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I JUST WANNA ALSO SAY THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SHOWING UP ON THIS BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY.
AND I'M ALWAYS HEART WARMED BY PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT HILLSIDE WOODS.
AND WHY DON'T YOU TALK AMONGST YOURSELFERS? OH, BECAUSE YOU'RE BACK.
UM, I'LL LET YOU GUYS DO THE TECHNICAL STUFF AND I WILL INTRODUCE CHRIS.
UM, ANYONE HERE EVER BAKE FOR THE HYANNIS RIVER GORGE PRESERVE IN BEDFORD? YAY.
SO, UM, I'M HAVEN COLLEEN, I CHAIR OF THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION.
TO MY RIGHT IS AARON POTTER, SUPERINTENDENT OF PARKS AND REC.
AND WE'RE YOUR HOSTS THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, WE'RE GONNA START OFF WITH A PRESENTATION FROM CHRIS NEGATE.
CHRIS IS FROM THE MYIS RIVER GORGE PRESERVE.
IT IS A 22 MILE RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH, UM, THE GORGE AND HELPS PROTECT A 42 SQUARE MILE WATERSHED SPANNING FIVE TOWNS IN TWO STATES.
IT'S A CRITICAL KIND OF NATURAL AREA.
IT PROTECTS THE LAND THAT ENCOMPASSES THE WATERSHED THROUGH ACQUISITIONS OR GIFTS OF LAND, AND MANAGES CONSERVATION EASEMENTS AND OFFERS RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
THEY DO A LOT OF INTERESTING STUFF AT THE MIAMI RIVER GORGE, WHICH CHRIS, ONCE HE GETS HIS SELF SET UP,
AND MY, UM, INTRODUCTION OF CHRIS ACTUALLY IS ON MY PHONE 'CAUSE I, I WAS PREPARED TO INTRODUCE BUD
I, WE GET SETTLED WITH ALL THE TECHNICAL STUFF.
WE'LL BE WITH YOU IN JUST A SECOND.
SO, CHRIS NIGE, AM I PRONOUNCING THAT CORRECTLY? IS DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT MYIS RIVER GORG.
HE'S A BIOLOGIST AND ECOLOGIST WITH A FOCUS ON CONSERVATION, PARTIC PARTICULARLY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION IN URBAN AND OTHER HUMAN MODIFIED AREAS.
HE'S ALSO THE CO-FOUNDER OF GOTHAM COYOTE.
I LEARNED ONLINE AND HAS WORKED IN NEW YORK CITY AS A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST SINCE 2001.
I, I DIDN'T WANT, I DID, I LOST YOUR, YOUR VIRGINIA.
SO, JUST SO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF THE DAY HERE, CHRIS IS GOING TO, UH, GIVE YOU HIS PRESENTATION ABOUT, UH, THE CHALLENGES OF, UH, STEWARDING AND NATURE PRESERVE IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU GUYS A RECAP ON WORK TO DATE IN HILLSIDE WOODS.
I THINK A LOT OF YOU PROBABLY ARE FAMILIAR WITH A LOT OF IT, SO I'LL DO IT RATHER QUICKLY.
UH, AARON POTTERS, OUR SUPERINTENDENT PARKS REC, IS GOING TO EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING CURRENTLY IN TULSA SIDE WOODS AND WHAT'S GOING, WHAT'S UPCOMING IN THE FUTURE.
AND HE'LL BE JOINED, UH, SHORTLY HI BY, UM, RAFAEL MOYA, WHO'S WORKING WITH BARTLET TREE CARE.
SO YOU CAN GET UP TO THE MINUTE, SORT OF LIKE, INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
AND FINALLY, I WILL WRAP UP WITH SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED IN BEING INVOLVED IN ANY ASPECT OF THE, YOU KNOW, PRESERVING, PROTECTING, HELPING HILLSIDE WOODS PROJECT.
WE HAVE LIKE A LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU COULD DO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED TO BE INVOLVED.
UM, YES, YOU'VE COVERED EVERYTHING.
UM, SO THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT I WAS ASKED TO, TO GO OVER TODAY.
UM, ALL OF THIS IS FROM THE SORT OF PERSPECTIVE OF OF OF MY JOB AND THE OTHERS AT, AT THE GORGE WHERE WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND ACRE PRESERVE THAT IS PRIVATE.
THE STAFF AND THE BOARD CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN MAKE DECISIONS, UM, JUST ON OUR OWN PRIORITIES AND OUR OWN, UH, VALUES.
SO IN SOME WAYS I HAVE A LOT OF FREEDOM, UM, BECAUSE IT'S PRIVATELY OWNED, BUT IN OTHER WAYS, UM, WE, WE MIGHT BE LIMITED OR THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE CHOOSE TO DO MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN ANY MUNICIPALITY, UH, A GIVEN MUNICIPALITY MAY WANT TO DO OR A GIVEN COMMUNITY MAY WANT TO DO.
BUT, UM, I HOPE I CAN GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF, OF SORT OF ALL THE STUFF WE'RE DEALING WITH WHEN WE TRY TO RUN A FOREST IN THIS AREA.
SO THE OTHER THING TOO IS, UM, IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY AWARE, I FOUND THESE, UH, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, UH, PUT OUT BY PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
THEIR FREE DOWNLOADS, THEIR PDFS, BUT THEY KIND OF COVER, UH,
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UH, DEER IMPACTS AND DEER MANAGEMENT, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE THING I SPEND THE MOST TIME ON, UM, IN MY JOB.UH, BUD WHO, UH, IS SORT OF MY CO UH, LAND MANAGER, UM, WORKS ON THIS, BUT ALSO A LOT OF INVASIVE.
SO FOR US, THOSE ARE THE TWO BIG ONES.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD, OF COURSE IS CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH THE ONLY WAY WE'VE REALLY ADDRESSED THAT IS JUST THE OVERALL, LIKE PRESERVING THE FOREST, UH, AS A, AS SAY, A CARBON, UH, SINK.
WE'RE ACQUIRING MORE LAND TO KEEP, UH, THOSE NATURAL PROCESSES GOING, BUT WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL PLACES THAT WE WORK HERE AND INVASIVES ARE, ARE THE TWO BIGGEST, UH, ISSUES.
AND I KIND OF HANDLE MOST OF THE DEER STUFF.
SO THOSE ARE GREAT, UM, UH, RESOURCES IF YOU'RE WILLING, WANTING TO LEARN MORE OR SEE WHAT YOUR OPTIONS MIGHT BE IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO JUST TO DESCRIBE THE SITUATION WE'RE IN, I, I IMAGINE A LOT OF YOU HAVE HEARD THIS SORT OF TALK BEFORE IF YOU'RE COMING TO THESE SORTS OF THINGS, BUT, UM, SO I'LL TRY TO GO FAST AND LEAVE ROOM FOR QUESTIONS IF, IF THERE'S DETAILS THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT.
UH, HOPEFULLY I, I KNOW THE ANSWERS, BUT OVERALL, SINCE, YOU KNOW, PRE-COLONIAL TIMES, IF YOU LOOK AT FOREST COVER, WHICH IS IN GREEN HERE ON THE MAPS, UH, IT DECLINED RAPIDLY, UM, AND, AND ALMOST COMPLETELY, UH, TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY.
BUT THEN, UM, SINCE THEN, UM, IT'S REALLY GROWN BACK, UH, WHICH IS GOOD.
UM, ONE IS THAT WE SORT OF PEAKED AT THAT REFORESTATION IN THE EIGHTIES, NINETIES, AND NOW ALL THE EVIDENCE IS THAT IT'S GOING BACK DOWN AGAIN.
UM, AND THE FOREST THAT CAME BACK IS QUITE DIFFERENT.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAN WHAT IT WAS, UM, BACK IN THE 1620S, AT LEAST IN THIS DIAGRAM OR BEFORE THAT.
UH, SO THE OTHER THING TO THINK OF IS WHAT WAS ACTUALLY GOING ON, UM, BEFORE SORT OF THE EUROPEAN COLONISTS GOT HERE, WHICH THERE WERE PEOPLE HERE
AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT WHAT THEY, THE WAY THEY DID IT AND, AND WHAT THEY DID WAS, WAS NOT, WAS A LOT LESS LIKE WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION THAN WHAT THE EUROPEAN COLONISTS TENDED TO DO, BUT THE NATIVE AMERICANS DID A LOT.
UH, THEY USED FIRE TO DO LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN THE FOREST.
UM, FOR ONE, THEY HAD THEIR OWN AMOUNT OF FARMING FOR SURE IN THIS AREA.
SO THEY JUST CLEARED LAND WITH FIRE, BUT THEY ALSO USED FIRE IN THE WOODS TO MAKE THE FOREST KIND OF WHAT THEY PREFERRED IT TO BE, WHICH WAS, UH, I'LL SHOW YOU IN A MOMENT.
UM, THEY REALLY LIKED, UM, OAKS AND OTHER MASSED PRODUCING TREES, HICKORY BEACHES, AND AT THE TIME, CHESTNUT, UM, BECAUSE THEY ATE THEM
BUT THEY ALSO KNEW THAT THE DEER AND OTHER ANIMALS THAT THEY LIKE TO EAT ATE THE ACORNS AND SO FORTH.
SO THEY ENCOURAGED THAT SORT OF FOREST, WHICH WAS, UM, SOMEWHAT THIN.
UH, MEDIUM AGE, HAD A LOT OF, OF THOSE MASS TREES THEY TALKED ABOUT.
BUT ALSO A LOT OF BERRIES LIKE BLUEBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, THEY LIKED THOSE KINDS OF PLANTS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
AND THE FOOD THAT THEY ATE ATE THEM TOO.
