May 2011 - Rockbridge Master Naturalists

M A Y 2 0 1 1
W H A T’ S
H A P P ENING
• May 1 2:00 pm
The Chestnut Story
♦ May 7 2:00 pm
Invasive Species
Walk Chessie Trail
• May 6-8
Mt. Rogers Naturalist
Rally
• May 7-8
Wildflower Weekend
Shenandoah Nat Pk
• May 8 Mothers Day
• May 13-15
Wildflower Weekend-
Wintergreen
• May 14—30
Green Valley Bk Fair
• May 20-22
DGIF Outdoors
Woman
• May 21 10-3
Chestnut Training
• May 28 10-1
BlueRidge Wildflower
• June 7th 5:30pm
RMN Chapter Mtg
& Graduation!
• June 3-5
VAMN Rally
Sweet Briar
RMN Sponsors
Rockbridge Rockbridge Rockbridge Master Master Master Naturalists
Naturalists
Providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the
stewardship and beneficial management of the natural areas
and resources of Rockbridge County, Virginia.
After mulchingthe
herb
bed myson
and I sat
back for a
well-deserved break ina patch
of grass just past tall enough for
the mower. While he happily
munched ona dandelionbloom
we begannamingall the plants
we could touch; chickweed, purple
deadnettle, rye, white clover,
mountainmint, ground ivy,
and, of course, the honorable
Dent de’Leon! - all of which
are quite tastyand regular additions
to our salad bowl. Out
of the 12 plants we identified in
that small space all but 2,
grape hyacinth and buttercups,
were edible and/ or medicinal.
Inaddition, there were numerous
insects, worms, and larvae
crawlingor flyingabout, and we
couldn’t help but marvel at the
sheer varietyof life that existed
On Saturday, May 7th, RMN
members will have a chance to
get in some advanced training
hours learning to identify certain
harmful non-native plants that
have take up residence along the
Chessie Trail. The walk will be
led by Faith Vosburgh and will
count toward both advanced
right at our fingertips.
The biodiversityof our planet is
beingthreatened bythe narrowand
short-sighted economicdrivenhomocentricviewthat
everythingexists
for our pleasure and use. We may
be products of our culture, but we
are also naturalists with a deep love
and innate understandingof the
world that surrounds us. Cultivatinganopenmind
and heart are
essential elements to restoringand
protectingthe wonderful gifts our
world provides us, and brings us
that much closer to respectingbiodiversityinall
its forms.
What’s the difference betweenthe
dandelionweed that mars a wellgroomed
lawnand a beautiful
flower that nourishes your bodyand
soul?
Perspective.
Bernadette Bowen
Invasive Species ID and Removal Walk on the Chessie
training and volunteer hours, ’cause
once we identify those invasives,
then we’re getting rid of ’em!
The walk will begin at 2:00pm
and last from 1-2 hours, depending
on how much fun we’re having!
This is the first of a series of walks
that will be offered on the Chessie
and will be open to the public.
Here’s a link to a terrific new electronic re-
"When you change the way
you look at things, the
things you look at begin to
change."
-Wayne Dyer
Chapter Advisor:
Karen Stanley
VA Dept. of Forestry
312 South Main Street
Lexington, Virginia 24450
(540) 463-5253
Karen.Stanley@dof.virginia.gov
President: Bernadette Bowen
540-463-6177
bbowen00@gmail.com
Vice President: Keith Maurer
vapapops@gmail.com
Secretary: Patrick Stange
pstange@embarqmail.com
Treasurer: Vicki Langdon
vlmillan@netscape.com
source that
helps differentiate
invasive plants
in our region from their
native look-alikes:
http://
www.nybg.org/
files/scientists/
rnaczi/
Mistaken_Identity_Final
.pdf.

P A G E 2
Loss of biodiversity from
high levels of atmospheric
nitrogen (from cars, industry
& agriculture) has been
reported in parts of Europe
and the United States.
Within an ecosystem, species
have different roles
that contribute to the productivity
and stability of the
community. When some
species are missing, the
functioning of the ecosystem
as a whole is impaired.
Good News! Research
shows when nitrogen is
reduced many species can
recover. Science Daily 2/12/08
If you get up any morning for
the next few weeks, you’ll be
treated to the sight of all the
planets except Saturn arrayed
along the ecliptic, the
path of the sun through the
sky.
