Photo contest winners

Joe Ciccia
Category: Watershed Plants and Animals
Best of Show




Andy Daugherty
Category: Watershed Recreation and Family Activities
Autumn Hoops

July 2010 update

Welcome to the July update

If you have any input for these updates, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net. This issue covers:

* September meeting
* July picnic meeting recap and the upcoming slate of officers
* Congratulations to FOEC member Steve Albro on the article in The Plain Dealer
* More on the 2010 Photography Contest
* More on water quality monitoring in the Euclid Creek watershed

Thank you to all who distributed fliers about our photography contest.

Black-eyed susans are a good native choice for Ohio gardens.

September meeting

We plan no meeting for August. Please stay tuned for details about our September meeting. Have a nice summer!

July picnic meeting update

Our July picnic meeting included voting on our upcoming slate of officers. Please see below for details.

Congratulations to Steve Albro

Please see the article about FOEC member Steve Albro. The article about Steve's wonderful work at the Cleveland Sight Center is at http://topics.cleveland.com/tag/steve%20albro/index.html

More on the 2010 Photography Contest

Thank you to everyone who already picked up fliers to distribute.

Upcoming slate of officers and steering committee members

Our upcoming slate of officers includes the following. Congratulations to Fran Hogg for completing a very successful year as President.

Officers
President Frank Skala
1st VP Gary Bloom
2nd VP Larry McFadden
Secretary Jeanette Evans
Treasurer Ken Messenger-Rapport

Steering committee
Kathy Schafer
Carolyn Sugluchi
Rick Evans
Steve Albro
Fran Hogg

Water quality monitor volunteers needed

For more information about what is involved in water quality monitoring in Euclid Creek watershed locations, please contact jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net. The program is a good way to learn more about watershed planning and contribute to the health of our environment. One of the monitoring locations is at the intersection of Richmond and White Roads.

Coreopsis is a good native choice for sunny locations. This image comes from ohioprarienurseries.com.

June 2010 update

Welcome to the June Update

If you have anything to announce, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net. The photo is from the Bioswale Cleanup at Wildwood Park and Marina held in May, 2010. Some items covered in this issue:
* July 6 picnic is coming up
* June 1 meeting recap
* June 4 Music of Nature and Nature of Music performance and lecture
* July 17 event at Euclid Beach

Congratulations to FOEC member Steve Albro about the Plain Dealer article about Steve's wonderful work at the Cleveland Sight Center (http://topics.cleveland.com/tag/steve%20albro/index.html).

Thank you to everyone who took fliers to distribute for the photography contest.

June 1 Meeting Recap

Our Tuesday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m. included a a presentation by Derek Schafer. Mr. Schafer is with the West Creek Land Trust Initiative.

Mr. Schafer is also the Conservation Project Manager for The West Creek Preservation Committee (http://www.westcreek.org/wcpc.html).

Jason Husher talked about urban farming. He has obtained grant money and taken vacant residential property in Cleveland and made it into an urban farm. http://www.localfoodcleveland.org/ has some related information.

Stephen Love talked about an Adopt A Beach program and July 17 event at Euclid Beach.

Save July 6 for our FOEC Picnic

Please plan to attend the FOEC picnic this Tuesday July 6^th. Come as early as 5:30. There will be plenty of food and refreshments, and some games. It is a potluck gathering, so bring along a small something to share. From 6:00 to 7:00 we’ll eat and then at 7:00 we’ll have a short monthly meeting. One of our meeting items will be the election of new officers.

The picnic will be in Euclid Creek Park at the Rear Quarry Reserved Picnic Area and Shelter House. From the Euclid Creek parkway road (across from the Ranger office) turn east and proceed down the hill on the Rear Quarry access road. Follow it through the gate and to the end and the shelter house.