UM, SO A LOT OF THE LANDSCAPE WAS STILL LIKE, HAD HUMANS INVOLVED WITH IT.
UM, BUT OTHER PARTS OF THE LANDSCAPE THEY DIDN'T TOUCH.
AND THEN WHEN I SHOW YOU A MAP OF THE GORGE, THERE'S PLACES IN THE GORGE THAT, AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL THAT NATIVE AMERICANS DID NOT BURN, NOR DID THE EUROPEAN COLONIST EVEN TOUCH IT.
SO, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THE GORGEOUS WERE COOL.
BUT, UM, BUT WHEN THE COLONISTS DID COME AND SORT OF, UH, TOOK CONTROL OF THE AREAS, THEY DID CLEAR IT WAS RAPID DEFORESTATION ACROSS THE WHOLE REGION.
UM, AND THAT'S WHERE THAT MAP KIND OF COMES FROM.
AND SO YOU TOOK, THIS IS WHAT MOST OF WESTCHESTER LOOKED LIKE BACK IN THE DAY, WHERE IF YOU GO HIKING AND YOU SEE STONE WALLS IN THE FOREST, THOSE WERE, THAT WAS NOT A FOREST, UM, A HUNDRED OR 150 OR EVEN 80 YEARS AGO IN SOME PLACES.
UH, THIS IS THE AERIAL FROM 1927.
UH, WE DIDN'T HAVE AN AERIAL BEFORE THEN.
REALLY
WELL, ANYWAY, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT'S SO CLEAR.
AND THAT WAS THE 1920S, THE LATE 1920S.
UM, AND, AND ON THE OTHER, THAT BLUE LINE IS THE MAY RIVER, UH, WHICH RUNS THROUGH OUR PRESERVE.
AND YOU COULD ACTUALLY SEE TOO, LIKE THE FOREST THAT IS ALONG THE RIVER IS THAT OLD GROVE SECTION BECAUSE THE, IT'S A GORGE.
THE MANUS RIVER GORGE IS VERY STEEP.
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NATIVE AMERICANS DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO IT.WE HAVE ANOTHER SECTION OF FOREST HERE OR SOMETHING.
AND YOU SEE IMPACT LAST A LOT LONGER AGO THAN THIS STUFF.
UM, AND SO NOW IT'S ALL FOREST US.
NOW I THOUGHT BACK HERE, THESE WERE ALL FARMS AND WHEN FARMING WENT OUT WEST, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA INCREASED, RIGHT? BUT EACH HOUSEHOLD WASN'T TAKING UP A HUNDRED ACRES.
SO THEY, SO YOU COULD HAVE INDIVIDUAL, WE CALL 'EM SUBDIVISIONS, RIGHT? THAT'S HOW SORT OF THE, THE GORGE AND OTHER LAND TRUSTS WORK IS, THEY'RE ALMOST ALL GONE.
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF BIG PARCELS, A HUNDRED, 200 ACRES OR THERE WERE IN LIKE THE SEVENTIES AND SUCH THAT LIKE AS SOON AS THAT ORIGINAL OWNER WOULD PASS AWAY, THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA SELL IT.
AND A DEVELOPER WILL CUT IT UP INTO LOTS OF LITTLE ACRE OR FOUR ACRE PARCELS TO PUT HOUSES ON.
UM, AND SO IF YOU'RE A LAND TRUST, YOU'RE OFTEN TO TRADITIONALLY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE BIG THINGS AND MAYBE YOU CAN GET IT BEFORE IT'S DEVELOPED, RIGHT? SO WE SAW SOME OF THESE PARCELS THAT WERE ONCE OWNED BY JUST A FEW PEOPLE, UM, GET SUB DEVELOPED AND INDIVIDUAL HOUSING, AND WE WERE ABLE TO BUY IT INDICATED PRESERVE.
UM, SO THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE GOING AWAY, BUT THAT WAS THE MODEL UP UNTIL FAIRLY RECENTLY, RIGHT? MOST OF THOSE PLACES HAVE EITHER BEEN PROTECTED OR DEVELOPED.
UH, THERE'S A COUPLE LEFT, BUT UM, THAT MODEL IS, IS STARTING TO WIND DOWN.
UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE OVERALL, EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE GOT ALL THAT FRAGMENTATION, THOSE ROADS, THOSE HOUSES, AGAIN, EVERY FAMILY ONLY NEEDS AN ACRE OR SO, RIGHT? SO IN BETWEEN THE HOUSES AND THEY DON'T NEED TO CLEAR IT.
SO IN BETWEEN THE HOUSES, THE TREES GO BACK.
SO YOU DO HAVE MORE FOREST, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF GOING ON TOO.
THIS ACTUALLY MAP IS A LITTLE BIT OLD.
UH, BUT THESE, THIS IS THE APPROXIMATE BOUNDARIES OF OUR PRESERVE.
ALL THE YELLOW, UM, AND THEN THE WHITE ARE THE EXISTING PARCELS IN THE TOWN.
SO WHEREAS, UH, OVER THERE ON THE RIGHT MAY HAVE BEEN ALL JUST A COUPLE FARMS, IT'S NOW ALL THESE LITTLE, WHICH IN SOME REASON IS GOOD, RIGHT? YOU COULD PUT MORE PEOPLE IN A SMALLER AREA.
UM, SO WE WENT FROM A CLEARED AREA WITH FEW PEOPLE
NOT ALL THE SPECIES CAN DO IT, BUT WHITE-TAILED DEER, FOR EXAMPLE, COULD CERTAINLY DO IT.
FOX KALEE CAN MAKE A LIVING IN THIS.
SO THE REASON THIS ALL HAPPENED, IF I HAD TO MENTION IT, IS ALL THE AGRICULTURE THAT WAS HERE IN THE EAST WENT WEST.
ONCE YOU CAN, THERE'S A LOT MORE SPACE.
THE ONLY ISSUE IS THERE'S VERY LITTLE, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH RAIN FOR A LOT OF CROPS.
BUT ONCE WE FIGURED OUT WE COULD DRAIN THE AQUIFERS FROM UNDERGROUND, THE MIDWEST BECAME THE BEST PLACE TO FARM.
AND THE, UH, THE EAST BECAME, YOU KNOW, URBAN CENTERS FOR TRADE AND THEN JUST BASICALLY RESIDENTIAL AREAS AROUND THOSE URBAN CENTERS.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY THE, THE, THE FOREST BASICALLY GREW BACK.
UM, BUT ALL OF THAT HISTORY REMAINS AND IT IMPACTS THE FOREST TODAY.
SOME OF THE BIG ONES, UH, LAND AND SOIL HISTORY LIKE THAT, THOSE CENTURIES OF TILLING AND PLOWING AND TURNING THE SOIL OVER IT, IT DRASTICALLY IMPACTS WHAT THEN IS ABLE TO GROW BACK A LOT OF THE FOREST.
I WON'T GO INTO THIS TOO MUCH, IT'S A FASCINATING TOPIC, BUT MOST OF THE WILD PLANTS IN OUR AREA, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THINGS LIKE EARTHWORMS, UM, SINCE THE LAST ICE AGE.
AND SO THEY DEVELOPED INSTEAD, UH, THESE REALLY DENSE AND INTERCONNECTED NETWORKS OF TREE ROOTS AND PLANT ROOTS INTERACTING WITH FUNGUS CALLED MICRORISAL FUNGUS, UM, THAT THEN CONNECT ALL THE TREES TOGETHER AND THE FUNGUS CAN, AND PEOPLE ARE STUDYING IT NOW, BUT IT'S FASCINATING, CAN REGULATE NUTRIENT DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN ALL THE DIFFERENT TREES.
BASICALLY THE TREES GIVE THE FUNGUS SUGAR 'CAUSE THEY'RE PHOTOS, SYNTHETIC CREATURES.
SO THEY CAN MAKE SUGAR, THEY CAN MAKE FOOD OUTTA SUNLIGHT AND AIR.
THEY GIVE IT TO THE FUNGUS WHILE THE FUNGUS CAN MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY FIND WATER AND OTHER NUTRIENTS IN THE SOIL AND TRADE THEM BACK TO THE TREES.
SO THAT SORT OF NEUTRALISM IS, IS FOUND AROUND THE WORLD.
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IN OUR REGION NOW THAT WE HAVE TILLING, WELL SINCE WE HAD TILLING AND OTHER THINGS, INCLUDING, UM, ANY KIND OF AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE OR LIVESTOCK WOULD IMPACT THAT RELATIONSHIP.UM, AND EARTHWORMS AT THE SAME TIME TOO THAT WERE INTRODUCED FROM EUROPE AND MORE RECENTLY ASIA, THEY ACTUALLY EAT THAT FROM US AND THEY DISRUPT THE, THE SOIL PROFILE.
UM, OTHER, OTHER INVASIVE SPECIES, COUNT CA WERE WERE INTRODUCED.
JUST IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE UNCLEAR ON THE DIFFERENT, UM, EXOTIC SPECIES WOULD BE ANYTHING THAT COMES FROM ANOTHER PLACE AND SORT OF SURVIVES HERE.
MOST THINGS, IF YOU BRING FROM ANOTHER PLACE AND DUMP 'EM IN A, IN A REGION THAT THEY'VE NEVER EVOLVED IN, THEY JUST DIE.
SOME THINGS CAN COME IN AND SURVIVE, BUT DON'T REALLY DISRUPT THE, THE ECOSYSTEM IN ANY, YOU KNOW, TERRIBLE WAY.