For the last two months, almost
all the planets have
been hiding behind the sun,
but this week they all emerge
and are arrayed in a grand
line above the rising sun.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, and
Jupiter are visible, and you
can add Uranus and Neptune
to your count if you have
binoculars or a small telescope.
Curriculum Committee News
The 2011 training
class will graduate on
June 7th—yea!!
Remember: All trainees
have 2 years to
complete training. If
you’re missing courses
or field trips there is
still time to make them
up (please see the remaining
training schedule
to the right). Megan
Ondricek is in charge of
training records and
you can email her directly
with questions:
megondricek@gmail.com
The Entomology part of
the 5/11 field trip has
been canceled due to a
presenter conflict. This
field trip will only consist
of ornithology, and since
this hasn’t been offered
Observatory Observatory Trip: Trip: Well, we finally made it to
the VMI Observatory ! Dr. Greg Topasna
gave us an excellent tour and discussed the
spectrum analysis research VMI is currently
involved in. Then we got to climb up into
the observatory itself and learned all about
the two telescopes currently being used,
even climbing onto the table to peer into
the opposite end to see the lenses. After
synchronizing the telescope to the computer,
Greg opened the dome and our beautiful
moon jumped into view. Even though
the night was just beginning to cloud up a
little, we were able to see quite a few deep
space objects, such as the Orion Nebula,
the Beehive Nebula, and a binary star sys-
Chessie Chessie Chessie Trail Trail Trail news news news by Bernadette Bowen
The Chessie Trail is such an
important community resource,
the committee felt it would be a
shame not to share our growing
knowledge. We’re setting up a
series of RMN sponsored community
walks that will focus on a
specific aspect and section of the
trail such as the history of the
trail, hydrology, geology, ecol-
PLEASE NOTE !!
ogy, microclimates and
microhabitats, and more.
We will begin on May 7th
learning about invasive
species with Faith Vosburgh
(and getting some
volunteer time by pulling
them out!).
We’re still working out
the final details and will
before, it can count toward advanced
training . The field trips
are normally from 8:00am to
12:00pm. Please contact Keith
Maurer: vapapops@gmail.com
2011 Training Schedule
5-4 Hydrology / Ichthyology
5-7 Water Quality field trip
5-11 Orinthology
5-18 Entomology / Decomposers
5-21 Ornithology field trip
(adv trn)
tem; Castor and Pollux (In the constellation
Gemini). But, the Piece de’ Resistance’ was
when we focused on Saturn. Wow. As
Maggie exclaimed, “It looks just like it’s
supposed to!” It really did and took our
breath away. We all had such an exciting
time, Greg offered to do this again for us in
the early fall.
In the meantime, Greg gave us 2 websites
with free downloadable astronomy programs:
www.stellarium. www.stellarium. org org
org
www.shatters.net/celestia/
www.shatters.net/celestia/
ps: We tried Stellarium—awesome! The Bowens
send a follow-up email to all
members when complete.
These walks will count toward
advanced education
hours and be open to the
public. The plan is to help
prepare our members to lead
interpretive community walks
on the Chessie next year.
If anyone has any suggestions
on topics, please let us
know!
The tiny short tailed shrew usually hides under leaf litter, and is the most abundant mammal in
Virginia. The Least Shrew is the smallest.

M A Y 2 0 1 1
It’s It’s SKUNK SKUNK SEASON!
SEASON!
Thirsty Plants Text For Help
Researchers have developed a
device that monitors soil saturation
and lets your house
plants send text messages to
let you know if they need water,
had to much, or just to say,
Thanks! Science Daily 1/1/2009
*********
Flame Retardants (chemicals
added to fabric & plastics to
keep them from burning easily)
have been detected in Peregrine
Falcon eggs for the 1st
time. Science Daily 4/18/11
********
Biochemists have shown that air
A group of skunks is known as a, ‘stench’. (ya’ think!?!)
