Wissahickon Nature Club Meeting and Holiday cookie exchange 

On Thursday, December 13,  Don Weiss shared the beautiful sites and stories of his time at Glacier National Park during the first week on September. It is a lovely time of year to be in the park, with many mountain views and beautiful lakes. Although the fires and smoke the park was experiencing blocked many of the dramatic views, they did add their own photographic possibilities. There was plenty of wildlife in the National Bison Range, about 2 hours South of the park. Many birds and even a few flowers.

Our traditional annual Holiday, Christmas Cookie party followed his presentation. 

Member Pat Truschel made the beautiful Holiday Favors.

On Thursday, November 8, seventeen members braved the traffic caused by the Steelers v Panthers game ( Steelers won) and listened attentively as Polly Shaw  presented the Making of Moraine – the Creation of a State Park. This program described the time period from 1946 when Preston and Arthur met, until 1970 when the new park was formally dedicated.  Moraine State Park has been characterized as a great achievement in environmental engineering achievement so we looked at how the land use was changed from one of coal mining, oil drilling, farming, and swamp land, into today’s 16,725 acre park with a 3,225 acre lake.

WINE AND CHEESE RECEPTION

On Thursday, September 13th, Bob and Dianne Machesney  presented “Panama, December 2017.”  Photos  from their butterfly tour at the Canopy Tower and Lodge showed the flora, fauna, birds, butterflies of the area, along with some history and geography.   Did you know that Panama means ” abundance of  fish?”     This was our annual wine and cheese reception. 

August 4, Saturday, 10:00 Jennings Prairie, by Dianne Machesney
Visit the unique ecosystem at Jennings Prairie.
This is the perfect time to explore the relict prairie. The hot weather brings the stunning Blazing Star and some of the other dazzling summer flowers to peak performance. The goldenrods of fall will begin to show. Don’t miss the spectacular butterflies that grace the prairie with their breathtaking beauty. Flycatchers, vireos, tanagers, Common Yellowthroats and Cedar Waxwings sometimes make an appearance. We may come across a Red Eft, the larval form of a Red-spotted Newt.

Outings are free and open to the public. Bring your friends. Trails are wheelchair accessible.Wear a hat and sunscreen. Bring binoculars, field guides, water and a lunch.

Directions From Pittsburgh: take I-79 North to Exit 99, New Castle/ Butler. Drive east on Route 422 roughly 5.8 miles to the Prospect Exit. Turn left (north) onto Route 528.
Continue on Route 528 for about 7 miles. Meet in the Jennings Environmental Center Parking Lot on the left (west) side of the road.

. Steve Leitkam, retired aquatic botanist with the Pennsylvania EPA,  presented Critters From My Backyard Jungle. Years ago, while working on a new business card design, Steve came up with the following blurb in an attempt to summarize a particular factor regarding his passion for nature: “Seeking out the often overlooked. Be amazed at what’s out there.” And truth be told, years later he still finds himself being amazed on a relatively regular basis; often in his own backyard. There are so many really cool things all around us that most people are completely unaware of. And often, with those sorts of things, he’s like a kid in a candy shop. Steve’s extremely close-up photos of insects, ie beetles, aphids, leafhoppers, ants, wasps and various nymph instars,  showed us a view of these tiny animals that few of us have ever seen.

This was the last meeting of the season.  See you on the trails this summer and back at Fern Hollow in September.

Constant companion, Cookie.

Reticulated Python

Thursday, April 12, 7:30 pm.

Kirsi Jansa presented How to Face the Challenges Climate Change Presents Us Without Becoming Overwhelmed. Sustainability Pioneers – maker of locally produced short documentaries- showcased individuals, communities and states in the US and in Europe taking bold climate action. Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto was highlighted, as was Frick Environmental Center.   The screening was followed by comments and input from the audience about how climate change affects them personally.

RESOURCES FOR CLIMATE ACTION

Links to the sites Kirsi mentioned: Sustainability Pioneers ​short documentaries free online at ​www.sustainabilitypioneers.com Sustainability Pioneers on Facebook: ​https://www.facebook.com/SustainabilityPioneers/

Gas Rush Stories​ short documentaries free online at​ ​ ​www.gasrushstories.com Gas Rush Stories on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gas-Rush-Stories-217836678335199/

Creatives for Climate collaborative​: ​https://creatives4climate.wordpress.com Creatives for Climate on Facebook: ​https://www.facebook.com/creatives4climate/

Book  ” Active Hope”  by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone​ ​https://www.activehope.info

SWITCH TO RENEWABLE ENERGY The official electric shopping website of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC)​http://www.papowerswitch.com To make sure you get what you want and won’t run into unexpected price-hikes in the future, here’s guidance by ​PennFuture​. https://www.pennfuture.org/Files/Admin/TakethePowerBack%5FSteps%2Dto%2DTake%2Dfor%2D Parents.pdf

Earth Day at the Frick Environmental Center https://www.facebook.com/events/1823146207989568/?event_time_id=1823146211322901

Make your climate promise DearTomorrow​ ​https://www.deartomorrow.org/en/home/

New documentary with Jeff Bridges Living in the Future’s Past – TRAILER​ ​https://vimeo.com/243404072 Official site ​https://www.livinginthefuturespastfilm.com