UM, BUT OTHERS WE WOULD CALL A CERTAIN SUBSET OF THOSE EXOTIC SPECIES ARE NOW INVASIVE WHERE THEY REALLY MESS THINGS UP.
UM, AND WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT MORE IF, IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH IT.
UM, FIRE SUPPRESSED, AS I MENTIONED, FIRE WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AND USED A LOT BY NATIVE AMERICANS, BUT IT OCCURRED NATURALLY AS WELL.
AND, AND THE FOREST HERE SORT OF EVOLVED TO DEAL WITH FIRE.
AND IF YOU DON'T ALLOW FOREST FIRES, UM, THAT SHIFTS, SORRY, THAT SHIFTS THE SORT OF COMPETITIVE, UH, ADVANTAGES TO SPECIES THAT, UM, DON'T NEED FIRE OR, OR DO POORLY WITH FIRE.
BUT SINCE THERE'S NO FIRE AROUND THAT DOESN'T MATTER.
AND THAT WOULD BE A LOT OF THE ASIAN INVASIVE SPECIES.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE ALL THE REGULAR STUFF
THERE'S AIR POLLUTION THAT'S OCCURRING.
UM, SO, SO THAT'S A FACTOR THAT'S, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY MORE MODERN THAN, THAN HISTORICAL.
SO THE QUOTE THAT I HEAR A LOT, IT WAS FROM A PAPER YEARS AGO, BUT LARGELY UNCHANGED AND COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED.
THAT'S THE FOREST THAT WE HAVE NOW.
UM, SO IN TERMS OF BEING UNCHANGED, IF YOU JUST WROTE A LIST OF ALL THE SPECIES THAT WERE HERE A THOUSAND YEARS AGO AND THE SPECIES THAT ARE HERE NOW, IT'S NOT A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
UM, BUT THEIR DISTRIBUTIONS AND THEIR RELATIVE ABUNDANCE ABUNDANCES HAVE SHOWN MEANING THAT THE RARE SPECIES, SOME RARE SPECIES ARE NO LONGER RARE.
SOME COMMON SPECIES ARE NO LONGER COMMON.
THINGS MOVED AROUND LIKE CRAZY, SOME SPECIES WERE LOST ALTOGETHER.
THE CHESTNUTS AND THE ELM ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF TREES THAT ARE BASICALLY EXTINCT IN THE WILD, UH, IN OUR AREA THAT WERE VERY IMPORTANT BACK THEN.
UM, BECAUSE OF THE, THE SUPPRESSION OF FIRE THINGS, TREES LIKE OLD HICKORY BEACH HEMLOCK, THOSE ONES I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WERE REALLY IMPORTANT HAVE BECOME, THAT ARE VERY GOOD WITH FIRE, HAVE SORT OF LOST DOMINANCE TO MAPLES, BIRCH AND, UH, CHERRY AND OTHERS THAT TULIP POPLAR THAT DON'T DO VERY WELL WITH FIRE.
BUT SINCE WE DON'T HAVE ANY FIRE, THAT DOESN'T MATTER.
UM, AND OVERALL THAT THOSE ARE ALL NATIVE SPECIES SWITCHES, WHICH WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE BAD, BUT IN LIGHT OF OTHER THINGS, UM, THE OAKS, THE HICKORY BEACHES AS I MENTIONED, ARE, ARE MASS PRODUCING SPECIES, ACORNS AND NUTS AND SUCH.
UM, WE'RE SWITCHING OVER TO ONES THAT DON'T DO THAT.
MAPLES AND BURES DON'T PRODUCE BIG SEEDS.
UM, THEY'RE STILL IMPORTANT AND THEY'RE, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD.
BUT, BUT IN TERMS OF WILDLIFE, IN TERMS OF THE REST OF THE FOOD WEB AND OAK FOREST SUPPORTS A LOT MORE WILDLIFE GENERALLY THAN A MAPLE BIRCH FOREST.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT'S HAPPENED, WE LOST A LOT OF AGE AND SIZE STRUCTURE IN OUR FOREST IF WE'RE LOOKING AT TREES WHERE, UM, ECOLOGICALLY SPEAKING, THE, THE LOSS OF THE MOVEMENT OF AGRICULTURE FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST WAS PRETTY FAST.
AND SO THE FOREST GREW UP LIKE IN ONE GENERATION ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU HAD ONE AGE CLASS OF TREES SUDDENLY MAKE IT TO THE CANOPY.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, DEER AND OTHER HERBIVORES RETURNED AND ATE EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO IF YOU GO INTO SOME OF OUR SECOND GROWTH FORESTS, WHICH I'LL SHOW SOME PICTURES OF, IT KIND OF JUST LOOKS LIKE, LIKE A ROOF OF ALL THE SAME AGE TREES.
UM, AND IT IS THIS ALTERED SPECIES COMPOSITION TOO.
MAPLES AND BIRCHES ARE SUPER COMMON.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S REALLY NOTHING UNDERNEATH.
AND THAT'S A VERY, IF YOU WERE TO LEAVE THAT ALONE AND NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED, LIKE IT WOULD EVENTUALLY FIX ITSELF AS, AS SOME OF THOSE CHAINS FELL DOWN, YOU'D
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HAVE LIGHT COME IN AND YOU'D GET A LITTLE VARIABILITY IN THE SIZE AND THE AGE STRUCTURE OF THE TREES AND THE FOREST, BUT IT WOULD TAKE A VERY LONG TIME.SO A LOT OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ARE LOOK TO, UM, MAYBE MAKE THAT HAPPEN QUICKER.
MAYBE WE THIN THE CANOPY OUT A LITTLE BIT, WE CUT DOWN SOME OF THOSE SUPER COMMON RED MAPLE OR BLACK BIRDS IN ORDER THAT LIGHT COMES IN.
WE MIGHT EVEN WANT TO PLANT SOME OAKS AND, AND, AND HAVE MORE DIVERSITY.
UM, THE ISSUE FOR US IN THAT KIND OF FOREST IS IF YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE RISKING AND YOU LET LIGHT IN, YOU'RE RISKING INVASIVES TO COLON US TOO.
SO YOU'VE GOTTA, IT'S KIND OF, UH, REALLY HARD TO DO ANYTHING.
'CAUSE IF YOU MESS WITH THINGS TOO MUCH, THE INVASIVE SPECIES START TAKING OVER.
SO IT'S A LOT OF WORK, UM, THAT YOU ALL ARE DEALING WITH HERE AS WELL.
AS I SAID, THE FACTORS THAT MADE THESE CHANGES ARE THE SOIL DISRUPTIONS THAT I MENTIONED.
LOSS OF FIRE AND LOSS OF PREDATORS, RIGHT? WE DIDN'T, THE DEER CAME BACK, BUT THE WOLVES AND THE MOUNTAIN LIONS DIDN'T COME BACK YET, RIGHT? UM, AND SO YOU GO FROM, WHOOPS, SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE THOSE PICTURE.
ALRIGHT, SO ARE TWO SITUATIONS AND FOREST HISTORY, YOU HAVE THAT PRE MANAGED FORM MANAGED BY THAT, THAT THOSE ELDERLY OLD GROWTH AND THEY HAD THEIR OWN ECOLOGY, BUT STILL AGAIN, IT HAD ALL THOSE SPECIES IN THEM.
AND, UM, OLD GROWTH FOREST ECOLOGY AND CHARACTERISTICS IS A WHOLE OTHER, UH, INTERESTING TOPIC.
BUT WE'VE KIND OF THEN, UM, MOVED TO THIS WHAT WE CALL SECOND GROWTH FOREST.
WE SO SOMETIMES CALL IT POST AGRICULTURAL FOREST WHERE IT HAS ALL THOSE THINGS I MENTIONED, THE SOIL'S MESSED UP.
THE, THE AGE STRUCTURE IS ALL HOMOGENIZED.
THE SPECIES HAVE SHIFTED QUITE A BIT.
WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF OAK TREES, BUT IT IS DOMINATED.
MAPLE AND BIRCH ARE WHAT I'M SEEING IN MOST OF THESE KIND OF FORESTS.
ALSO, LIKE, I DIDN'T SAY THIS EARLIER, BUT LIKE TO MAKE A FARM OR A CROP FIELD, YOU, YOU FLATTEN EVERYTHING, RIGHT? YOU PLOW IT AND YOU TAKE ALL THE ROCKS OUT AND YOU FLATTEN IT.
SO THE TOPOLOGY THAT YOU'D SEE IN A LOT OF, OH, I WON'T EVEN WAIT FOR THOSE PICTURES TO COME UP, BUT THE, THE, THE CRAZY LOGS, THE, THE, THEY'RE CALLED, WHAT ARE THEY CALLED? PILLOWS, PILLOWS OR PUDDLES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS THE TERM THAT PEOPLE USE.
OH MY GOODNESS, I'VE LOST MY MIND.
WHAT ARE MY PICTURES? SHOULD THEY MADE IT ALL CLEAR.
LIKE THIS THAT YOU SEE IN ALL THE FOREST, THE BOULDER SOIL, UM, THAT'S LOST IN THE SECOND GULF FOREST.
UM, AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, SOME OF THE WILDLIFE IS, IS GREATLY DISRUPTED JUST AS A, A SAMPLE FOR WILDLIFE.
ON THE RULER THERE, I PUT THE YEARS, ALTHOUGH IT'S ALL MESSED UP, OKAY,
UM, AND WE HAD THAT FOREST I DESCRIBED BEFORE.
AND JUST IN TERMS OF LIKE LARGER ISH, MEDIUM, LARGE MAMMALS, YOU HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, YOU HAD TOP PREDATORS, YOU HAD HERBIVORES, YOU HAD SMALL PREDATORS, YOU HAD SMALL HERBIVORES, YOU HAD LITTLE NICE EVERYTHING.