Four Four kinds kinds of of skunks skunks are native to the U.S. and of these, 2 are found
in Virginia: The Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and more rarely,
the smaller Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius). All are black and
white and have a strong musky odor that come from 2 nipple-tipped grape-sized
scent glands on either side of the anus. Each dose contains only about a fraction of a
teaspoon. The skunk can aim these glands with perfect accuracy when frightened or
threatened. Skunks usually give a warning before spraying by stamping their front
feet, then raising their tail, and finally lifting and fanning out the tip of the tail (the
spotted skunk stamps then does a handstand and sprays over its head!). They can
fire 5 or 6 rounds at a time and then need about a day to recharge. Skunks are nearsighted
but have excellent hearing and sense of smell. They don’t like heat and are
primarily nocturnal, preferring to feed in the early evening. Omnivores, they’ll eat just
about anything, but prefer insects like grasshoppers and crickets, larvae, mice, voles,
shrews, eggs, worms, grubs, slugs, weevils, spiders, fruit, grasses, and tender buds.
They have sharp teeth and claws for digging. The skunk has been called the gardeners
and farmers best friend because they eat most of the more annoying garden and
crop pests. Skunks have a home range and can travel up to 2 miles a night looking
for food. Not true hibernators, they can sometimes be seen in the milder winter
months and are often seen during the daytime in early spring after emerging from
hibernation or searching for a mate. A skunks greatest enemies are humans and
dogs. Other predators include horned owls, fox, bobcat, and
eagles. Breeding season begins in February and lasts until
the end of March. Kits (up to 10 but normally 5 or 6) are born
in Late April or early May and by July are able to travel about
on their own. However, they usually stay with their mother
until the next spring. Most dens have a single opening and
are communal, meaning it will be used by whatever skunk
happens to get to it first and often share, even with other
species (in separate tunnels). Skunks will dig a den under
stumps, fallen logs, rock piles, wood piles (spotted
skunks like hollowed trees), as well as beneath
houses, outbuildings, and in your garage.
News Briefs
pollution inhibits the distance that
flower's fragrances can travel.
Scent molecules usually travel easily
in the air, but pollutants break
them apart which destroys the
smell and affects pollinators.
Science Daily 8/1/2008
*********
Online Reporting System
Need help getting into the system?
Have questions?
• Email Keith Maurer
vapapops@gmail.com
vapapops@gmail.com
vapapops@gmail.com
P A G E 3
Best DeSkunking Recipe
EVER !
♦ Dawn dishwashing liquid
♦ Baking Soda
♦ Hydrogen Peroxide
********************
1. Wet your dog, briefly soap-
ing up the outer coat, and
rinse (this is to get the top
layer of oil off)
2. Make a thick paste with
Dawn and baking soda.
3. Add enough hydrogen
peroxide to the paste to
make it the consistency of
shampoo
4. Wash entire dog, but espe-
cially the area that was
sprayed
5. DO NOT GET IN EYES!
6. Let sit for a few minutes
7. Rinse.
Skunks are a vector species
for rabies as are fox,
raccoons, and opossums.
Coming in JUNE !!
JUNE 7th
RMN Chapter Meeting
Including graduation and a presentation
on Mycology with
Katie Lechter-Lyle
Katie’s presentation starts at
5:30pm (1 hour advanced training)
June 3-5
VAMN Rally
Sweet Briar College T
This counts as advanced training
for graduates and the last
field trip for trainees!
“And what is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” chickweed

Plastic Plastic is is not not only only bad bad for for the the environment, environment, but but a new study by George Bittner, PhD, a biology professor
at the University of Texas in Austin found that of the 455 plastic products designed to contain food that were tested, all of
them leached chemical byproducts, and nearly all of them leached estrogenic compounds which interfere with hormone
production and regulation. Certain plastic products labeled with a #2, #4, or #5 in the recycle triangle have been considered
safe because they didn’t leach BPA or phthalates, the 2 chemicals proven to interfere with estrogen. However, this
study didn’t just test individual compounds, they tested the entire product,
and since a plastic product can have anywhere from t to 20 chemicals
either contained in the plastic polymer or as an additive, they concluded
there are no completely safe plastics. You can read the entire
article at: http://www.rodale.com/chemicals
http://www.rodale.com/chemicals-plastic.
http://www.rodale.com/chemicals
plastic. plastic. This study was
published in the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives.
Adopting Adopting a a plastic plastic-free plastic plastic free life life simply isn’t an option for most of us. Just
look around you right now and try to count the number of objects within
your reach that aren’t made of or with plastic; laminated desk, table,
rugs, pens, flooring, keyboard, telephone, paint….. Unless it’s stone,
wood, glass, plant fibers/wool, or metal… it’s made of plastic. Scary?
