Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture

This article from the Cornell Chronicle online highlights:

Certain varieties of common fescue lawn grass come equipped with their own natural broad-spectrum herbicide that inhibits the growth of weeds and other plants around them.

full article link

Environment and Health: What are the Connections?
Assistant Professor Nancy Wells is an environmental psychologist in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis and the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center. She studies people’s relationship to the built and natural environment through the life course.

Her current projects are of particular interest to family and consumer science practitioners, 4-H youth educators, and those concerned with the environment, physical activity, diet, and health:

• a natural experiment to examine how community design features are associated with physical activity among low-income women;
• a study examining linkages between the nearby food environment and shopping behaviors, nutritional knowledge, and diet; and
• studies of the effects of the natural environment on children’s cognitive, psychological, and physical well-being.

Her presentation Environment and Health: Linking the natural and built environment with human well-being is a PowerPoint with audio.

This New York Time article by ANDREW POLLACK was published November 20, 2007.

Scientists are using a controversial genetic engineering process to change the composition of the wood in the hopes of turning trees into new energy sources.

Full article link

The CCE strategic plan “Cornell Cooperative Extension Administrative Strategic Directions, 2008-2012″ is now available on the CCE web site.

The plan has been posted on the CCE “About Extension” page, beneath the Director’s welcome message. It also can be directly accessed at this URL .

From Carolyn Klass regarding former Bulletin 74:

We are working on a Northeast IPM Grant to do a total revision of this publication - and it is fairly well along. It will not, however, have specific pesticides mentioned. We are looking at this as a Northeast IPM Guidelines for homeowners. We do not have final plans with a publisher yet, and I am not sure how long this will take. Mary Woodsen has sent some copy out for bid - and when we have some figures to work with, we should be able to pass this along to you.

In the mean time, Part I and Part II are available on the web. There are no hard copies left - as Media Services as we knew it went out of business last year and disposed of their hard copies of many publications. The following site takes you to the guidelines menu - you may then click on those you want to look at.
http://ipmguidelines.org/

Please feel free to send me any feedback. Comments from Extension staff are always welcome.

11/27/07

New NRAES Book Focuses on Pond Management
The Pond Guidebook (NRAES-178), contains dozens of tips and insights for managing ponds one-eighth acre to four acres in size. It addresses key topics such as water chemistry, construction, measurement, aquatic weed management, fish selection and stocking, nuisance wildlife, annual maintenance, safety, and more.
The book is based on research, experiences of pond owners, and hundreds of site visits. The authors group was lead by Jim Ochterski, CCE Ontario County, Bryan Swistock from Penn State, and Cliff Kraft and Rebecca Schneider, of Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources.
For more information, see NRAES web site, or contact NRAES by phone at 607-255-7654, fax at 607-254-8770, or e-mail nraes@cornell.edu

Peter Smallidge (NYS Extension Forester and Director, Arnot Teaching and Research Forest Cornell University) writes that Brett Chedzoy of Cornell Cooperative Extension - Schuyler County noted nearly 100% mortality of the pignut hickory in the three woodlots.

And wonders if anyone else seen hickory mortality?

Here is fact sheet from Wisc. on hickory mortality (pdf).

Check a review of this new viburnum book on the Garden Rant blog.

We are happy to see in the comment section that Central NY Horticulture Consultant

Terry Ettinger pointed out that Viburnum Leaf Beetle (VLB) can be an issue for some viburnums and he gave a great plug for our Cornell VLB citizen science project.

The 4-H Youth in Governance Executive Summary and national report: Youth-Adult Partnerships in Community Decision Making: What Does it Take to Engage Adults in the Practice, authored by Shepherd Zeldin, Julie Petrokubi (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Carol McNeil (University of California-Davis) are available for download at the following National 4-H Council website: http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/YouthInGovernanceProgram.aspx .
The report outlines a strategic, yet practical, framework for promoting Youth-Adult Partnership in settings such as organizational boards, community coalitions and local government. Grounded in two years of research with 4-H Youth Development in multiple states, this report describes “best practices” for how 4-H staff can effectively support volunteer and community leaders as they engage in youth-adult partnerships. The report includes examples of approaches and best practices from the perspectives of youth development professionals, adult community leaders and young people. A brief overview of the theory and research on youth participation is also included to assist professionals in “making a strong case” for Youth-Adult Partnership. This report raises issues that may be useful in planning the promotion and implementation of other types of innovative youth development practices.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden (www.cbgarden.org) is a national leader in urban horticulture and environmental education. The mission is to cultivate appreciation and knowledge of plants ­ their beauty, diversity, and support of the living world ­ so vibrant green communities in our region will flourish and sustain life.
The Garden seeks a Director of Education to create and direct innovative and far-reaching education initiatives that advance institutional goals. The position reports to the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for all of the Garden’s education initiatives. The selected candidate must be a creative, dynamic, innovative, self-directed leader who will be passionate about the educational mission of Cleveland Botanical Garden. This position has significant administrative responsibility, including managing a departmental budget of $775,000. The Director of Education will play an important role in developing the Garden’s interpretive master plan as well as the institution’s next strategic planning process (2008).

For complete details, write to Jennie Dawes at jennie@hcsmith.com or call (800) 442-7583 to request a complete Position Announcement.