UM, WHEN THE COLONISTS DID THEIR THING, UM, AND CUT EVERYTHING DOWN AND SHOT EVERYTHING, YOU LOST ALMOST EVERYTHING.
AND YOU HAD THE FEW ANIMALS THAT WERE SMALL ENOUGH AND GENERALIST ENOUGH AND INCONSPICUOUS ENOUGH, UH, TO, TO MAKE IT STILL THROUGH THAT.
AND NOW THAT IT'S GROWN BACK, WE CERTAINLY HAVE, UH, MANY THAT HAVE COME BACK.
OOPS, WHY DIDN'T THOSE EVERYTHING GOT MESSED UP.
UH, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO COME BACK AND THEN YOU JUST HAD A COYOTE COME IN THERE.
BUT ANYWAY, ALL THOSE OF THEM CAME BACK, BUT WE DIDN'T GET ROLLED.
WE DIDN'T GET, BEARS ARE STILL PRETTY LIMITED.
WE'RE GETTING A COUPLE BEARS NOW.
UM, BEAVERS ARE SORT OF COMING BACK, BUT IT, BUT IT'S VERY DIFFERENT.
LET'S SEE THIS, IT WON'T WORK.
ALL THE, ALL THE PICTURES DISAPPEAR.
IT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO TO MAC, I GUESS.
BUT THEN, YEAH, SO EVERYTHING COMES BACK EXCEPT FOR THE WOLF AND THE COUGAR, BASICALLY.
AND THEN I SAID I ALSO DO A LOT OF WORK WITH COYOTE.
[00:25:01]
SO THIS IS A NEW SPECIES THAT COMES IN.THEY'RE ALL TO THE RIGHT FOR SOME REASON.
UM, SO AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S, UM, SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT, RIGHT? UM, SO AT THE GORGE, WHAT DO WE DO? LIKE I MENTIONED, INVASIVES MANAGEMENT IS THE, IS THE BIG ONE, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE TWO BIG ONES.
WE MANAGE ABOUT 30 SPECIES ANNUALLY.
IF BUD WAS HERE, HE COULD DEFINITELY TELL YOU MORE.
BUT, UM, IF, UH, THERE IS A GROUP CALLED, UH, THEY'RE CALLED PARTNERS IN REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT.
THE PRISM, EVERY PRISM, IT'S A STATE PROGRAM.
EVERY KINDA REGION IN NEW YORK HAS A PRI WE ARE THE LOWER HUDSON PRISM.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED TO, TO GO TO A PRISON MEETING, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SPONSORED BY THE DEC.
UM, AND WE'RE INVOLVED A LOT IN OUR LOWER HUDSON PRISON.
UM, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, FOLKS LIKE ME OR OTHER LAND TRUSTS OR PEOPLE FROM TOWNS OR EVEN PRIVATE SORT OF, UH, UH, UH, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS OR LANDSCAPERS CAN COME AND, AND LEARN ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES AND HOW TO ADDRESS IT.
UM, WE ALSO USE EXPOSURES FOR A LOT OF THINGS.
YOU CAN USE EXPOSURES FOR RESEARCH AND I HAVE, BUT MOST OF OUR EXPOSURES ARE BUILT FOR TWO MANAGEMENT PURPOSES.
ONE IS IF THERE'S A REALLY RARE, YOU KNOW, POPULATION OF PLANTS OR SOMETHING WILDFLOWERS OR A PARTICULAR AREA WE WANT TO PROTECT FROM DEER, WE'LL PUT A FENCE UP.
AND THOSE ARE PRETTY MUCH PERMANENT.
BUT WE ALSO ARE USING ABOUT 28 ACRES OF EXPOSURES WHERE, WE'LL, WE'RE GONNA PUT THEM UP, WE PUT THEM UP ALREADY, UH, WE'RE LETTING THE FOREST GROW BACK AND THEN AFTER 10 YEARS OR SO, TAKE THOSE FENCES DOWN AND PUT 'EM SOMEWHERE ELSE, RIGHT? SO THAT'S GETTING, AND THEN WITHIN THOSE EXPOSURES WE WILL THIN THE CANOP.
WE LET MORE LIGHT IN MANAGE INVASIVES WITHIN THEM.
BUT THAT'S SORT OF TRYING TO GET AT THAT AGE STRUCTURE PROBLEM, TRYING TO GET AT, UM, CHANGING THE SPECIES COMPOSITION A LITTLE MORE.
WHEN WE DO THIN, WE'RE GONNA BE CUTTING DOWN THOSE COMMON MA RED MAPLES AND BLACK BIRCHES.
AND IF WE SEE A SMALLER OAK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR HICKORY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, PREFERENTIALLY LIKE OPEN THE, OPEN THE AREA UP AROUND THEM SO THEY CAN GROW.
SO THAT'S ONE STRATEGY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE, ARE USING NOW.
UM, THE OTHER THING I DO, AND THIS IS SORT OF WHAT I WORK ON, THE OTHER TWO ARE MORE THE LAND MANAGEMENT FOLKS, BUD.
AND, AND THE OTHERS AT THE GORGE IS, UM, THE DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
WE DO HAVE A HUNTING AND HARVEST BASED PROGRAM WHERE WE'VE TRIED TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF DEER, UH, THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2004.
IT'S ONE OF THE LONGEST RUNNING ONES IN THE COUNTY, IF NOT THE LONGEST.
UH, AND SORT OF THE REASON I'M DOING THAT IS 'CAUSE I DO A LOT OF RESEARCH AND MONITORING, UH, ON IT OR INVOLVED WITH IT.
I HAVE TO, WE DO A LOT OF HOW MUCH HUMPTY EFFORT ARE WE PUTTING IN? HOW MUCH GEAR HARVEST ARE WE GETTING? WHAT THE EFFICIENCY IS IT WORTH ALL THE TIME? IS IT WORTH THE SIX MONTHS OF MY YEAR TO DO THAT? UM, THEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE PROGRESSION, THE WAY I FRAME IT FOR FOLKS IS WE'RE TRYING TO EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY REMOVE DEER SO THAT THE OVERALL POPULATION GETS SMALLER SO THAT THE TREES CAN GO BACK, RIGHT? SO IT'S LIKE A CHAIN, UH, OF PROCESSES I'M TRYING TO ELICIT IN THE SYSTEM.
SO I HAVE TO, IDEALLY YOU CHECK TO SEE EACH OF THOSE LINKS IN THE CHAIN IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, RIGHT? SO I DO, THIS WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO SEE THE VEGETATION APPROVED, BUT IT'D BE NICE TO DO ALL THREE.
SO I DO, UM, SO WE DO DEER COUNTS EVERY YEAR, AND I MONITOR, UH, VEGETATION PLOTS EVERY FIVE YEARS SINCE 2004.
SO I'LL SHOW YOU SOME OF THAT DATA JUST SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE UP TO
IT'S A REALLY LONG TERM QUESTION.
SO WE PUBLISHED A PAPER, UM, IN 2022 THAT USED THE DATA THAT WE HAD FROM, UH, UP TO 2019.
UH, BUT I'M JUST SHOWING YOU WHAT WAS IN THE PAPER.
UM, WE THOUGHT, SO IN THIS GRAPH, UM, YEARS ARE ON THE X AXIS, RIGHT? BUT THE BARS REPRESENT HOW MANY DEER WE HARVESTED KILLED, UH, EVERY YEAR IN THE PROGRAM.
AND THEN THE DOTS AND THE RANGE BARS, THE ERROR BARS REPRESENT WHAT I
[00:30:01]
MEASURED IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF DEER, UH, ON THE PRESERVE, RIGHT? SO, UM, WE THINK, AND THIS IS SORT OF A, A STANDARD FOR MOST OF SUBURBAN WESTCHESTER THAT WE HAD AROUND SOMEWHERE 25, 28, UH, DEER PER SQUARE KILOMETER.SO THAT'D BE ABOUT 50 40 TO SIX FEET DEER PER SQUARE MILE, UM, ON THE PRESERVE.
WHEN WE STARTED WITH NO HUNTING, UM, WE DID NOT MEASURE DEER.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A WAY OF MEASURING DEER
KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT AND I DON'T HAVE THIS LITTLE WINDOW BECAUSE RIGHT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS SORT OF LEVEL OFF SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.
BUT I WOULD'VE LIKED TO ACTUALLY ENVISION THAT DROP OFF, RIGHT? UM, SO, BUT THAT STINKS.
BUT
SO WE'VE BEEN, I THINK, DOING A GOOD JOB OF KEEPING THE POPULATION LOW, BUT OVERALL IT'S BEEN ABOUT A 60% REDUCTION IN OUR NUMBERS OF DEER.
THAT IN THAT REDUCTION, UH, REALLY SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPEN
BUT YOU ALSO SEE THE HARVEST IS VERY HIGH DROP OFF.
AND THEN WE KIND, THIS IS KIND OF LETHAL REMOVAL PROGRAM, UM, WHERE YOU HAVE A TON OF DEER, THEY'VE NEVER BEEN HUNTED BEFORE.
THEY QUICKLY, THEIR NUMBERS ARE REDUCED PRETTY QUICKLY AND THEY GET SMARTER.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THAT, UM, DROP OFF.
DO YOU HAVE THAT, THAT POINT AT WHICH IT SORT OF PLATEAUS? IS THAT A ECOLOGICALLY MEANINGFUL POINT, IS THE QUESTION? OH, THAT'S LIKE, THAT'S WHAT I CALLED A, IT'S NOT REALLY A CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, IT'S LIKE A PREDICTION INTERVAL.
