Warren County Connection A Publication of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County December 2019 Online Tool Helps Guide Wildlife Repopulation Efforts By Lauren Cahoon Roberts, Assistant Director of Communications In this issue: at the College of Veterinary Helping Trees Manage 3 Medicine, Cornell University Stress Freezing Herbs 7 It’s a common sight in the Northeast: Flocks of wild turkeys strutting across Conserve Energy 8 the road, frustrating commuters. But Self-Care Strategies for 10 this wasn’t always the case. Parents Eighty percent of red-tailed hawks do not Baked Vegetable Tots 11 Less than a century ago, Eastern wild survive beyond their first year of life. If wildlife managers release only juvenile turkey had been nearly eliminated hawks into the wild, most of those carefully from the Northeast, requiring careful reared birds would die before reproducing. planning by wildlife ecologists to The StaPOPd software can help scientists reestablish them in their natural habi- avoid these kinds of issues. tat. The effort took decades. postdoctoral researcher at the Col- Wildlife ecologists often turn to rein- lege of Veterinary Medicine and an troduction programs to help sustain expert on population mathematics. key species in certain habitats. While “However, making these equations the wild turkey effort was a success, readily accessible to wildlife manag- other long-term reintroduction pro- ers for planning reintroduction activi- grams struggle to see their species ties is unique.” thrive. The impetus for the idea came when To help address this problem, a multi- the New York State Department of disciplinary team with the Cornell Environmental Conservation asked the Wildlife Health Lab has created Sta- wildlife health lab for help in establish- Special points POPd, an interactive online tool that ing populations of the New England tells users exactly how many plants or cottontail, a rabbit species that has of interest: animals they need to introduce into a declined significantly in the region de- Calendar of habitat in order to establish a stable spite breeding and release programs. Events population. Experts at the lab knew that there Please support “The theorems that support these was a body of mathematical our advertisers calculations have long been known in knowledge in population dynamics mathematics,” said Brenda Hanley, a (Continued on page 9) Warren County Connection Page 2 Warren County Connection Cornell University Cooperative Extension CALENDAR of Warren County Please visit our website for more events - 377 Schroon River Road Warrensburg, NY 12885 www.cce.cornell.edu/warren Phone: (518) 623-3291 or (518) 668-4881 Fax: (518) 668-4912 12/1/2019 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Holiday Gifts in a Jar - The Visit Our Web Site: www.cce.cornell.edu/warren Holiday Gifts in a Jar workshop will allow participants to make and bring home one jar of freezer jam, one jar of layered soup Who We Are mix, and one jar of layered brownie mix. Additional mix recipes Nation-wide, thousands of people in each state tap into their will be provided, and food safety and nutrition information will state’s land-grant university research and know-how to make be covered. This class has a fee of $15.00 which includes all sound confident decisions concerning family, home, business, materials. Pre-registration is required. For more information, or finances, and the future. In New York State, the land-grant to sign up, please contact Marybeth at Cornell Cooperative university is Cornell University. Extension of Warren County at [email protected] or 518- 623-3291. Cornell Cooperative Extension Warren County, The Cornell Cooperative Extension network brings you the exper- 377 Schroon River Road, Warrensburg, NY 12885. tise of Cornell University, other land-grant universities across the country and locally-based Extension Educators, volunteers, and 12/8/2019 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Treats for Your Furry Friend - other experts through such programs as: horticulture, youth and Treats for Your Furry Friend workshop will allow participants to families, leadership, environment, food, nutrition & health, home make and bring home several no-bake and baked healthy dog environment, and financial management. treats. Additional treat recipes will be provided, that are not only safe for doggie consumption, but can also double as yum- Staff my people snacks! Cost is $15.00. For more information con- Dr. James Seeley, Executive Director tact Marybeth Mitcham at [email protected] or 518-668- John Bowe, 4-H Team Coordinator 4881. Cornell Cooperative Extension Warren County, 377 Dan Carusone, 4-H Community Educator Schroon River Road, Warrensburg, NY 12885 Marybeth Mitcham, Nutrition, Food Safety, and Healthy Living Educator Roxanne Westcott, Parent Educator/Energy Educator 12/8/2019 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Basic 4-H Air Rifle - Partici- Anne Mills, Farm to