We’re adopting a stream!

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Back in March, our family attended a local stream monitoring session at Accotink creek.  We waded out in the cold stream, stirred up the invertebrates (animals without a backbone) that live in the bottom of the stream (the “benthic” habitat), and counted the various invertebrates.  By taking a look at which particular animals live in a stream, we can determine whether the stream is healthy or polluted.  Some animals are very sensitive to pollutants; you’ll only see them in healthy streams.  Some animals can live in very heavily polluted streams.  A healthy stream will have a mix of sensitive and not-so-sensitive animals, while a polluted stream will have mostly the tough ones.  Unfortunately, Accotink creek (the creek to which our yard and roads drain) is relatively polluted.

But the monitoring experience was not a failure.  Oh no!  Based on this experience, our family decided to adopt a stream in our neighborhood.  Four times a year, we’ll be monitoring the benthic invertebrates in our stream and reporting back to the northern VA soil and water conservation district.  It’s not too difficult to adopt a stream.  The program is sponsored by the Izaac Walton League and our local water conservation district.   I simply attended a few different creek monitoring sessions, studied the benthic invertebrate “cheat sheets” (they even have interactive games to help you learn!), and then took a short test to make sure I could identify preserved specimens, and answer questions like “what is a watershed?”  Pretty soon, we’ll find out the name of our stream – I’ll keep you posted!

There are lots of great environmental volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood too.  Start sleuthing, figure out what you’re interested in, and get your business done!

Endangered Species of the Week–A Success Story!

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For Memorial Day, we’re going to take a look at an endangered species success story – the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)!  Who doesn’t love seeing our national symbol (since 1782) flying majestically through the skies?  I know that one of the high points of our recent visit to Chincoteague NWR (also credit for photo at left) was seeing the beautiful bald eagle fly above us as we biked the island.  But views of bald eagles weren’t always so common.  According to National Geographic News, there were only 417 nesting pairs in 1963.   Many attempts were made to try to protect bald eagles, including the 1940 Bald Eagle Protection Act and listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, but it was the banning of DDT that really helped the recovery of these birds. 

DDT was a commonly used insecticide in the 1950s and 1960s.  Insects had the DDT in their systems, and fish then ate the insects.  Eagles then ate the fish.  As we move up the food chain (insect to fish to eagle), more and more of the insecticide would accumulate in the tissues of each animal (ie.  an insect has a little insecticide; fish eat many insects, thus their tissues have more insecticide; eagles eat many fish).  This phenomenon is called “bioaccumulation”.  DDT caused the eggshells of eagles to soften, so young would not survive.  Thanks to the banning of all hunting of eagles and of all use of DDT, we can enjoy seeing our national bird today and everyday!

Bald eagle fun facts: 

• The bald eagle is a large bird, weighing between 10 and 14 pounds. 
• Bald eagles can live up to thirty years, reaching sexual maturity at around 5 years. 
• Both males and females share the duty of incubating the eggs (about 35 days)
• Bald eagles can fly at speeds up to 35 mph

Check out NWF’s eagle cam to get your daily eagle fix!

Broadcasting live with Ustream

Meat-Free Friday–Papaya and Avocado Salad

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This week’s meat-free Friday recipe comes to us from Jackie Di Mauro!  Although we’re not related, we live in the same town and often heard each other’s names.  Jackie is the busy mother of two, patient owner of an active puppy, former environmental consultant, and gardener extraordinaire!   She learned from the best -- her parents are expert gardeners (they even managed to have very productive gardens in NYC).  Jackie is leading the effort to bring an outdoor classroom and organic garden to her children’s school, and today we get to benefit from her expertise – thanks very much Jackie! (photo from organiclifestylemagazine.com)

Salad ingredients:

1 firm papaya
1 large ripe avocado
Juice from half a lemon
4 cups mixed lettuce greens
1 cup pecans

Gingery-Citrus Dressing:

2 Tbs very finely minced fresh ginger
¼ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup light grade olive oil
1 Tbs thin/light soy sauce
½ tsp Asian chile sauce

Preheat the oven to 325. Using a potato peeler, peel the papaya, then split in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut the avocado into ½ inch cubes and sprinkle in lemon juice. Toast the pecans for 15 minutes (check every 2 minutes). Remove the pecans from the oven and chop.

In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Stir well, then taste and adjust seasonings.

Happy World Turtle Day!

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It's World Turtle Day -- time to celebrate these fascinating creatures.  Here are 4 fascinating facts about turtles from Arkive:

• The age of most juvenile turtles can be determined by the upper shell, which grows each year from a central point
• Turtles are found on every continent, except for Antarctica
• Turtles are thought to have lived on earth for over 200 million years
• The sex of most turtle hatchlings is dependent on the temperature at which they are incubated, with males hatching at low temperatures and females hatching when the temperature is higher.  (greenmomster’s tip:  think about how climate change might affect turtle populations in light of this fact)

For more information on turtles be sure to check out greenmomster's recent post on loggerhead turtles.

This week, I’m spitting mad and breathing fire!

