Welcome to the February 2010 update
If you have content for this update, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.
Some of the items covered in this update include:
* More about our meetings
* Adopt-A-BeachTM update
* Columbine is more shade loving and a good choice for rain gardens - the image comes from http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/
More about our February and March meetings 
Thank you to all who made our February meeting happen. Our March meeting starts at 7pm at the South Euclid Community Center and features James Kastelic, former Deputy Director of Community Planning for the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. He is now a planner for Cleveland Metroparks. His talk is about the Environmental Education Collaborative and plans for the opening of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve at Dike 14.
Stay tuned for more details about our April and May meetings. The May meeting is to be at the Community Room at South Euclid City Hall . The room is at the top of the stairs on the right. Entrance is through the back door (Police entrance). If anyone needs to use the elevator, ask for its use through the Police Department.
Upcoming meetings and events 
New England aster is a good choice for rain gardens and more sun loving. The image comes from http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/
Save Friday, April 16 for the Beachwood Green Dream Event with a Euclid Creek Watershed Program and FOEC booth - Beachwood Community Center from 1-7pm.
Save Wed. May 12 for the Rain Barrel Workshop at Greenwood Farms 6:30-8pm in Richmond Heights. Contact Claire Posius for Euclid Creek watershed winter/spring 2010 meetings that including rain barrel workshops. Contact Claire at 216-524-6580 x16 or cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org. Use a rain barrel to recycle rain water for backyard or garden watering while saving energy by not running a spigot.
Adopt-A-BeachTM Update
Thank you to Mary K. Evans for providing this information.
Upcoming Ohio Alliance for the Great Lakes Happenings announces Adopt-A-Beach™ Training and Get Together
Keeping our beaches clean and healthy takes caring people in our communities working together. To thank current adopters and to welcome new adopters, we invite you to attend our annual training. The training will include a review of the Adopt-a-Beach™ data collection forms and protocol, including a discussion of some recent changes. This is your opportunity to ensure that you are collecting data in a standardized method. Come to one of our training sessions listed and meet others that share your zeal for the Great Lakes. New and returning Adopt-a-Beach™ teams can choose a training date that’s convenient for your schedule and location. Refreshments and a light snack will be served. To R.S.V.P. contact April Mather at 216-630-8140, or amather@greatlakes.org.
* Thursday March 18th from 6-8 pm, Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, 28728 Wolf Rd., Bay Village, OH 44140
* Wednesday April 7th from 6-8 pm at the Arts Collinwood Community Center 15605 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, OH 44110. Enter through the cafe and go to the back for the community center.
For those of you not located near a training site, on-line training materials are available at www.greatlakes.org/adoptabeach
For a list of beach visits open to the public visit: http://www.greatlakes.org/Page.aspx?pid=970
Adopt-a-Beach™ is the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ largest volunteer program and is present on 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. More than 7,000 volunteers including schools, businesses, individuals and families participate in the program. Teams catalogue and remove litter, and also complete a beach health assessment form that includes science based observation of beach conditions and water testing. Information collected by teams is entered into our online database system and can be used for education about conditions at their beach, shared with local beach authorities, and used to identify areas where volunteers can make improvements of beach conditions. For more information, go to: www.greatlakes.org/adoptabeach
With it being February, look out for ground hogs (image from wikipedia).
Ask a naturalist - what rain garden plants do deer not like?
Thank you to naturalist Barb Holtz for answering our questions. Please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net if you have a question for Barb.
Question:
What rain garden plants do deer not like?
Answer:
I would answer this question the same way I answered the more general "what plants don't deer like" question. I think if deer are hungry enough they'll eat just about anything.
Question:
New England aster, columbine, and Ohio goldenrod appear in the rain garden brochure we got at the last FOEC meeting as native plants. What do you think of these three?
Answer:
They are beautiful plants. I have them all in my yard and all are left alone by the deer.
New England aster is purple and tall. Ohio goldenrod is yellow and a medium height. The aster and goldenrod are more sun loving.
Columbine is more of a shade plant. The native one is red with some yellow and is short.
