March 2024
Sustainable Warwick Minutes
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Meeting chair: Michael Helme
Reports From Ongoing Projects
Pollinator Pathway: Sally showed us the two yard signs, a butterfly and a bee, 23 inches in circumference with two different stand sizes that will be available for sale at all the events where Sustainable Warwick participates, such as the Plant Natives Fair (April 6th), TreeCycle (April 20), and all Warwick Valley Farmers Markets. Signs may also be available when the new office for the Chamber of Commerce opens in the Village of Warwick. Email pollinators@sustainablewarwick.org to be added to the list for one of these bee-utiful signs!
We heard about the webinar introducing the Wild Woods Restoration Project, which was well attended. The mission of the Project is to engage volunteers in promoting the health of understory plants in forests of the Hudson Valley. They specialize in promoting local species from the four different eco regions in the Hudson Valley. Check out the thought-provoking video here.
The Pollinator Pathway Committee met via Zoom on Saturday, March 23rd because of the rain. But they will meet again in person on Tuesday, March 26th, at Mountain Lakes Park, to look around the Park with Recreation Director Sam Walter. Email pollinators@sustainablewarwick.org if you want to learn more about this.
Pesticides Webinar coming up. Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, the committee will host a Zoom webinar at 6:30 PM by Susan Ndiaye, Community Horticulture Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension. The presentation, “Reducing Pesticide Use with Integrative Pest Management,” will be followed by a Q&A. Please save the date and use this link to register.
The Plant Natives Fair is scheduled for April 6th, 12:30 to 2:30 (or so) at the Library with all our partners in the Plant Natives Alliance.
There will be a screening of “Beauty on the Wing” at the Library on April 28th at 1 PM. Register here.
The issue of ticks in unmowed areas was discussed, as this is a serious downside to the “no mow” approach. Kate Schmidt suggested approaching local councils about reducing mowing on the edge of roadways and parks. The type of grass used can be very important, as some require less mowing. If we learn something useful along these lines we’ll encourage the Town and the Village to use these grasses.
It was noted that NYS passed a law last year banning neonicotinoids, which could prove quite helpful to the insect population.
Transformation Trails: The ten acres of land in Wickham Woodlands Park will be used for an arboretum and pollinator patches with signage and a STEM educational component. It’s a multi-year project to develop this over time. One goal is to get people of all ages involved in learning about the environment and helping to transform this special place. SW has put together a $4,000 fund for matching donations, and we still have $1,300 left to be matched. Go to the Transformation Trails page on our site to support this project.
Green Calendar: Christy shared the Earth to Warwick! Green Calendar of events happening April through June, which is a combined effort of Wickham Works, Sustainable Warwick and the Village of Warwick. The complete digital version has been posted on the SW website, which should increase the number of our web visitors. Printed postcards and banners will be available. Members are invited to help with disbursement of the postcards through all possible outlets, such as local stores and the library. Please send suggestions for posting the calendar to Christy. (garden@sustainablewarwick.org)
Green Screen: The next election to be covered by the Green Screen will be the School Board. Candidates have to apply before April 22nd, and the committee will contact them after that.
Wawayanda Creek: After a great “launch,” this committee went quiet during COVID. Geoff and Christina will turn this committee over to Walter Ross and Justin Tracy. Justin has already created a Facebook page that is attracting new members. They have done a run through the creek, which seems to be in much better shape than we had feared. There may be a “ Paddlepalooza “ in June featuring lots and lots of kayaks. There is a meeting next week with a Village Trustee and the Mayor to assess how soon new launch sites can be placed at Memorial Park.
Food Scraps Collection: Kate reported they continue to collect food scraps for composting throughout the winter at Price Chopper thanks in part to their great support and also the volunteers who work the table. They will go back to their usual table at the Farmers Market when it opens on May 12th. If you would like to volunteer or would like more information, please reach out! (garden@sustainablewarwick.org)
Community Garden: Geoff reported that this will be the 15th Season for the garden, which runs from March to October. New members have joined this year and both the garden and the orchard will soon be active thanks to Geoff, Sara and Arnold. (howards@warwick.net)
Sustainable World Book Club: Christina reported that the members enjoyed the book Summer by Ali Smith. It was sometimes a little confusing but had great character development. The next book is An Immense World by Ed Yong for April 9th. Everyone is welcome to join the discussion. Contact BookClub@sustainablewarwick.org for more information.
Zoom Garden Plot: The fifth season of discussions via Zoom for gardeners of all skill levels will start on April 8th. (garden@sustainablewarwick.org)
Action Points for Members
Plastic Bags: The Chamber of Commerce is running their Operation Clean Sweep event the week of April 21 through 27. They provide plastic garbage bags for collecting roadside garbage, but many of us have second hand plastic bags that could be re-used instead. Bill Greene, for example, has dozens of bags from horse feed that he is willing to share. Please try to participate in Operation Clean Sweep this year and send us photos of what you come up with!
Plastic Packaging Reduction: Julia is keen to work on plastic packaging reduction in NY State, and Beyond Plastics is running a grassroots campaign on this issue, including this lobbying day.
Call on Politicians: There was a general discussion about how best to inspire members to call on politicians to support sustainability bills in Albany, such as taking the actions suggested by NY Renews. The Climate Action Now app is another great source of ideas for being involved. Please recommend other opportunities for SW members to share their voices in New York’s legislative processes.
Riverkeeper: Christina reported that she cannot find anywhere connected to waterways in the Warwick area that needs clearing for the annual Riverkeeper event. She checked Memorial Park by the creek, Cascade Lake, Glenmere Lake, Lewis Park and Greenwood Lake. Lisa Ann Weisbrod, both an SW Member and on the staff of Riverkeeper, linked us up with The Friends of Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge NJ, who have an event clearing a garden there on May 4th. SW members are welcome to participate. Please call Giselle Smisko (973-534-9095) if you would like to help out there.
Our next meeting will be on April 17th at 7.30pm via Zoom, please plan to join us.