SO IT BASICALLY MEANS, UH, WE THINK IT'S THE DOT, BUT IT COULD THEORETICALLY BE ANYWHERE IN THAT BAR.
SO FROM COUNTING WILDLIFE, THOSE BARS ARE NOT CRAZY.
UH, I CAN GIVE YOU, I CAN PULL THE KERN BACK A LITTLE BIT, BUT I HAVE A BETTER METHOD NOW THAT I'M USING AND THE BARS ARE A LITTLE, UH, TIGHTER.
SO YEAH, YOU DEFINITELY COULDN'T SAY LIKE, OH, 2011 IS SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT THAN 2012, RIGHT? 'CAUSE THOSE BARS ARE OVERLAPPING PRETTY THOROUGHLY.
BUT YOU COULD SAY IF I GET THAT SAME POINT ESTIMATE YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR, I GET MORE CONFIDENCE IN LIKE, YEAH, I THINK THE POPULATION IS ACTUALLY ABOUT, AND WHAT THIS IS, IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 10 OR SO PER SQUARE KILOMETER OVER MANY, MANY YEARS.
THAT'S JUST A, A MEASURE OF OUR CONFIDENCE IN THE.IN THE MIDDLE.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE VEGETATION, IS THIS WORKING? IS IT DOING ANYTHING? UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ON ALL THESE FANCY GRAPHS, BUT WHAT THIS IS SHOWING IS THE NUMBER OF SPECIES THAT WE OBSERVED IN OUR PLOTS, RIGHT? WE CALL THAT SPECIES RICHNESS.
HOW LONG IS THE LIST OF SPECIES? DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HOW MANY MORE OF THIS SPECIES THERE ARE THAN THIS SPECIES, BUT IT'S JUST, UH, THE LIST OF SPECIES.
SO SPECIES RICHNESS, DOES IT GO UP OVER TIME? RIGHT? WE ARE WE SEEING MORE SPECIES COMING BACK OVER TIME? NOW, EACH OF THESE GRASS IS A DIFFERENT GROUP OF STEMS, DIFFERENT SIZES.
SO SEEDLINGS ARE, ARE STEMS THAT ARE LESS THAN 30 CENTIMETERS, UM, TALL, SO LESS THAN FOOT.
THEY'RE MAY BE ONE TO THREE YEARS OLD OR FOUR YEARS OLD, ALTHOUGH THAT'S, IT'S HARD TO DO SIZE AT AGE 'CAUSE IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW HEALTHY AND THE LIGHT THEY'RE GETTING ALL THAT STUFF.
BUT, BUT ONLY A COUPLE YEARS OLD SAPLINGS WOULD BE A FOOT UP TO A YARD.
SO 30 CENTIMETERS UP TO 90 CENTIMETERS.
SO THOSE ARE AN NEXT SIZE UP, RIGHT UP TO YOUR KNEE, UP TO YOUR HIP KNEE.
AND THEN THIS WORD I INHERITED, I DON'T LIKE IT TO TRANSGRESSIVE, WHICH WOULD BE TALLER THAN ABOUT A METER, BUT NOT YET THICK ENOUGH AROUND IN DIAMETER TO BE, TO CALL IT LIKE AN ADULT TREE, RIGHT? SO ANYTHING TALL AND SKINNY.
SO IF YOU'RE A, IF YOU'RE A TREE, BY THE TIME YOU GET HERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ABOUT TWO METERS TALL, MAYBE YOU KNOW, BETWEEN A ONE METER AND, AND, AND TWO OR MORE METERS TALL.
AND SO THAT'S ABOUT THE TIME WHERE YOU ARE GETTING TALLER THAN A DEER'S HEAD.
[00:35:01]
MORTALITY RISK FROM DEER GOES WAY DOWN, RIGHT? SO THIS IS SORT OF GRADUATING INTO ADULTHOOD,THESE CAN BE, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS OLD DEPENDING ON LIGHT.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD A LOT OF GAIN OF SPECIES IN THE TWO SMALL ONES, BUT NOT SO MUCH IN THE, IN THE BIG ONES.
YOU CAN'T REALLY MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF A VINE AS IT VINES ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SO WE JUST COUNTED THEM
AND THESE ARE NATIVE SPECIES ONLY.
UM, STEM DENSITY ALSO IS HIGHER, RIGHT? THE NUMBER OF STEMS IN A SQUARE METER, BECAUSE I COUNT 'EM, IT GOES UP GENERALLY WHEN YOU HAVE FEWER DEER.
IN THE YEARS I HAD FEWER DEER, I HAD MORE STEMS. UM, AND THIS IS JUST SHOWING BY SPECIES.
THE REAL TAKEAWAY HERE IS THAT, UM, WE GAINED A, A GOOD NUMBER OF NATIVE SPECIES.
UH, I ACTUALLY HAD A DATA SET TO COMPARE TO FROM 1967.
SO, UM, A LOT OF SPECIES ARE EVEN DOING BETTER THAN THEY WERE IN 1967.
AGAIN, THOUGH IT'S REALLY THE SMALLEST STEMS, WE DIDN'T SEE TOO MUCH GOING ON, UH, IN THE TRANSGRESSIVE SIDE.
UM, AND SO THIS IS SORT OF TELLING THE WHOLE STORY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S SHOWING SPECIES RICHNESS IN TERMS OF STEM COUNT, IT'S SIM IT'S A SIMILAR PATTERN WHERE YEAH, DEFINITELY IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LITTLE GUYS, BUT NOT MUCH IN THE BIG GUYS.
AND SO THE QUESTION FOR US WAS, AT THE TIME, DOES THIS MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE BEST WE CAN DO, THE BEST WE CAN DO AFTER 15 YEARS IS INSTEAD OF A SEEDLING GETTING EATEN IMMEDIATELY, IT JUST GETS EATEN THREE YEARS WHEN IT'S THREE YEARS OLD.
OR IS, ARE, IS THIS, YOU KNOW, STEP BY STEP WE'RE DOING, WE'RE WE'RE GETTING BETTER AND WE SHOULD KEEP GOING.
AND, AND MAYBE IF I DO THIS IN 30 YEARS
SO WE WENT WITH THE SECOND ONE,
AND I'M STARTING A, A, A COUPLE OTHER STUDIES LOOKING AT, UH, THE COMBINATION OF LIGHT AND ALL THESE THINGS.
I KNOW I WENT OVER, I APOLOGIZE,
BUT YEAH, DEFINITELY CHECK THESE OUT.
THEY, THEY SUM UP PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I'VE SAID.
THEY'RE WRITTEN FOR THE MIDWEST, BUT THIS PROBLEM'S THE SAME AND IT GIVES YOU LOTS OF OPTIONS FOR MEASURING THINGS OR EVEN INTERVENING.
DID YOU WANT TO BE QUESTIONED OR, OR WAIT, OH BOY, YOU HAD YOUR HAND OFF US.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE GRAPH WITH THE, UH, SLIDE WITH THE FOUR GRAPHS, THE KEY POINT.
SO YOU HAD SEVERAL HYPOTHESIS HYPOTHESES FOR WHY THE TRANSGRESSIVE WERE MORE YEAH.
SO IN THE NATURAL COURSE OF THINGS, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE INVASIVES COMPETING, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE DEER CHEWING AWAY, WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT FOR THE COLLECTION OF SPECIES? UH, TO BE THE TIMEFRAME UNTIL YOU REACH FULL MATURITY? IT COULD BE A LONG TIME.
LIKE WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS PAPER AND I, I GOT TO THE END WHERE I START LAYING OUT MY CONCLUSIONS.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IN A, IN A CLOSED CANOPY SITUATION, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, 20 YEARS BEFORE AN OAK TREE GROWS TO THIS SIDE.
SO IT, IT'S ON ONE HAND LIKE, OKAY, SO THEN THAT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT WE JUST NEED TO WAIT LONGER.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU'RE LIKE, HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY EXPECT
SO WHAT I'VE LED INTO NOW IS, UM, LOOK REALLY LOOKING AT LIGHT AND FOCUSING ON PLACES WHERE, UM, LIGHT, LIKE A GAP WHERE A TREE HAS DIED, A BIG TREE HAS DIED OR FALLEN OVER, NOW WE'RE GETTING LIGHT.
UM, WHAT, WHAT'S THE REGENERATION RATE LIKE THERE? AND IS THAT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE FOR THE WHOLE FOREST? BUT YOU HAVE OTHER CONFOUNDERS TOO.
YOU HAVE CLIMATE CHANGE OCCURRING COTTON SIMULTANEOUSLY.
YOU'VE HAD THE SOIL THAT'S CHANGED, UH, OVER THE SAME LONG PERIOD OF TIME YEP.
[00:40:01]
ANALYSIS, I ASSUME IS ALSO BEING DONE CONCURRENTLY WITH, WITH THIS EFFORT, NOT BY MEWE, WE, WE GIVE GRANTS AND A LOT OF THE TO GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND I USE THOSE GRANTS TO TRY TO FIND SOMEONE WITH EXPERTISE THAT I DON'T HAVE.
UM, EVEN DOING THIS TREE STUFF IS, IS NOT NEW.
IT GOES ALONG WITH IT, BUT IT'S SOME, IT'S ONE STEP AWAY FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN TRAINED IN.
AND THEN THE SOIL STUFF IS LIKE LEFT FIELD FOR ME.
SO WE HAVE HAD FOLKS COME IN AND LOOK AT THE SOIL, UH, IN PARTICULAR THOSE MICRO FUNGUS, UM, AT THE GORGE, AND SURE, YEAH, THERE'S DEFINITELY A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UM, THE MUTUALISMS AND THE POTENTIAL OF THE SOIL AND THE OLD GROWTH FOREST VERSUS THE SECOND GROWTH.
