Paul Bunyan Show next weekend

Come see us at the Paul Bunyan Show, October 1st,2nd & 3rd. Friday and Saturday from 8-5PM, and Sunday from 8-3PM. The PBS is held at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds

HEY KIDS!!!

Come to the SPOOKTACULAR NATURE NIGHT

at Moore Memorial Woods on Thursday, October 21 from 5:30 to 8PM. We're hosting a night hike for children six to sixteen.

There will be pumpkin painting, a weenie roast, and wildlife specialist Joe Lehman will lead a hike to call owls, and discuss the exciting things that happen in the woods while the kids are usually doing homework, watching TV, and sleeping. Space is limited to the first 30 kids. Bring an adult with you, since supervision is required, and besides, they will have as much fun as you will!

Call the district to get registered before October 15th, and get directions to the woods.

There is no charge, but you do need to register to attend.

Guernsey County Fair Educational Display

Here is the display board showing some of the agricultural activities 400 thirdgraders from Guernsey & Noble county learn about each year during our program, Ag School Days.
Note the picture in the center with all the names of sponsors and supporters of this very important program.

All the "buzz" locally about Spotted Knapweed prompted this display showing some of the common invasives species in Ohio.

The macroinvertebrate display shows some of the species of insects that can be found in ponds and streams. The presence of these species can indicate the relative health of the water supply, as some species are more sensitive to polutants and to the oxygen level in the water.

What is an invasion plant species?

An invasive species is one that spreads and establishes over large areas and persists. Invasiveness may be characterized and enhanced by robust vegetative growth, high reproductive rate, abundant seed production, high seed germination rate, and longevity. They may crowd out and replace native species to the detriment of plant diversity.
Below is purple loosestrife, a plant that has escaped from cultivation in gardens. It now invades northern Ohio's wetlands, marshes, ditches, riverbanks and wet meadows, forming nearly pure stands. It spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes, and can produce up to a million seeds per plant.

Plan to attend the Paul Bunyan Show!

Don't forget - mark your calendar for the Official Paul Bunyan Show held at the Guernsey County fairgrounds on October 1,2,& 3, 2010.
The district will be there and have its building open for you to visit and get information on forestry and woodland management in the county.

Guernsey County Fair approaches

Don't forget to stop by the Backyards for Conservation display at the Guernsey county fair during the week of September 13th. The district will have its outdoor display of plants to attract wildlife to your own backyard. We also have a small pond and waterfall.
Inside the garden building you'll find a display of macroinvertebrates, the "bugs" that live in our streams and ponds. By recognizing the types of "bugs" you can get a good idea of the quality of the water.
We will also have a display of different invasive plant species that plague Ohio and Guernsey county.
Stop by and talk to our staff and enjoy the displays!

Look who met us at the front door this morning

The Brook

(Alfred Lord Tennyson 1809-1892)
I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.

By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.

Till last by Philip's farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.

With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.

I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling,

And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel,

And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.

I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;

And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

Identifying Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven)

The Ailanthus is an invasive species of tree in Ohio.  It is common in this area, and is spreading rapidly.  It is often mistaken for Black Walnut and allowed to grow, producing massive amounts of seed and reproducing.
It forms thickets, crowding out more desireable species of trees.  It is a fast growing, short lived tree, and the wood is not useful for timber or for firewood.  Once established, it becomes difficult and costly to eradicate, so keeping an eye out for young trees and removing them immediately is prefered. 

Here is an easy way to discern between the compound leaves of young Ailanthus vs Black Walnuts. 
Ailanthus has less than ten pairs of veins in each leaflet, and has a notch at the base of each leaflet.
Black Walnut has more than 10 pairs of veins in each leaflet, and does not have a notch. 

The latest buzz - invasive species "Spotted Knapweed"

Spotted Knapweed has been "spotted" in Guernsey County.  Its been reported to our office in the Quaker City area, and also in the Cumberland area.
It is a short-lived perennial or biennial that grows 2-3 feet tall.  Seedlings develop the first year into lowgrowing rosettes.  From July to September it produces pink to purple flowers that look similar to thistles.  These flowers die down to brown seeds with with a plume of soft greyish bristles.   It infests hayfields, pastures and roadsides.  It is native to Europe and Asia.  It has a long taproot, and the plant exudes a toxin that kills neighboring plants' roots.   Since this toxin can irritate some people's skin, care should be taken when working with it. 
Sheep and goats will readily graze this weed when it is in the young growth stage.  As it matures, it becomes less palatable as bitter compounds called cnicin build up in the plant.  A diet of more than 70% knapweed can cause health issues. 
Over time, grazing will weaken the plant.  This means of control is most effective when used in combination with chemical controls.  It is very effective in reducing seed production when grazed twice, once at the rosette to bolt stage, and again at the bud stage. 

(this info from the American Sheep Industry)

Call for candidates for Board of Supervisors

If you would like to run for the Guernsey SWCD board of supervisors, please contact the committee chairperson, Bill Bertram at 740-658-3150 by September 3rd, or call our office for a petition.  The petition should be signed by 10 Guernsey county residents, and be turned into the office by close of business on September 15th. 
The annual meeting and election will be held on October 21st at the Secrest Center in Senecaville. 

Farmer's Market Display

Here is summer intern Seth Woodford helping man the display on pollinators at the Camrbidge Farmers Market this past Friday morning.