Brooklyn Centre National Wildlife Community

Putting the "U" in Urban Watershed Stewardship symposium a success.

On Tuesday, March 9 Brooklyn Centre Naturalists and Friends of Big Creek joined forces to bring the NEO community a mini-symposium called “Putting the 'U' in Urban Watershed Stewardship”. This symposium explored how an individual could impact the  Greater Cleveland watershed in a positive way by action and deed.

 Topics that were discussed included storm      water management, creating healthy backyard and public environments for wildlife through the use of native plants and organic gardening practices, and an understanding of how water quality can be improved through individual action.

Joe Mestnik, a partner of Firefly Architecture discussed the advantages of using native plants in private and public landscapes. Terry Duncan, a National Wildlife Habitat steward talked about how easy it is to become a backyard habitat and what the advantages are.

           
John Rakauskas’s presentation on storm water mitigation showed us how to incorporate “trickle down” methods of storm water control and gave us a look at some permeable paving practices that can help slow down and reduce the volume of the storm water entering our streams.  And Lisa Duncan, a naturalist for the City of Fairlawn, discussed her passion for Rain Gardens-Big and small. She shared unique ways to deal with wet areas in our landscapes proving that small acts can impact our environment in big ways.  

BCN & FOBC Joint Mtg March 9

 Dear BCNWC naturalist-



Brooklyn Centre Naturalists and Friends of Big Creek have joined forces to bring us "Putting the "U" in Urban Watershed Stewardship". The line up of speakers, Joe Mestnik, Terry Duncan, John Rakauskas, and Lisa Warner will be sharing ways to impact The Big Creek Watershed in positive ways. Ways that will include storm water management, creating healthy backyard and public environments for humans and wildlife through the use of native plants and organic garden practices, and understanding how water Quality can be improved from individual action..



The program will be Tuesday, March 9th from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Reingberger Education Center located at 3900 Wildlife Way.



GO HERE http://tinyurl.com/yg7j4r3 for all the details.



Please register by calling 216-351-0254 or email gloria.ferris@gmail.com.



Gloria Ferris and Sharon Martyn, Co-Chairs



Brooklyn Centre Naturalists

how to be putting the “u” in urban watershed stewardship; “b” there March 9th; “c” how it’s done

BCN Meeting Minutes for February 13, 2010

February 13, 2010 BCN Meeting Minutes

Started meeting at 2.35pm. Sharon started with Earth Day event at the Zoo on April 18^th. Discussed need for volunteers and any ideas for getting the kids from the kids program into the zoo for the event. Asked for our table to be near “Friends of Big Creek: and “Friends of Wet Lands” table to cross support projects. Mary Ellen said she had not paid Friends of Big Creek yet. She said that she would request that we be clustered together to give a “campus” atmosphere.

Joe presented plans for the two lots for the re-imagining Cleveland grants we received. For 39^th street, “A forest Trail in the city” and 36^th street, “A Native Garden in an Urban Space”. Gloria is applying for a grant from Fiskars for tools for projects. April 14^th is Case Western Reserve work day; Maria Dimengo can get us volunteers We need to be ready to use them on the 14^th. Discussed need for larger, more mature plants for the lot plantings. Georgia suggested that when we ask for volunteers who know about masonry or other specialty skills, that we ask them to bring tools and things like wheelbarrows and trowels to do the project so we don’t have to purchase them.

Discussed cemetery tour June 13, 2010.  Beginning plans for tour and where we are now and some of the characters. Discussed inviting councilmen to have space with the focus being on green spaces, trails, parks, and other amenities in each ward. Need to schedule meetings for the set up and organization of the event. Work on set-ups and vendors to ask. We will again be selling books from Gray & Company, publishers.

Mary Ellen Stasek talked about the Friends of Big Creek and the River Day Event on May 15^th. This year’s event will probably be focused around Treadway Trail. It was decided that members of BCN will work with FOBC and support this event. Help with hike and lunch. Mary Ellen will take care of details and let us know when, where, and what we need to do.

FOBC/BCN March 9^th, Tuesday evening (6-8:30pm) meeting.

Putting the U in Urban Watershed Stewardship

Sponsored by FOBC & BCN.

6 - 6:30 pm Registration, networking and silent food.

Diana Slobodian (FBOC) & Dave Boyce (BCN) as Greeters.

Two at registration desk (some sort of registration packet & sheet with 10 ideas for helping the local watershed) Sewer District may have something.

Two at handout table – Mark Eberling (BCN) & ?