AND THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER THING.
UM, THEY'VE RECOMMENDED, LIKE YOU CAN TAKE SOIL FROM, FROM A PRISTINE AREA AND EVEN PUT IT IN THE, UH, SECOND GROWTH AREAS.
LIKE IF YOU'RE DOING PLANTINGS OR IF THERE'S AN AREA YOU WANT TO HELP, LET'S, YOU KNOW, PUT SOME SHOVELS OF, OF, OF SOIL IN THERE.
AND THEY SAY THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH.
LIKE THERE'S SO MANY SPORES THAT THAT, THAT, THAT WILL HELP COLONIZE THAT SOIL.
BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER ASPECT.
AND UM, FOR ME IT'S, IT'S, IF I CAN'T ACTUALLY GET AT THAT, I COULD TAKE AN AVERAGE ACROSS THE WHOLE PRESERVE, RIGHT? AND SAY WHAT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, HERE'S THE AVERAGE.
IT VARIES LIKE THIS FOR A VARIETY OF UNKNOWN REASONS.
SOIL MIGHT BE ONE OF THEM, CLIMATE BEING ANOTHER.
UM, BUT HERE'S WHAT IT IS AND HERE'S WHERE I COULD PROJECT IT TO BE IN THE FUTURE POTENTIALLY.
AND SEE IF, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WORKING.
THANK YOU FOR THIS EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.
ONE IS, HOW ARE YOU FUNDED AT THE MIAMI RIVER GORGE? IS IT COUNTY? WHAT IS IT? NO, UH, YEAH, THAT'S, THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION.
WE'RE FUNDED ALL BY PRIVATE DONATIONS.
WE GET SOME GRANTS FROM THE STATE THAT, THAT PROGRAM I MENTIONED WHERE WE SET UP EXCLOSURES, LET 'EM GO FOR 10 YEARS, SEND 'EM SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WE HAVE A GRANT FROM THE DEC FOR THAT.
BUT BY AND LARGE, UM, WE ARE FUNDED BY DONATIONS AND, AND, AND MEMBERS.
AND YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE AN ENDOWMENT.
WE CAN PULL SOME OF THAT, UH, WHEN WE NEED TO.
BUT, UM, SO IF YOU
UM, WAS THERE A PROCESS IN DECIDING THE METHOD THAT YOU USED TO KILL THE DEER? AND WHAT METHOD DO YOU USE? YEAH, UM, WE STARTED, THERE WAS A LONG PROCESS, UH, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DO WE WANNA DO THIS? IS IT APPROPRIATE? IS THE DATA THERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT SYSTEM DO WE WANT TO SET UP? AND IT'S, IT'S ADAPTED OVER TIME.
WE WANTED TO USE, UM, LETHAL MEANS BECAUSE IN A LIKE IMMUNE CONTRACEPTION, OTHER THINGS WERE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE.
UM, WE THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU STERILIZE A, A DEER, IT'S STILL GONNA LIVE FOR ANOTHER EIGHT YEARS AND BE EATING
SO THE RETURN WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY IN OUR OPINION.
AND WHERE THOSE, OUR RESEARCH SHOWED US THAT WHERE THOSE PROGRAMS HAVE WORKED, THEY'VE LARGELY BEEN ISLANDS OR VERY CON YOU KNOW, SORT OF DISCRETE CONTAINED POPULATIONS AND PEOPLE GO JUST NOT THAT RIGHT? YOU SAW THAT, THAT AREA WHERE IT'S JUST GREEN FOREST EVERYWHERE AND DEER CAN COME AND GO AS THEY PLEASE.
SO GIVEN THAT WE WANTED TO USE HUNTING, WE WANTED TO USE, UH, VOLUNTEER HUNTERS, THAT'S WHAT THE STATE SORT OF ADVOCATES FOR.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL, YOU KNOW, ALSO, YOU KNOW, SERVE THE, THE, THE PURPOSE OF ALLOWING PEOPLE TO, TO DO OUTDOOR RECREATION AND, UM, AND PARTICIPATE.
SO WE DID, AND IT ALSO VOLUNTEERS, UH, IN WESTCHESTER, THAT'S JUST AT THE TIME IT CHANGED LAST YEAR, BUT AT THE TIME WAS, WAS BY BOW ONLY.
YOU COULD ONLY HUNT HERE BY BOW, UH, OVER TIME.
UM, AND AS OUR STAFF STARTED TO REALIZE THAT, YOU COULD SEE THOSE BARS ARE PRETTY LOW
UM, AND WE'RE STILL NOT AT THE PLACE WE WANT TO BE.
WE STARTED DOING A COAL, UM, IN THE WINTER TOO, BUT WITH STAFF USING CROSSROADS.
AND WE GOT A PERMIT FOR THAT TO, TO, SO THE NORMAL HUNTING SEASONS, OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER, WE OFTEN GET A PERMIT PRETTY MUCH EVERY YEAR TO CONTINUE SHOOTING JANUARY THROUGH MARCH.
AND THAT'S DONE BY ME AND THE OTHER, SOME OF THE OTHER STAFF.
UM, I KNOW FENCING IS TREMENDOUSLY EXPENSIVE, BUT WE'VE BEEN USING, UH, FOUR FOOT FENCING.
[00:45:01]
MY DAUGHTER LIVES IN IRVINGTON AND SHE'S GOT DEER, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE PETS THAT THEY DON'T FEED ON PURPOSEEVEN THOUGH THEY ABSOLUTELY COULD.
SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE EVER TRIED? IS THERE ANY DOCUMENTATION ABOUT HOW EFFECTIVE THAT IS AND IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES? NO, WE, WE, WE WILL USE ONLY SEVEN FOOT FENCE.
AND, AND I CAN GIVE YOU GUYS DETAILS IF YOU WANT.
I USE THE SAME STUFF IN MY YARD TO LET MY DOG RUN AROUND.
UM, BUT YEAH, IF YOU HAVE A SMALL AREA WHERE, YOU KNOW, I SAY THIS FOR ANY KIND OF WILDLIFE THAT DOESN'T REALLY OFFER MUCH, LIKE INCENTIVE OR ANIMALS GO IN A A, A SMALL FENCE IS FINE.
UM, IT'S WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE IF YOU HAD CHICKENS IN THERE, THE COYOTE MIGHT COME OVER, BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THE COYOTE WOULD WANT IT PROBABLY WON'T COME OVER.
UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU SEE DEER IN YOUR BACKYARD, AND IF YOU JUST KINDA HAVE, YOU KNOW, LAWN
BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND SEVEN FOOT, YOU KNOW, FENCE.
WE USE THE PLASTIC MESH FENCE.
IT'S JUST EASIER TO FIX AND EASIER TO WORK WITH THAN METAL FENCE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, I GUESS, THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRIS.
UM, I AM GOING TO BE GIVING A VERY ABBREVIATED, NOT SO THOUGHTFUL AS CHRIS DOES KIND OF PRESENTATION.
UM, I WANTED TO GIVE, UH, JUST LIKE A PREFACE STORY PRE UH, PREFACE REMARK ABOUT HOW IT WAS SO INTERESTING FROM CRISPUS CHRIS'S PRESENTATION HOW THE, UM, THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE AREA USE THE FOREST ONE WAY THE COLONISTS USE IT A DIFFERENT WAY.
IN PART OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HILLSIDE WOODS IS HOW WE WANNA SEE IT AS A FOREST AND HOW WE WANT TO USE IT.
UM, WE'RE NOT INTERESTED IN FARMING IT, I'M ASSUMING FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT, UM, WE HAVE LOTS OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
SO THE AGENDA FOR THIS PORTION OF THE PROGRAM IS I'M GONNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF VERY BRIEF HISTORIC BACKGROUND OF OUR VERY SPECIFIC LOCAL WOODS AND WORK TO DATE.
AARON POTTERS AND RAPHAEL FROM BARTLEY ARE GONNA TAKE OVER AND TALK ABOUT THE WORK THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AND WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON.
AND THEN I'LL CIRCLE BACK TO HOW YOU GUYS CAN BE INVOLVED IF YOU'RE INCLINED.
SO THIS IS OUR LITTLE HEART SHAPED WOODS IN THE CORNER OF HASTINGS VILLAGE.
I'M GONNA COME BACK TO THIS MAP LATER, SO GIVE IT A LITTLE LOOK.
UM, SO OUR VERY LEAST BRIEF HISTORY, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO DETAIL, BUT THIS IS A MAP FROM 1685.
I THINK CHRIS GAVE A GREAT, UH, BACKGROUND ON HOW THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES USED THE FOREST.
I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT THE HASTINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, UH, BELIEVES THAT THE, UH, NATIVE WIG GEEK, WHICH I CAN NEVER PRONOUNCE, UH, PART OF THE LENAPE MUNCIE SPEAKING BAND OF WAPPINGER, PEOPLE WOULD, WOULD GO BACK TO WHERE THE WATER TOWER IS NOW ABOVE CHIMP KAPO FOR THEIR WINTERING AREA.
AND I THINK THAT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE OF WATER POWER DOES FEATURE IN REPEATEDLY IN THE HISTORY OF HILLSIDE WOODS, UM, WICKERS CREEK IN DOBS FERRY WAS THE LAST KNOWN RESIDENCE OF THE TRIBE, WHICH THEY OCCUPIED THROUGH THE 17TH CENTURY.
UH, AS CHRIS MENTIONED IN THE 17 HUNDREDS HILLSIDE WOODS, YOU CAN SEE THE STONE WALLS IN IT WAS LIKELY FELL AND FARMED IN THE 18 HUNDREDS.