Functions: Rear Quarry Reserved Picnic Area Features: Electricity Swings Water

Music of Nature and the Nature of Music

The Folk / Bluegrass band 'Timberwolves' with FOEC member Larry McFadden will be performing prior to the lecture The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music - http://www.cmnh.org/site/ClassesandPrograms/Lectures/ExplorerSeries.aspx - the Cleveland Museum of Natural History site gives more details -this Friday from 5:30 pm to 7:30pm - Fri, Jun 4, 2010, 7:30 pm Dr. Patricia Gray, Clinical Professor and Senior Research Scientist of BioMusic Part of the Explorer Series of Lectures

If we rely on artifacts alone, the evolutionary trail of music can take us back just 50,000 years. But there are other ways to study the roots of music-making and musical structures. By looking at other species and their abilities to perceive and manipulate patterns of sound and time, we may advance our understanding.

Dr. Patricia Gray of the Music Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro will discuss the deeper roots of human musicality. This program is in conjunction with the current exhibit Wild Music: The Sounds and Songs of Life. To purchase tickets for this lecture, please call (216) 231-4600, ext. 0, to speak with a Museum Operator. Or purchase your tickets at the front desk prior to the presentation.

July 17 Euclid Beach Event

July 17th the Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach team and Arts Collinwood are going to be having an all day event at Euclid Beach! (http://www.majesticmoinedmogul.com/adoptsignup/Form.php?id=52&visitdate=1) Please let jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net know if you can help at this event to represent FOEC.




Black-eyed susans are a great native and non-invasive choice.

May 26 2010 update

Welcome to the May 26 Update

If you have anything to announce, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.
The photo is from the Bioswale Cleanup at Wildwood Park and Marina held in May, 2010.

Some items covered in this issue:
* June 1 meeting of FOEC
* June 4 Music of Nature and Nature of Music performance and lecture
* June 17 event at Euclid Beach

June 1 Meeting
Please plan on attending our monthly meeting Tuesday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the South Euclid Community Center. We will be treated to a presentation by Derek Schafer. Mr. Schafer is with the West Creek Land Trust Initiative. He will talk about this new organization's mission, but also specifically about how they can help us with preservation of wetlands in the Euclid Creek watershed, such as the Highland Hts property on Bishop Rd.

Mr. Schafer is also the Conservation Project Manager for The West Creek Preservation Committee (http://www.westcreek.org/wcpc.html).

The photo comes from http://www.westcreek.org/.

Jason Husher also plans to talk about urban farming. He has obtained grant money and taken vacant residential property in Cleveland and made it into an urban farm.
Stephen Love will talk about an Adopt A Beach program and July 17 event at Euclid Beach.

Music of Nature and the Nature of Music

The Folk / Bluegrass band 'Timberwolves' with FOEC member Larry McFadden will be performing prior to the lecture The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music this Friday from 5:30 pm to 7:30pm - Fri, Jun 4, 2010, 7:30 pm

Dr. Patricia Gray, Clinical Professor and Senior Research Scientist of BioMusic
Part of the Explorer Series of Lectures

If we rely on artifacts alone, the evolutionary trail of music can take us back just 50,000 years. But there are other ways to study the roots of music-making and musical structures. By looking at other species and their abilities to perceive and manipulate patterns of sound and time, we may advance our understanding.

Dr. Patricia Gray of the Music Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro will discuss the deeper roots of human musicality. This program is in conjunction with the current exhibit Wild Music: The Sounds and Songs of Life.

To purchase tickets for this lecture, please call (216) 231-4600, ext. 0, to speak with a Museum Operator. Or purchase your tickets at the front desk prior to the presentation.

From Stephen Love, To Friends of Euclid Creek

I just wanted to let you know that on July 17th the Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach team and Arts Collinwood are going to be having an all day event at Euclid Beach! (http://www.majesticmoinedmogul.com/adoptsignup/Form.php?id=52&visitdate=1) So far, our initial agenda looks something like this:

11am-3-4pm: The Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup will begin at 11am and the sand sculpture contest will begin at 12pm that day. There will hopefully be a number of organizations present with informational tables on the beach during both events. It is likely that the sand sculpture judging will begin around 230 pm or 3 pm that day. Adopt-a-Beach team members will also be conducting a beach and park assessment survey for beach goers and event attendees for part of the time.

3-4pm-6pm: Both events will be followed by a cookout up top either in the pavilion or surrounding picnic tables. We are hoping to use the cookout as one way to raise money for our trash/recycle bin project by charging nominal amounts for refreshments.
Following the cookout we will likely have some arts and crafts events, storytelling and musical entertainment possibly on a portable stage. It is likely that everything will wrap up around 6pm.

