth pattern. Trees around the exclosure are growing vigorously and competing for the sun, thus casting heavy shade, and preventing growth in the understory. We will undertake a thinning this Spring to promote growth on both sides of the fence. We should, in time, see a remarkable difference. This year Murrysville deer suffered an outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, which cut down the deer population appreciably. As a result, for at least a couple of seasons the browsing damage won t be as severe. ~ Dick Byers

Page 6 Volume 22, Issue 2 Materials needed: - 1 cup Plaster of

(small paper cups, ice cube trays, tissue rolls, muffin cups) -

Home Made Sidewalk Chalk Step One: In a large bowl, mix the

Step Two: Add the powdered tempera paint to the mixture.

hours, depending on the size of the mold.

hours. Have a blast drawing with the chalk.

More Fun with Color Glow Stick Xylophone! Glowing Balloons!

Sort out 5 colors from your glowsticks and activate.

6 Page 6 Volume 22, Issue 2 Materials needed: - 1 cup Plaster of Paris - 1 cup water - Powdered tempera paint - Mold for chalk (small paper cups, ice cube trays, tissue rolls, muffin cups) - Mixing bowls (cups) and spoons What to do: Fun with Color! Home Made Sidewalk Chalk Step One: In a large bowl, mix the water and plaster of Paris together. Step Two: Add the powdered tempera paint to the mixture. Step Three: Once the paint has been mixed in well, set it aside for a few minutes. Step Four: Pour the mixture into the mold and let it dry hours, depending on the size of the mold. Remember: The bigger the mold, the longer it will take to dry. Once the mold is dry, remove the chalk. If the chalk is still moist, let it air dry for another 24 hours. Have a blast drawing with the chalk. Anything drawn will be washed away by the rain! More Fun with Color Glow Stick Xylophone! Glowing Balloons! Fill 5 glasses of water to different levels. Sort out 5 colors from your glowsticks and activate. Place each in a glass of water. They create an aura in the water! Tap the glasses gently to create sound and watch the auras shimmer! Activate glow stick and insert into a balloon. Blow up the balloon and tie off the end. It glows! Hang them for pretty party decorations.

7 Volume 22, Issue 2 Insect-Eating Birds Page 7 Some birds eat seeds. Some eat nectar. Some eat bugs. And some will eat ANY combination! Find the words in the grid. When you are done, the unused letters in the grid will spell out a hidden message. Pick them out from left to right, top line to bottom line. Words can go horizontally, vertically and diagonally in all eight directions.

8 Westmoreland Conservancy 1 Priority Lane, #446 Murrysville, PA contact@westmorelandconservancy.org Board of Governors Officers: President - Shelly Tichy Vice President - Alan Halperin Treasurer - Sohail Khwaja Secretary - Jackie Stempfer Governors: Bill Byers Dick Byers Juliene Graham Alan Halperin Sohail Khwaja Bill Powers Jackie Stempfer Shelly Tichy Richard Wagner The monthly meetings are at 7pm and are open to the public. The meetings will be held at the Murrysville Community Library. April 24 (Annual Meeting/Elections) May 22 June 26 July 24 Our Mission To acquire land that conserves the rural and rustic nature of Western Pennsylvania. Our Vision The Westmoreland Conservancy will act to preserve land and natural resources, connect green spaces and help balance Nature and development by protecting rural landscapes and woodlands for all generations. Membership Application Westmoreland Conservancy P.O. Box 446 Murrysville, PA Membership Levels Individual...$15 Family...$20 Business Membership...$45 Additonal Donation...$ Total Enclosed...$ Name Address City State Zip Code Editors: Shelly Tichy & Sohail Khwaja wcnewsletter@comcast.net

Newsletter. Volume 21, Issue 2 April President s Annual Report April April 2012

Newsletter. Volume 21, Issue 2 April President s Annual Report April April 2012 Westmoreland Conservancy Newsletter Volume 21, Issue 2 April 2012 President s Annual Report April 2011 - April 2012 It is my job to look back and present a comprehensive report of the past year for Westmoreland