It’s not only humans that are affected, but all living things, and this in
turn affects the environment as a whole. So what can we do about it?
• Don’t Don’t heat heat plastic! plastic! Heat stresses the polymers and causes leaching to
occur more quickly.
• Revamp Revamp your your food storage. Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel are great food storage materials that can go from stove
to fridge to freezer easily. Wrap sandwiches in waxed paper or butcher paper.
• Buy less processed food food and products products that use less packaging. Most processed foods in the grocery store come in
some form of plastic packaging. Buying fresh vegetables and ingredients in bulk (which you can package in your own
plastic-free containers) will help you avoid most of it.
• Recycle Recycle—Recycle
Recycle Recycle Recycle—Recycle
Recycle Recycle
• Forgo single use plastics like straws, cups, plastic plastic flatware flatware and and bags.
bags.
• BYO… You may already carry a reusable mug and reusable shopping bags to eliminate some plastics, but take the next
step and start carrying reusable produce bags, too.
BEARS love spring too….
♦ Hiking at dusk or dawn
will increase your chances of
meeting a bear
♦ Bear activity intensifies:
- in spring when they’re
hungry and first emerging
from their dens
- In July— mating is at its peak
- In the fall when bulking up for
winter denning
♦ Stay away from animal carcasses
♦ Wear ‘bear bells’ or make noise
to avoid surprising bears while
hiking
If you MEET a BEAR:
♦ stay calm, continue facing the
bear and slowly back away – do
not run it triggers their predator
instinct and they will chase you.
You can’t outrun a bear.
Some bears will bluff
charge then veer or stop
abruptly at the last second.
Wait until the bear
stops then slowly back
away. A bear may charge
several times
♦ Make yourself appear
as large as possible,
raise your arms or lift
up your coat
♦ Pick up small children
♦ Do not play dead with
a black bear – they are
curious
♦ Use an EPA registered
bear spray. Only use
on charging or attacking
bears. Practice
drawing it up quickly.
keep it on your belt
where you can get it
fast—never in the backpack
Black Black bear bear SIGNS SIGNS
SIGNS
Nests: Raked piles of debris, grass, or
boughs at the base of tall straight
trees
Disturbed Ground: torn-apart logs and
stumps, flipped-over rocks, dug-open
anthills, muddy wallows in wet areas.
Claw Marks: On trees, telephone
poles, back-country cabin doors.
http://www.shenandoahviews.com/
BlackBears/mass-dgif-bear-biology.pdf
Black bears are very intelligent, can see in color, & have excellent pattern discrimination. They can run up to 35 mph, love to
swim, and can climb anything that will hold their weight. The lifespan averages 10 years, but they can live upward of 30.

May 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
7
Road & River Relay 10a
Chessie Trail 9:30-11
Mt. Rogers Rally
BlueRidge Wildflowers
Water Quality Field trp
5 6
Augusta Bird Club
Mt. Rogers Naturalist
Rally 6th-8th
2 3 4
Training: Hydrology/Ichythyology
1
Lake Anna St Pk
Glass Festsival
Chestnut Story 8-9p
14
VA Nature Symposium
- Wintergreen Resort
Green Valley Book
Fair 14th-30th 9a-7p
12 13
VA Nature Symposium
- Wintergreen Resort
9 10 11
Orinthology
8 Mothers Day
Mt. Rogers Naturalist
Rally
Shen.Wildflower Wknd
21 Augusta Bird Club mtg
DGIF Outdoors
Woman 20,21,22
19 20
DGIF Outdoors
Woman 20,21,22
Night Skies Shenandoah
18
Entymolotgy/
decomposers
17
RACC MTG 7:00p
16
VMI Graduation
15
VA Nature Symposium
- Wintergreen Resort
Herb & Garden Fest
Artapalooza BV 10-3
Orinthology field trip
BlueRidge Wildflowers9-12
28
BlueRidge Wildflowers
26 27 Gem/mineral/
fossil show 27-29
Salem Civic Cntr
Friday in the Pk BV 6p
23 24 25
W&L Graduation
22
DGIF Outdoors
Woman 20,21,22
30 Memorial Day 31
29
Green Valley Book
Fair - last day
Advanced Education Opportunity Volunteer Opportunity 2011 Training Class