Boone Constructed Stormwater Wetland Winter Update

There is a natural area right in the middle of Boone that is home to a variety of native plants, birds and animals.   This is a place where humans can explore and recognize that nature is protecting our water resources.   The constructed stormwater wetland in Boone cleans the water coming off the roads, parking lots, and ball fields before flowing to the New River.   The winter landscape offers many shades of yellows, browns, rusts, and greens, which are a visual treat with the beautiful North Carolina blue-sky background.

Native grasses line the wetland edge

The town of Boone landscape division, specifically Doug Price and Jerry Lee Pennell have done an incredible job maintaining the banks of the wetland while allowing the natural vegetation to grow and provide habitat.  Curtis Smalling of the Audubon has seen a wide array of species there including some good diversity of marsh birds including Virginia Rail, American Bittern, Sora, and a first county specimen for Clapper Rail from just down river at the covered bridge.  Waterfowl, especially Wood Ducks, Mallards, Blue-winged Teal, and a few others use the wetland, as well as shorebirds including Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, Wilson’s Snipe, and Killdeer.

Male and Female Mallards foraging on a January afternoon

On a recent January visit, I noticed eight dabbling mallard ducks (4 male and 4 female) foraging for food in one of the wetland pools, probably looking for snails, beetles, dragonfly larvae, aquatic worms, seeds, roots, and tubers.  They should have no problem finding all of those in the wetland.  Mallards life expectancy is about three years, so these fowl seem to have picked a great spot to enjoy their time.While walking around the wetland I retrieved 23 pieces of trash, mostly food wrappers and alcohol containers, but the most interesting was a little paratrooper complete with his shoot.   The nastiest litter was a plastic bag full of dog poop.  GROSS!

Winter Natural History Hike in the Southern Appalachians Saturday, March 1, 2014

Space limited – email englandle@appstate.edu to reserve your space today!

Appalachian State University’s Southern Appalachian Environmental Research & Education Group is pleased to host this professional development opportunity for public school teachers and non-formal educators who want to enhance their environmental education skills. 

Ever wanted to take your class or group outdoors for nature exploration in late autumn or winter, but only feel confident identifying trees that have leaves?  Join us for this hike, which will focus on identification of trees and other plants after leaves are off.  EE certification credit offered (5 hrs, Criteria II). For adults; hike will be easy to moderate with plenty of breaks to examine specimens. Note: participants from our 2013 late autumn hike are welcome to join us again for this one!

WHAT: Winter Natural History Hike in the Southern Appalachians*

WHEN: Saturday, March 1, 10 AM – 3 PM (bring a bag lunch for picnic)

WHERE: ASU Campus Nature Preserve (details will be provided to registrants)

WHO: Pre-service and in-service educators who are working towards state EE certification; anyone interested in professional development in environmental education

INSTRUCTOR: Andrew Jenkins, ASU Biology Department & Herbarium

* This program counts for 5-hrs of credit towards Criteria II for all those enrolled in the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program.

Registration required: There is no registration fee, but space in this program is limited.  To register, email Laura England, Outreach Coordinator for Southern Appalachian Environmental Research & Education Group, at englandle@appstate.edu.

2014 Christmas Tree Transplant and Seedling Supply

If you have not already secured transplants for the 2014 planting season, do not delay. For several reasons supplies of Fraser fir nursery stock are expected to be low. Many growers were unable to buy all they wanted last year, due in part to recent droughts across the Midwest that increased the level of replanting. Further, many US nurseries either cut back or stopped growing Fraser fir seedlings after having to destroy beds of overgrown Fraser fir seedlings during the last several years. Nurseries that were burned once by lost sales may be slow in responding to industry demand with increased supply. On top of these factors, many NC growers are feeling more optimistic after 2013 sales and are considering increasing 2014 planting goals from their recession lows. If you cannot find the plants you need this spring, you might have to consider raising them yourself or contracting with a local grower to provide them to you. Anyway you go, expect to invest more time getting transplants this year.

Even with scarce supply, take care to purchase healthy seedlings. Excessive rainfall in 2013 over much of the US provided ideal conditions for Phytophthora root rot. Observe the beds where plants were grown if possible (look for off color or dead seedlings, gaps where seedlings have died, and healthy/dead feeder roots on seedling root systems). An out-of-state nursery location does not guarantee root-disease-free-status. If not possible to visit the beds, discuss seedling health and disease prevention practices with the nursery manager who grew them. Consider requesting some guarantee of seedling health. It would be better to plant nothing at all than to infest good ground with this potentially permanent disease.

By Jeff Owen, Area Christmas Tree Extension Specialist, NC State University

 

Agripreneurship Series Begins in January

Location: Agriculture Conference Center Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Register online www.cccti.edu/smallbusiness

Further questions: easher@cccti.edu

The Agriculture-Entrepreneurship Series provides education to entrepreneurs who want to begin a farming business and to farmers wanting to transform their farm into a thriving business. The 4-part series includes real-world scenarios and hands-on activities. Each session features an education session along with a local agriculture expert guest speaker. A class outline is provided below.

Agripreneur Workshop Series Outline

1/16/2014 - Exploring Agriculture Entrepreneurship & Business Planning The Agriculture-Entrepreneurship Series provides education to new and existing farm entrepreneurs. In this seminar, attendees will identify the personal qualities and skills of successful entrepreneurs, and learn about community analysis and business feasibility. Participants will identify tools necessary to write a successful business plan to serve as a guide for their business. Guest Speaker: Carol Coulter, Heritage Homestead

1/23/2014 – Market Research and the Marketing Plan In this seminar, attendees focus on the importance of market research and target market when developing a marketing plan. Learn how Marketing Mix decisions can be made using the 5 P's of Marketing. Attendees identify target market segments and develop a marketing strategy for a sample business using SWOT Analysis. Guest Speaker: Hollis Wild, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

1/30/2014 – Business Operations In this seminar, attendees will identify key human resource concerns, discuss different forms of legal structures and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of structure. Additional topics include licensing and zoning, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and insurance. Guest Speaker: Holly Whitesides, Against the Grain Farm

2/6/2014 – Business Financials Learn the various alternatives to financing a small business and the risks involved. The seminar introduces breakeven analysis as a tool to assist the entrepreneur in measuring financial feasibility. Activities identify the kinds of data needed to project the revenue, start-up, and operating costs of a business. The seminar helps attendees develop an understanding of cash flow and break even analysis and its relationship to business planning. Guest speaker: Barbara Smith, Loan Consultant, Farm Service Agency