Two at food table & two at drinks table and one runner Tim Ferris Jessica Bosco

Table for Kids program and promote kids program. Greg & Georgia

TimeKeeper: Christine Stuckey

6:30 pm - Mary Ellen Stasek – Welcome everyone. (Make sure we know who the politicians or celebrities are so Mary Ellen can welcome them to the event.)

Bob Gardin – FOBC update and mission statement.

Gloria Ferris – BCN update and mission statement and introduce presenters.

Presenter will each speak for 15 minutes, then five minutes for general questions, then the next speaker. After all four presenters are done, presenters go to the four corners and people can then go to the presenter and ask more detailed questions as well as network with other attendees.

It was suggested that we have a folder and a small notebook as a registration packet for everyone. A sticker with BCN and FOBC info should be placed on the back of notebook or folder so attendees will have an easy access place for our information.

PRESENTERS (so far)

Joe Mestnik – Reimagining Cleveland projects and Native Plants

Terry Duncan – Certified Backyard Habitats

John Rakauskas – Permeable surfaces, storm water runoff and the sewer system.

?? – Rain garden and how to make one. Ask Amy for suggestions and for manuals

Mary Ellen suggested we have the presenters get us their PowerPoint presentations or slides in advance so we can pre-load on computer.

Cookie Sign Up

2-3 Dozen please

1. Sharon Martyn

2. Gloria Ferris Peanut Butter

3. Christine Stuckey Oatmeal Raisin

4. Georgia Althar

5. Dave McBean Chocolate Chip

Mary Ellen said she would help with “silent food”

Jessica suggested fresh lemonade, water, and coffee for drinks.

Meeting adjourned 4:30 pm

VDAY2

Dear BCNWC naturalist-



Mike Lang our neighbor and friend is hosting a Valentine's benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters today and tomorrow. http://www.gloriaferris.net/2010/02/valentines-weekend-bigbrothersbigsisters-benefit/



There will be raffles of sports event tickets, playhouse Square events, artwork, clothing and other fun stuff to win.



Brooklyn Centre artists will be attending as well. Mike displays and sells their work. It would be a great time to visit Mike's shop, support a good cause, and meet some of our local artists.

http://www.gloriaferris.net/2010/02/valentinebenefitartjewelryrafflesfood-much-much-more/

Gloria Ferris

Valentine's Weekend Benefit

Dear BCNWC naturalist,



One of our friends here in Brooklyn Centre who owns m lang clothing & cocktails will be holding an event for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BCBS) next weekend. There will be food and drink and items to purchase, and the profits will benefit the BCBS organization.



How is this for a deal? Donate $49 to Big Brothers Big Sisters and receive a custom shirt FREE, compliments of Mike and Savile Lane. These custom shirts are a regular $89 value. Nice Valentine's gift, yes?



I posted the flier with details here:



            

http://tinyurl.com/yenf25d

Hope to see you there.



Gloria Ferris

Neighborhood kids enjoy BCN Saturday programs

Many of you have probably already received your seed catalogues in the mail and will soon be busily preparing designs for your 2010 gardens.  February will be no different for the kids involved in the Nature thru Art, Craft & Music program held at the Brooklyn Memorial United Methodist Church, 2607 Archwood Ave. on Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (unless there is a school holiday on Monday or a snow day on Friday)   The  children enrolled in The Brooklyn  Centre Naturalists (BCN) educational program will be doing the same thing. The program is going strong, but there's always room for more -- and always an extra seat for the free lunch that is included. The BCN received a real boost in November when they received a Neighborhood Connections grant. With the added help of that resource, the new year began with planning sessions to map out lessons, field trips and projects; Brooklyn Centre youth will be learning about community through nature!  Snow and cold were the topics of the day in January. Last month's sessions also saw the return of Spike the Tarantula, who has made his/her terrarium a home with several tunnels and webs to make it a spider's castle. Spike comes to each session (unless it is too cold outside) and loves to show off his/her home. One of the fun activities was the foot comparisons among kids with penguins and polar bears and why polar bears don’t sink into the snow. In February the children will be mapping out plots for butterfly and edible gardens, learning how to test germination, deciding about plants for their gardens, and making stepping stones and plant and garden markers to beautify their spaces. Building bird and toad houses will occupy some of the children's time in March. Spring will be planting time for the gardens. Summer will offer the opportunity for field trips to places like the Rockefeller Garden, a local alpaca farm and the Zoo (for a photo safari), as well as choosing their best flowers and vegetables for the County Fair. And, sprinkled throughout the year, they will be making drums and rain sticks and learning how nature has been the inspiration for music throughout history. Don't let the children in your life miss out on this opportunity! If you know a child aged ten or older who would be interested in this program, tell them about it. And if you or any one you know would like to inspire a child, consider joining BCN's volunteer corps. We know that time is a precious commodity, so think about sharing a little of yours with a child in your life. To sign up as a volunteer or to attend the Saturday morning programs, call 216-351-0254 or email bcnaturalists@gmail.com.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, FUSRAP, Harshaw Site