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My family’s health insurance provider just informed us, for the umpteenth time, that they won’t be paying for any of the therapy needed by our family member who has autism.  Although that’s a topic for a different type of blog, it has relevance here too.  “Sounds like a personal problem, Greenmomster.  What on Earth do your health insurance woes have to do with the environment?” you may ask.  Well, my health insurance woes make me mad.  Really mad.  Spitting mad.  Mad enough to BREATH FIRE!  And that brings us to our endangered species of the week – the Dragon’s Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari)!

This incredible tree looks like an upside-down umbrella, growing at elevations of approximately 900 to 4500 feet.  It is found on Socotra, a small island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Yemen.  Its sap is a deep red color and is used to make cinnabar for medicines, dyes, and other uses; it is often confused with the mineral-based cinnabar which is highly poisonous.  Dragon’s Blood Trees are a type of plant known as “monocots,”  which means they’re similar in many ways to palms and grasses.  The island on which the Dragon’s Blood tree is found is also home to the source of frankincense, a species of Boswellia.  The Dragon’s Blood Tree is listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable.  What’s threatening the tree’s future?  No one is 100% sure.  According to www.arkive.com, overgrazing is often mentioned as a possible threat.  The gradual drying of the island climate, exacerbated by changes due to global climate change, also seems to be a possible cause. 

For more photos and information on the Dragon’s Blood Tree, be sure to check out www.arkive.org.  Ah, just looking at these beautiful trees is making me feel calmer…..

Non-native invasives crashing the garden party

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It’s finally warm, which means I spent the morning in my garden, planting (which I love), weeding (which I don’t love), and listening to country music on the MP3 (which makes the weeding more bearable).  I love planting all the different vegetables – tomatoes, of course, but also zucchini, okra (fried, oh yeah!), snow peas (they went in earlier), radishes, lettuce (hoping it doesn’t bolt too soon), eggplant (always a challenge), sweet potatoes, and beloved basil!  After the vegetables are planted, my eye wanders to the rest of the garden.  The blueberries, raspberries, and figs will be on our table soon, if the birds don’t get them first.  And I’m always looking for some nice perennials that will bring in the butterflies and feed my honeybees.  I just planted some bee balm, right next to the joe pye weed that’s a favorite of the butterflies.  Planting wild indigo (for the wild indigo duskywing butterfly) was a stroke of genius – it fills my garden with beautiful blue blossoms in the late spring and early summer.  Don’t forget the milkweed, which is necessary for the monarchs (as in the picture to the left).

Unfortunately, there are also unwanted invaders in my garden.  Usually, plants (and animals) that we want in our gardens, or forests, or any other natural area, are native to the area.  They’re species that have evolved in the region; they are well-adapted for life in a particular climate with particular neighbors.  But there are other species, the non-natives, that were somehow brought to an area and allowed to establish themselves.  Sometimes, non-native species are not a problem for the ecosystem.  They stay where they’re planted and don’t outcompete native species for resources.  Examples of common non-native plants are roses, tulips, or Japanese cherry blossoms.

But then there are the non-natives that aren’t so innocuous – they’re referred to as “invasive non-natives”, because they can outcompete native species and have a tendency to turn a landscape that once had much biodiversity into a landscape with just one main species.  Not exactly a healthy outcome for an ecosystem.  Common invasive non-native plants include English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, periwinkle, garlic mustard, porcelain berry, and kudzu (the photo at the right is kudzu taking over an area, from http://www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule/nwrsystem/kudzuorigin.html).  As we’re planting our gardens in the spring, the goal should be to minimize introduction of these harmful plants into the ecosystem.  It’s not as easy as it sounds, because many plant nurseries sell these plants!  Be sure to go to the nursery armed with a list of invasive non-natives to avoid for your geographical area.  We also want to try to remove the invasives from our gardens and yards as much as possible – again, not the easiest thing, because you don’t want to cause erosion (by leaving big empty spaces) or remove large swaths of bird habitat.  Take your time, be methodical.

But really, why should we give a flying flit about invasive non-native removal if we just want to plant one or two?  Because invasive non-natives affect ecosystem health, economic health, and human health.  For more information on invasive non-natives in your area, check out http://www.fws.gov/invasives/.   And Happy Planting (natives only please)!

Happy Endangered Species Day! And it’s Meat-Free Friday–Cheesy chard (or spinach)!

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Happy Endangered Species Day from the Greenmomster!  Check out the Center for Biological Diversity’s list of endangered species success stories.  Remember, eating low on the food chain decreases your impact on the environment and helps endangered species maintain habitat.  This week’s recipe comes to us from Susan Stillman, May’s Treehouse Chat environmentalist.  Cheesy Chard from “Recipes for a Small Planet” by Ellen Buchman Ewald (photo from uprisingorganics.com)
  
Ingredients
3/4 cup raw brown rice, cooked
1/3 cup grated cheese
oil
One large bunch chard (or other leafy green)
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
soy sauce to taste

Instructions
1. Chop the chard and stems separately and add stems to the onions.
2. In a large pot or wok, saute the onions, garlic, and chard stems until onion is transparent.
3. Stir in the cooked rice and put the chopped chard leaves on top. Cover and let steam a few minutes until the chard is wilted, then stir into the rice.
4. Add the cheese and soy sauce, stir and serve.