Brooklyn Centre National Wildlife Community

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.

Feeding Birds in Winter on a Budget

There’s snow on the ground and more is in the forecast. That signals the Brooklyn Centre Naturalists-and other like-minded individuals-that it‘s time to feed our feathered friends.

The key to keeping the avian food budget low is to limit the seed choices. Serve black oil sunflower (rather than the more expensive gray striped variety to attract cardinals, chickadees, jays, titmice, woodpeckers and other strong-billed seed crackers. Offer millet for smaller birds such as finches, juncos and sparrows. Round out the selection with cracked corn for any visiting birds.

There are also other ways to save when feeding the birds. Buy seed in bulk. Share the cost of the seed with a neighbor. (Store bulk seed in airtight containers to keep the seed fresher and out of the reach of unwanted snackers.) Instead of buying deluxe mixes, create your own unique mix. Locate a local business which carries food for wildlife, and tell the neighbors. As business picks up, the shop owner may welcome suggestions in terms of what products to carry.

One tube feeder filled with Niger seed is quite enough: rationing treats of fruit and nuts in small quantities is quite all right. The important thing to remember is that when you begin feeding the birds, it is very important to continue, because birds will visit the feeder daily on their quest for food.

A shallow pan of water with a rock for the birds to stand on and give stability to the homemade birdbath is a must. Save decorative for good weather, because buying the perfect, unique addition to the garden, only to have it freeze during the winter, would not be a good thing.

Then, after setting up your feeding stations, sit back and watch the interaction of the birds.

This article appears in the January Old Brooklyn News.