Don’t forget the meeting tonight regarding Harshaw Chemical and how it affects our water, our plants, our health, our property values, and our lives. There are many reports and lots of data at the link at the end of this comment.

BUFFALO, NY -- January 6, 2010 --The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, is releasing a Revised Remedial Investigation Report for the former Harshaw Chemical Company Site located at 1000 Harvard Avenue, south of downtown Cleveland. The Revised Remedial Investigation Report replaces the 2006 Remedial Investigation Report, incorporates additional data from Phase III and Phase IV investigations, and updates the Baseline Risk Assessment. An Information Session will be held to discuss the findings of the report on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, from 7 to 9 p.m.in the State Boat Landing Room of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Leonard Krieger CanalWay Center, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation located off of 4524 East 49th Street, Cuyahoga Heights, OH 44125.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, FUSRAP, Harshaw Site

In the Depths of Winter, Gardeners Prepare for Spring - WSJ.com

There’s lots of detail in this article, lots of things to do; follow the link at the end of this post.

The Garden in Winter

Snow, Ice, Barren Trees? Now's the Time to Prune Hedges, Plant Seeds and Compost Leaves to Make a Garden Bloom in Spring

By ANNE MARIE CHAKER

The garden may sleep in winter, but not the gardener. These frigid months are the ideal time to get the landscape in shape, long before the weeding, tilling, planting and mulching begin.

Winter "is the bridge between last year and this year, and the better gardener makes it a shorter bridge," says Eliot Coleman, who runs an organic farm in Harborside, Maine, and has written books on harvesting food throughout the seasons.

Trees bare of leaves present an opportunity, since their branches are best pruned before the sap rises. Flowers and vegetables started from seed indoors can provide plant varieties beyond what's available at the nursery. And there is a range of simple structures, such as cold frames and compost bins, that can be built now and put to use for garden improvements.

In the Depths of Winter, Gardeners Prepare for Spring - WSJ.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our first meeting of 2010 will be this Saturday January 9th.   Wow, seems just like yesterday we were beginning this century and now we are on to the second decade. Those of us who live in Brooklyn Centre are not letting our feet get frozen to the ground because we already have attended the mandatory meeting for our Reimagining Cleveland grant.  Over 100 proposals were submitted and we were fortunate to receive one of 58 grants.  There are two categories of grants: greening and urban agriculture.  Our native plant nursery and teaching garden is a greening grant.  There is at least one other greening grant in Ward 14 at 48th and Clark. We met the lady responsible for that application and we are going to share information so that we will learn from each other and make our projects the best they can be.  One of the things she offered to share was the pollution calculator on their website.  They have a  tool that will take the dimensions, use the plants and trees on the lot and calculate how much pollution is being neutralized by your garden. 

In the other category, Brooklyn Centre Community Association received a grant for a community orchard. Johanna and Darren Hamm spearheaded that proposal.  As we receive more information on the orchard project as well as others we will keep you posted.

Join us this Saturday January ninth at The Cleveland Public Library-Brooklyn Branch at 3706 Pearl Road from 2:30 to 4:30 pm when we will show preliminary sketches of the nursery and teaching garden, plan a maintenance and work schedule for the site and go over ou budget for the project.

ParkWorks will be acting as our fiscal agent for the project and will be handling the accounting and bookkeeping duties since they are proficient in working with federal funding and reporting requirements.  $450,000 for these grants come from Federal Stabilization funds and an additional $86,000 is being contributed by Neighborhood Progress Inc.  ParkWorks brings over 30 years of experience as a leader in community designed green space development, park rehabilitation, and recreational programming.  They are looking forward to working with us to establish best practices for the use and maintenance of native plant gardening. 

Community orchards, native plant nurseries and gardens, kids nature programs at Brooklyn Memorial, butterfly gardens, garden tours, and more.  It looks like an exciting 2010 in Brooklyn Centre.