Statewide Conservation Conference Comes to Monroe County
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The conference is Pennsylvania's annual training, networking and inspirational event for those involved in private and public land and water conservation. Hosted by the
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
, the event offers three days of seminars, workshops and roundtables focused on a myriad of issues including land protection, restoration, outreach & education, stewardship, board development, GIS technology, fundraising, climate change, and much more.
Professional continuing education credits will be available for attorneys, park and recreation professionals, and landscape architects. Don't miss this opportunity to network with and learn from conservation professionals and volunteers who are working to advance missions and goals similar to yours.
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The photo of this Christmas Fern at Fieldstone Farm
had been uploaded to iNaturalist
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Nature-based app offers citizen scientist opportunity
by Matt Schultz
Attention photographers and naturalists!
Have you ever been walking through the woods, noticed a bug, flower or mushroom, and wondered what it was? There’s an app for that, and it’s called iNaturalist. With iNaturalist, you can take a photo of the organism in question and upload it to the iNaturalist platform. Enter as much information as you can about your finding (e.g. if you know that the plant was in the mustard family, you can enter that), and a community of naturalists crowd-sources the identification.
The iNaturalist app includes an algorithm that suggests an identification, drawing upon similar species reported from the area and image recognition software.
Pocono Heritage Land Trust is creating projects on iNatualist, in order to gauge the biodiversity for each preserve that PHLT protects. You can help in this effort! If you have photographs of species that have been taken on PHLT preserves, upload them to the website (
www.inaturalist.org
). There is also an app you can download on your smartphone. If you don’t have photographs handy, visit your favorite PHLT preserve and take some!
One project PHLT has started is Fieldstone Farm Tank Creek Nature Preserve, off of Devil’s Hole Road. (
Click here
to see this project on iNaturalist and experiment with the app).
This project is lonely now, with only 12 observations. Let’s work together to increase that amount!
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Pileated Woodpeckers leave a trace at ForEvergreen Nature Preserve
by Don Miller
Pileated Woodpeckers are truly amazing critters. They are the only woodpecker that can surgically extract insects (primarily carpenter ants) from the heartwood of large living, insect-infested trees. They can do this because of their large size, unique cushioned brain inside a large skull, and long (up to 15 inch!) barb tipped tongue that is coiled like a tightly wound spring in the back of their head at the base of their skull.
The distinct pile of unusually large wood chips and rectangular holes are tell tale signs of the Pileated Woodpecker's work.
They have few predators because they are so large and incredibly observant, and quick, strong fliers.
These birds require mature forests and as our North Eastern Pennsylvanian forests mature, Pileated Woodpecker populations are increasing. They land in the side of a tree with a loud thump, causing the ants to move more rapidly. By sitting silently for a few minutes, these birds are locating where the ants are to begin their excavations.
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Installation detail of Cogswell's "Wyoming River Fugues"
via margaretcogswell.net
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"East Stroudsburg University’s Madelon Powers Gallery will feature an innovative, mixed-media installation with a local connection entitled River Fugues/Moving the Waters, to be displayed February 1-March 8.
The exhibit, the latest in a series of installations begun by artist Margaret Cogswell in 2003, continues the exploration of the interdependent, interactive relationship between humans and water by using the musical structure of a fugue to weave together sculpture, video, sound and drawings."
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Winter Birding in The Poconos: Part 2
by local birdwatcher Sarah Cameron
Northern Mockingbird and Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Cameron provides photos and identifying characteristics of two birds to keep an eye out for this month.
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Northern Mockingbird
photo by Sarah Cameron
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"Though not a frequent visitor at feeders, the Northern Mockingbird is another commonly seen backyard bird, as well as another permanent resident Northeast Pennsylvania.
Known for its large repertoire of songs and ability to mimic the vocalizations of other birds, this species is medium in size and dons a whitish breast, light gray upper, and long tail. They can often be seen in shrubs and hedges feeding on their main source of food during the winter months, berries."
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Images and information on these as well as the other birds you might see in Northeast Pennsylvania this winter can be found on The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website,
www.allaboutbirds.org
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Red-Bellied Woodpecker
photo by Sarah Cameron
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"The Red-Bellied Woodpecker is an easily identified bird that inhabits forested areas but may also be attracted to feeders. It is a medium-sized woodpecker with a striking red patch on the top of its head, a white face and breast, and black and white striping on its back.
This species can often be seen exhibiting caching behavior, a process in which they store nuts and seeds in tree crevices and other openings to use as food later on."
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To follow more of Sarah's local bird photography, you can follow her on instagram @s.e.cameron
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Sunday February 17th
Natural Places & Open Spaces
Walk #28 with Don Miller
"Sounds of the Winter Night"
Full Moon Snow Shoe at
ForEvergreen Nature Preserve
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Sunday March 24
Natural Places & Open Spaces
Walk #29 with Don Miller
Vernal Pool Exploration at
Kurmes Preserve
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Pocono Heritage Land Trust | phlt.org
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