A MANSION WAS BUILT AT THE WATER TOWER, UH, WHERE ABOVE CHUNKA POOL, WHERE IT STILL STANDS, UH, PRIVATE LAND THERE, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR MUCH MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THAT LAND WAS USED.
AND IN 1941, THE VILLAGE BOUGHT THE PARK AFTER THE, UM, MANSION TURNED INTO SANATORIUM, TURNED INTO RAISED LAND, AND IN THE FIFTIES DAMNED HILLSIDE, UM, SORRY, SUGAR POND TO CREATE THE POND.
AND THEN IN, UH, 1959, HILLSIDE WAS, BECAME A DEEDED, I MEAN, SORRY, HILLSIDE PARK BECAME A DEEDED NEW YORK STATE PARK.
AND IN 1963 HILLSIDE SCHOOLS BORN, AND I JUST LEARNED THIS YESTERDAY, THE VILLAGE, UM, THE SCHOOL HAD JUST HAD PROPOSED TO PUT TWO LITTLE LEAGUE FIELDS IN THE MEADOW NEXT TO HILLSIDE SCHOOL AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY, WHO WAS A HASTINGS RESIDENT, BAND IT TOGETHER AND MIXED THAT IDEA SO THAT WE STILL HAVE WOOD SPARE.
AND I SAY THAT AS A WAY OF SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, HISTORY INFORM OUR PRESENT USE.
[00:50:01]
AND, UH, WE ARE STILL USING THIS FORCE AS A NATURAL AREA.UM, THE, THE HASTINGS NATURE PROGRAM, MANY OF YOU HAD CHILDREN WHO WENT THROUGH HILLSIDE SCHOOL AND DID THE HASTINGS NATURE PROGRAM THAT STARTED IN 1965 WITH A NATURE SERIES, AND THEN IT BECAME A SCHOOL SPONSORED WALKS THAT CONTINUE TO THIS DAY.
UM, IN 1987, CHILDREN'S VILLAGE SOLD 48 ACRES OF THE WOODS.
MANY OF YOU HERE WERE HERE AT THE TIME AND REMEMBER THIS VIVIDLY.
AND THEY WERE PLANNING TO MAKE A, YOU KNOW, CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT OF 82 HOMES IN THE, WHAT IS CALLED HILLSIDE, WOODS PORTION OF HILLSIDE, WOODS AND PARK.
SO THAT'S, UH, KIND OF CLOSER TO THE EDGEWOOD TAF SIDE OF THE PARK, NOT THE REYNOLDS FIELD SIDE OF THE PARK, WHICH WAS OWNED BY THE VILLAGE.
AND, UH, A MASSIVE, UM, I DON'T KNOW, EFFORT FROM THE CITIZENS OF HASTINGS SAFE, THE WOODS.
AND IN THE INTERIM, UM, AS CHRIS MENTIONED, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TREES CAME UP FAST, THE DEER EATING EVERYTHING UNDERNEATH.
AND WE HAVE A SORT OF A DEGRADED FOREST FLOOR, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS ABSOLUTELY CHARMING WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED HERE FROM MANHATTAN.
AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED JUST HOW DEGRADED THE, UH, THE, THE FOREST IS.
UM, AND I JUST KIND OF CRIED AND SAID, OH, WELL, NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.
AND THEN IN 2016, ANDY RASKIN ON THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION SAID, HEY, WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE WOODS.
AND SO WE MET AT THE HASTINGS CENTER RESTAURANT WITH SHARON, WHO WAS THE, UH, CONSERVATION COMMISSION CHAIR AT THE TIME, AND WE HAD MANY CUPS OF TEA AND DECIDED WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING SO WHAT TO DO.
SO ANDY REACHED OUT TO, UM, EXPERTS, FAR FLUNG FROM TENNESSEE TO MASSACHUSETTS, AND, UH, HAD SOME OF THEM ANALYZE OUR FOREST.
AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE WORST EXAMPLE OF DEER OVER BROWS THEY'D SEEN IN THEIR STORIED CAREERS.
UM, THEY SAID, THEY CALLED IT A ZOMBIE FOREST, MEANING THAT WE HAVE THESE STATELY TREES THAT STILL DROP SEED, BUT NOTHING'S GONNA COME BACK UP BECAUSE A DEER WILL EAT THEM IMMEDIATELY AND EVENTUALLY THEY WILL FALL DOWN AS THEY AGE.
AND THEN IN THOSE GAPS, INVASIVE SPECIES WILL ARISE INSTEAD.
BUT THEY SAID, NULL IS NOT LOST.
WE CAN REHABILITATE THE FOREST BY CONTROLLING THE DEER AND INTRODU REINTRODUCING LOST SPECIES.
SO, UM, WE EDUCATED THE COMMUNITY WITH SOME STATE OF THE WOODS.
THIS IS WHY THIS IS CALLED STATE OF THE WOODS PART FOUR.
IT MIGHT BE PART FIVE, I'M NOT SURE.
UH, BACK IN 2017, WE HAD SOME LOCKS IN THE WOODS.
WE HAD THE EXPERTS COME AND, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVE US THEIR OPINIONS.
AND, UM, SUBSEQUENTLY DAN LEMONS, WHO'S NOW ON THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION AND WHAT WAS TRUSTEE AT THE TIME, GOT A GRANT TO MAKE A FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN SO THAT WE COULD GET SOME WORK DONE IN THE WOODS FUNDED.
UH, THE FULL DOCUMENT IS, THIS IS KIND OF OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENT FOR THE CURRENT WORK.
UM, AND ESSENTIALLY IT SAYS, REMOVE INVASIVES, MANAGE THE DEER AND REPLANT WITH NATIVE PLANTS AND TO ANCILLARY RECOMMENDATIONS WHERE YOU USE A CERTIFIED ARTERIES, LIKE GETS SOME EXPERTISE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE VILLAGE AND START A FRIENDS GROUP.
SO WE HAVE A BRIDGE TO THE PUBLIC SO THAT WE CAN ALL ENGAGE, UH, THE COMMUNITY IN THIS PROJECT BECAUSE THIS IS A COMMUNITY FOREST THAT EVERYONE LOVES.
AND IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS, UM, FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN WAS THE QUESTION, WELL, HOW DOES HASTINGS WANT THE WOODS TO BE? YOU COULD TURN IT INTO CENTRAL PARK AND PUT ASPHALT PADS IN IT.
SO BECAUSE OF THE STORIED USE AS LIKE A CHILDREN'S NATURE WALKS AND, UM, THE PRESERVATION OF 1990 OF SAVING THE WOODS AS A WOODS, THAT INFORMED OUR, UM, CURRENT CHOICES TO KIND OF REHABILITATE AS AN ECOSYSTEM THAT'S AS NATURAL AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO ANOTHER COMMITTEE WAS FORMED, THE HILLSIDE WOOD STEERING COMMITTEE IS, I WANNA READ ALL THIS SO YOU CAN ALWAYS ALL KNOW OUR VILLAGE MANAGER, MARY BETH MURPHY AND CLERK ANTHONY CONSTANTINE, WHO HAVE BEEN AMAZING PARKS AND REC SUPERINTENDENT AARON HURST, UM, MYSELF, AMY LIERMAN, DAN LENNONS ON THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION, AND OUR NEWLY APPOINTED TRUSTEE VA LIAISON MORGAN FLEISIG, OUR ROCKSTAR VOLUNTEER CAT MCGRATH, AND OUR PARKS AND RECOGNITION CHAIR, JOANNE BACHER DESALVO, ANY OF THE SHERMAN WAS FORMERLY LIAISON DEPARTS AND NEXT COMMISSION.
SO WE HAVE A NICE TIGHT GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY CARE ABOUT THE FOREST, UM, REVIEWING DECISIONS AND HELPING WITH, UM, UH, THE GRANT MAKING THINGS WE'VE MET MANY TIMES THAT'S IN THIS ROOM.
SO, UM, OUR CHARMING ERSTWHILE MAYOR MANAGED TO GET THE MANAGEMENT PLAN FUNDED PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.
AND, UH, THE FUNDS WERE PROMPTLY FROZEN AS THE PANDEMIC UNFOLDED.
SO DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE DID A KIND OF DIY, UH, INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT.
WE HAD 35 SESSIONS, I THINK I LOGGED 1200 VOLUNTEER HOURS OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO, UH, WHO CAME AND HELPED SOME OF THE OUR OF YOU ARE IN THESE ROOMS. AND IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO EDUCATE KIDS, GET THEM INVOLVED.
WE ALSO HAD VOLUNTEERS, UM, NOTE AND MARK ALL THE NORWAY MAPLES THAT ARE ALONG TRAILS IN SIDE WOODS AS PART OF THE PLAN WAS TO ADDRESS
[00:55:01]
NORWAY MAPLES AS AN INVASIVE TREE.UM, AND WE LOOKED AT, UH, JAPANESE BARBERRY.
UM, THERE WAS A STUDENT WHO WAS DOING A COLLEGE APPLICATION AND HE SAID EVEN AN INTERNSHIP.
AND HE CREATED WITH, UM, A, UH, PHD STUDENT WHO LIVED IN HASTENS AT THE TIME, A JAPANESE BARBERRY SURVEY PROCESS WITH VOLUNTEERS.
SOME OF YOU PARTICIPATED IN THAT.
AND WE HAVE REMOVED ABOUT HALF OF THEM, UH, SENIOR INTERNSHIPS FROM HASTENS HIGH SCHOOL INCLUDED.
AND THERE'S PLENTY OF MORE WORK TO DO IF ANYONE'S INCLINED.