Photography Contest

Click Photography Contest Details or contact Larry McFadden at 531-7144 or jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.

This is a big, beautiful watershed from the headwater stream in your back yard to the Lake Erie shore. Help celebrate Euclid Creek by sharing your best shots of life in the watershed. The Friends of Euclid Creek invite you to share your vision of life around our watershed. We hope to:

• highlight the beauty of the creek as it flows through the ten watershed communities
  
• showcase the culture and historical sites of the watershed
  
• encourage otehrs to enjoy this wonderful natural resource

More about The Wild Ones

Thank you to past FOEC president Barb Holtz for her May 2010 presentation on weed control.

In her presentation Barb mentioned The Wild Ones http://www.for-wild.org/ advocating for native plants in natural landscapes.

The image of the purple coneflower, a good native choice for Ohio landscapes, comes from The Wild Ones.

List of Current Officers

President - Fran Hogg
Vice-President - Frank Skala
Secretary - Larry McFadden
Treasurer - Ken Messenger-Rapport

Six Directors
Steve Albro
Gary Bloom
Mike Ceralo
Lou Drasler
Kathy Schafer
Carolyn Sugiuchi

Contest details

Welcome to the update on the photography contest

Photos must be taken in the Euclid Creek Watershed
Entry deadline October 5th 2011
Award Reception November 2nd

2010 photo criteria for e-mail entry:
. Jpeg or .Jpg format
· No larger than 2mb
. Submitted to friendsofeuclidcreek@gmail.com

Finalist will be required to submit a high-resolution file.
· Minimum of 300 dpi @ 5” x 7”
· Original may be as large as 8” x 10” @ 300 dpi

Enter our 2010 FOEC photography contest. Deadline for submissions is October 5, 2010.

• All photos submitted will become part of a permanent collection and will not be returned.
• Photographers may be asked for permission to use their photos to promote the mission of FOEC.
• Entries must be emailed. Mail entries not accepted.
• Entries must be taken within the Euclid Creek watershed.
• For more information call Larry McFadden at 531-7144 or jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.

This is a big, beautiful watershed from the headwater stream in your back yard to the Lake Erie shore. Help celebrate Euclid Creek by sharing your best shots of life in the watershed.

Categories - photos taken within the Euclid Creek watershed - color or black/white for each category - $100 grand prize

• Plants and animals
• Recreation
• Cultural and historical sites
• Age 17 and under any of the above subjects

The Friends of Euclid Creek invite you to share your vision of life around our watershed. We hope to:

• highlight the beauty of the creek as it flows through the ten watershed communities
• showcase the culture and historical sites of the watershed
• encourage others to enjoy this wonderful natural resource

The image comes from the Wild Ones http://www.for-wild.org/ which is a group that encourages use of native plants and natural landscapes. Please contact Barb Holtz or jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net for more details.

May 2010 update

Welcome to the May 2010 update

If you have anything to add for this or a future update, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net. Some of the items covered in this update include:

* More about our meetings
* FOEC photography contest details

We are extending deepest sympathy to Fran Hogg whose mother recently passed away.

Thanks go to Susan Petrone and Miering Borcherds for their support of the FOEC web site.

Coreopsis is a good native choice for sunny locations. This image comes from ohioprarienurseries.com.

More about our meetings

Our May meeting featured presentations from FOEC members. Stay tuned for details about our upcoming meetings throughout the coming months.

*Ken Messenger-Rapport - getting grant for Bishop Road property, oil and gas drilling developments

*Lou Drasler - what's in the water

* Ron Peura - urban forestry

* Barb Holtz - weed laws

The image of the purple coneflower comes from the Wild Ones page at http://www.for-wild.org/download/graycone.jpg with the Wild Ones being a group that encourages us to select plants and seeds from local or regional sources.

Enter our 2010 FOEC photography contest

Deadline for submissions is October 5, 2010.

All photos submitted will become part of a permanent collection and will not be returned. Photographers may be asked for permission to use their photos to promote the mission of FOEC. Entries must be emailed. Entries must be taken within the Euclid Creek watershed. Mailed entries not accepted.