School Coordinator pants will learn about firearm safety like MATT or Muzzle in a Jessica Holmes, Master Gardener Coordinator safe direction, Action open, Finger off the trigger, be sure of Sharon Bellamy, Finance Manager your Target and what's beyond it. Learn proper carrying and Amy Sabattis, Public Relations/Publications Manager shooting steps .177 air rifles. Positions will begin at Bench Rest Michele Baker, Administrative Assistant and move toward off hand. Must be a registered 4-H member Chris Dittus, Administrative Assistant Rand Fosdick, Maintenance at least 9 years of age to participate. Fee: $5.00 per person for current members, $10.00 for new members including annual Board of Directors membership. Registration is required and can be done by con- William Mason - President tacting the CCE Office at 518-668-4881 or e-mailing: Laura Conway- Vice President [email protected]. Dunham’s Bay Fish & Game Club, 2080 Julie Pearl - Secretary Ridge Road, Queensbury, NY 12804 William Hamelin - Treasurer Aimee Azaert If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans With Daniel Bruno Disabilities Act and need assistance with attending these workshops, Peter Benoit please make your needs known by the registration deadline. Ed Griesmer Reasonable efforts will be made for accommodations. Jim Kneeshaw David Strainer Michael White Extension Service Committee Chair - Andrea Hogan Douglas Beaty Jack Diamond Ben Driscoll Cynthia Hyde William Loeb Brad Magowan Eugene Merlino Michael Wild Warren County Connection Page 3 Helping Trees to Manage ture of soil leading to compaction of that soil. Compac- tion reduces the level of oxygen in soil, slows the pene- Stress tration of water, and hinders the development of roots. Other consequences of human activity, especially air pol- lution and road salt applications, are a little more difficult to assess and to prevent. For people living in areas prone to frequent air pollution events, the best remedy, as far as tree health is concerned, is to select species that are somewhat tolerant of common air pollutants. Similarly, different species of trees have different tolerances to salts. If exposure to road salt is a problem, for example, salt tolerant species such as ginkgo may be planted. Diagnosing the source of stress on a tree can sometimes be difficult because tree decline is rarely caused by one factor alone. It is more likely that a combination of fac- tors are working together to cause the decline of a tree over a period of many years. The growing environment of a stressed tree should be carefully evaluated to deter- Introduction mine as many of the causal factors as possible. Check for Trees are the dominant component in the natural and proper planting depth and for girdling roots. The past managed landscape in New England. For the most part, history of the tree should also be reviewed. Previous ap- trees in forests thrive and, typically, live more than one plications of chemicals, recent periods of drought, ex- hundred years. On the other hand, trees planted in cities tremely cold or open winters, flooding and similar events and towns, and along roadways, often survive no more can be important in evaluating sources of stress. than a few decades, if that long. These trees are subjected to a variety of factors that reduce vigor and may eventual- Nurseries and garden centers sell a great variety of trees, ly lead to decline and death. Almost all of these factors are each with its own specific environmental requirements. the result of human activity. It is the purpose of this fact Landscape features such as soil acidity, sun or shade, lev- sheet to introduce the reader to the stresses imposed on el of soil moisture and drainage can influence how well a trees growing in communities and around homes, describe tree will grow and prosper. It is important to match these the common symptoms of stress, and suggest ways to pre- site features with the environmental needs of a tree be- vent or reduce the impact of these stresses on trees. fore making a purchase. Causes of Stress: An Overview Symptoms of Stress Most people believe that insects and diseases are the The symptoms of stress often develop slowly, more slowly primary cause for decline and death of trees in the land- than insect or disease symptoms. Some things to look for scape. In fact, it is human activity which causes most of include: the appearance of abnormally small leaves, pale the problems that trees experience. Even many pest and green coloration of leaves, unusually slow growth, prema- disease problems can be related directly or indirectly to ture development of fall leaf coloration, early leaf drop, the prior stresses imposed upon trees by human activity. dieback of twigs and branches, wilting of leaves and tender new growth, peeling bark, and presence of fungi protruding These activities may include improper planting and prun- from stems and branches. Repeated occurrence of these ing of trees, as well as poor care.