News of note

Saturday, May 8 10am to 4pm - Cleveland Div. of Water will mark National Drinking Water Week with an open house at two of its purification plants. Call 216-664-2444 ext. 5802 or visit http://www.clevelandwater.com/ to RSVP.

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 spring 2010 meetings that including rain barrel workshops. Contact Claire at 216-524-6580 x16 or cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org.

Please visit regularly Claire Posius' Soil and Water Conservation enewsletter at http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/EuclidCreekFiles/enewsletter.htm Thank you Claire!

Black-eyed susans are a good native choice for natural landscapes.

April 2010 update

Welcome to the April 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
* FOEC photography contest details
* Ask a naturalist

Thanks go to Susan Petrone and Miering Borcherds for their support of the FOEC web site.

We are now on Facebook.

More about our April and May meetings

Our April meeting featured a viewing of Nicotine Bees. This documentary explains about the decline of bee populations. Between 2005 and 2006 bee colonies in dozens of countries declined sharply. Evidence shows that new seed chemical coatings are deadly to bees and responsible for the decline. The Sierra Club is urging the EPA to ban the use of these chemicals to allow for more study. Farmers used these nicotinyl insecticides (also called neonicotinoids) for years to stop insect infestation. Now agribusiness acquired patents to coat their seeds with these neonicotinoids, and “neonics” that enter the plant are present in pollen.

"Imagine a world without bees no stings, no pesky picnic invasions, no irritating buzzing around your summer sodas. And, of course, no apples, cherries, peaches, almonds, raspberries or maybe even hold on to your spoon Haagen-Dazs ice cream. We need bees, especially the honey bee, possibly for our very survival and we're losing them." Crain's.

Our May 7 meeting features presentations from FOEC members. The Community Room at South Euclid City Hall at 349 South Green Road 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.

• Ken Rapport-Messenger - getting grant for Bishop Road property, oil and gas drilling developments
  
• Lou Drasler - what's in the water
• Jane Goodman - connected watershed, areas of concern
• Ron Peura - urban forestry
• Barb Holtz - weed laws
  

Enter our 2010 FOEC photography contest

Stay tuned for additional details and contact jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net for more information. Here are the categories:

* Color - watershed plants and animals
* Color - watershed recreation and family activities
* Color - watershed cultural sites and historic buildings
* Black and white - any of the above subjects
* Seventeen and under - any of the categories above

$100 best of show cash prize
$25 best of categories prize
Entry limit is three photos per category.
Deadline for submissions is October 5, 2010.

All photos submitted will become part of a permanent collection and will not be returned. Photographers may be asked for permission to use their photos to promote the mission of FOEC.
Entries must be emailed.
Entries must be taken within the Euclid Creek watershed.
Mailed entries not accepted.

All emailed entires must include:
* category and title
* name and address of contestant (city, state, zip)
* day phone, evening phone
* where photo was taken
* when photo was taken

Ask a Naturalist

Thank you again to naturalist Barb Holtz for these answers.

Question: For a shade garden, what are your thoughts on using day lillies, hostas, and bleeding heart? What are your top 2-3 choices for growing in a well-drained area?

Answer: There are many wonderful native shade-loving plants. When it comes to lilies, I would discourage planting lily of the valley and day lilies. They can be invasive. Hostas are fine. I personally think the typical hosta is kind of boring. Bleeding heart is a beautiful plant. A cousin to bleeding heart that makes a great groundcover is squirrel corn.

My top three choices for shade would be columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), violets (many colors), and Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum). There are so many others but I pick these three for a variety on flower color and plant shape. Wild geranium is also a great choice.

The image of the native Christmas fern comes from http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/ which states that ferns have been part of Ohio landscapes for millions of years, predating both dinosaurs and flowering plants. The Christmas fern is found in nearly every Ohio county and is a welcome sign year round.

Celebrate Earth Day in April

More about wildlife in the watershed and Ohio

The red fox image comes from Ohio.gov. The red fox has been spotted at the Dike 14 Nature Preserve. The Nov. 22, 2009, issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer explained that mink appear at the Dike 14 location. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/ provides the image.

It won't be long before we see scenes, such as a yellow butterfly attracted to dusty goldenrod.