SO STEP TWO WAS FENCING OUT THE DEER.
THE FUNDING WAS FINALLY APPROVED AFTER THE PANDEMIC WAS OVER.
AND SO WE HAD MONEY TO FENCE THE 30 ACRES.
WE HAD ORIGINALLY STARTED WITH A 60 ACRE FOOTPRINT, BUT BECAUSE OF, UM, SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS AND SUBSEQUENT INFLATION, WE PIVOTED TO A 30 ACRE FENCE, WHICH IS MUCH EASIER FOR PARTS AND REC BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT FENCE IS INT AND MORE ON THAT LATER.
UM, SO THIS IS THE CURRENT FENCE, THE PINK LINE THAT YOU SEE THERE, AND TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE NO DEER INSIDE OF THE EXPLOSION WHEN IT'S FINALLY CLOSED.
WE HAD A, UH, DEER DRIVE, WHICH I'LL GET TO IN A SECOND.
BUT THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION PEOPLE ASK ME IS, WELL, WHERE ARE THE DEER GONNA GO IF YOU'RE FENCING THE WOODS? SO I, YOU MAY ALL UNDERSTAND THIS, BUT TELL YOUR FRIENDS, UH, THE ENTIRE CONTIGUOUS ACREAGE OF FORESTED LAND BETWEEN HILLSIDE, WOODLAND PARK AND CHILDREN'S VILLAGE AND OTHER, UH, ENTITIES IS, UM, 300 ACRES.
AND OUR 30 ACRE EXPOSURE IN PINK DOWN AT THE BOTTOM IS ABOUT 10% OF THE ENTIRE FOREST.
SO GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS, YOU KNOW, THE DEER HAVE PLENTY OF OTHER PLACES TO ROAM.
BAD NEWS IS WE'RE NOT SAVING THE WHOLE FOREST.
WE ARE CREATING LIKE A ONE LITTLE KIND OF GARDEN EDEN WHERE WE CAN HOPEFULLY WE GENERATE SOME HEALTHY HABITAT AND EVENTUALLY EXPAND THAT OUTWARD.
WE'LL SEE HOW THIS GOES, RIGHT? THIS IS A MANY DECADE LONG KIND OF PROJECT HERE.
SO ON OUR DEER GARAGE, I JUST WANNA SAY IT WAS FANTASTIC AND I'M SO PROUD OF HASTINGS 101 PEOPLE CAME OUT AND WE VERY GENTLY WALKED THROUGH THE WOODS, CLOSED OFF THE FENCE, AND EVERYBODY WENT, WENT HOME HAPPY.
UM, ONE OF THE ANCILLARY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I MENTIONED WAS GET HELP FROM CERTIFIED ARBORISTS.
I JUST WANNA SHOUT OUT TO TARA, AKA HE USED TO RUN NATURE WALKS FOR PARENTS IN HILLSIDE WOODS BACK IN 2004.
IN 2005, HE'S BEEN OUR IN OUR BACK POCKET.
HE'S NOW, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION FOR WESTCHESTER COUNTY PARKS.
INCREDIBLY KNOWLEDGEABLE, VERY GENEROUS OF THIS TIME.
SO HE'S BEEN HELPING INFORM OUR PROJECT AS WELL AS WE HAVE BARTLETT TREE CARD, WHICH AARON WILL TALK TO IN A SECOND.
AND WE ALSO DID START A FRIENDS OF THE WOODS GROUP, WHICH IS NOT A 5 0 1 C3 YET, BUT COULD BE, UH, FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH.
UM, AND I WANTED TO SHOUT OUT FOR CAT MCGRATH AND MOLLY ROBERTS FOR HELPING KIND OF, THE CAT DOES A LOT OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTING FOR, TO HELP EDUCATE PEOPLE AND GET THEM INVOLVED IN OUR PROJECTS.
AND HERE IS OUR KIOSK THAT YOU'VE SEEN AT CHUKA POOL, WHICH WAS SINGLE-HANDEDLY FUNDED.
UH, CAT GOT FUNDING AND DID ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS TO GET THIS GOING.
UM, AND WE ARE REALLY GRATEFUL TO THE PARKS STAFF WHO'VE DONE SO MUCH HELP IN HILLSIDE WOODS TO DATE.
SO WHAT'S NEXT? THAT'S KIND OF A RAPID FIRE RECAP OF, UH, WHAT WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SINCE 2016.
UH, AARON HURS IS GONNA, OUR SUPERINTENDENT PARKS IS GOING TO, UH, GO OVER SOME OF THE CURRENT WORK IN HILLSIDE WOODS, WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA, WHERE THE FUNDING IS COMING FROM, ET CETERA.
THAT WAS A GREAT RECAP OF EVERYTHING FIRST OFF.
SO THIS IS SORT OF WHERE I CAME INTO THE PICTURE.
UM, RIGHT NOW IT, IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT THE HISTORY OF ALL THE DIFFERENT GRANTS, WHICH WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN FROM THE DEC AS WELL AS FROM ASSEMBLY, UM, PEOPLE AS WELL.
SO WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE GUIDE, WHICH WAS THE URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN, LITERALLY AS WELL AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
AND WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INSTALL THE DEER FENCE BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS TO DEAL WITH THE DEER BECAUSE THEY'RE EATING EVERYTHING ON THE FOREST FLOOR.
OKAY? SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE REGENERATION GROWTH, AND THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THIS WORK THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING COMES INTO PLAY.
SO ONE OF THE GRANTS THAT HELPED US INSTALL THE FENCE WAS ALSO PART OF INVASIVE REMOVAL.
AND THAT'S WHERE I'M, UM, PLEASED TO INTRODUCE, UH, MY COLLEAGUES FROM BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS.
I HAVE RAFAEL MONTE MONTE, IF I SAID HIS NAME CORRECTLY, I APOLOGIZE IF I DIDN'T.
AND ARBORIST REPRESENTATIVE AND TREVOR HALL, A LOCAL MANAGER AND BOARD CERTIFIED ARBORIST WHO IS WORKING WITH US IN SELECT AREAS WITH IN HILLSIDE WOODS TO DO, UH, INVASIVE REMOVAL.
THAT'S GONNA HELP US MOVE RIGHT INTO THE NEXT PROCESS OF PREPARING THE LAND.
UH, AND THEN DOING SOME RE REPLANTING THINGS FOR SEEDLINGS AND, UM, A LOT OF
[01:00:01]
DIFFERENT SPECIES WITHIN THE EXPOSURE AND OUTSIDE THE EXPOSURE.SO I JUST WANTED TO INVITE THEM UP HERE FOR A MINUTE SO THAT THEY CAN EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE INVASIVE REMOVAL CURRENTLY AT THE MOMENT.
HOW YOU DOING EVERYBODY? I'M RAPHAEL WITH BARTLEY TREE EXPERTS.
UH, SO CURRENTLY, UH, WE'VE WORKED IN ABOUT 350 SQUARE FEET FOOTAGE OF THE PARK.
UM, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN, OKAY.
THIS POINT, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM HERE AT THE LOWER ENTRANCE, UH, WE'VE CALLED, WE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LABELED THIS AS THE ENTRANCE AREA.
UH, THERE'S ANOTHER SMALLER SECTION HERE AS WELL, RIGHT ADJACENT FROM THE POND.
UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING IN, UH, UP HERE ON THE HILLSIDE, THERE WAS, UH, A VERY DENSE, UH, VEGETATION OF INVASIVES.
UM, SAME THING HERE IN THE MEADOW.
I'M NOT SURE IF YOU GUYS HAVE WALKED THIS TRAIL AT ALL, BUT IT'S JUST VERY HIGHLY DENSE, UH, OF INVASIVES.
AND SO FAR TO DATE, UH, WE STARTED THIS PROJECT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE CUTTING AND TREATMENT TREATING, UH, ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO.
AND CURRENTLY WE ARE WORKING IN THE UPPER SIDE OF THE MEADOW.
AND LASTLY, WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING IN THE NORTH END OF THE MEADOW.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT OF SQUARE FOOTAGE TO BE COVERING CURRENTLY, UH, WITH THE MANPOWER THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO KEEP, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR EYES OUT FOR ANY BIRD NESTING IN, IN, YOU KNOW, IN THE CURRENT WOODED AREAS AS MUCH AS PRACTICAL.
UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT'S VERY DIFFICULT WITH THE DENSITY THAT'S THERE CURRENTLY.
UH, BUT WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T DISTURB ANY WILDLIFE THAT'S CURRENTLY THERE AS BEST.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO ASK.
AND YOU KNOW, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU GUYS OUT ON THE TRAIL.
UH, I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT PLANTING OUTSIDE THE EXPOSURE.
JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THAT A LITTLE BETTER, BECAUSE WOULDN'T THAT BE AT RISK OF, UH, BEING EATEN BY DEER? IT WILL.
UM, I'M GONNA DISCUSS THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN I GET TO THE CORE GRANT, WHICH WILL BE SHORTLY.
CAN, UM, YOU JUST GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE INVASIVES? WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSED ON? WHAT ARE YOU SEEING THE MOST OF? JUST TO, TO KIND OF PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, WHAT EXACTLY IT IS THAT'S THE MOST TROUBLING.
SO, UM, OUR SCOPE OF WORK THAT WE, THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT WE HAVE, UH, PROVIDED BEFORE WAS REMOVAL OF, UH, SEVERAL INVASIVE PLANTS, UH, INCLUDING FRAGMENT MIGHTY'S, THAT THERE WAS JUST THIS VERY SMALL PORTION OF THAT, UH, THAT AREA WAS PROBABLY ABOUT, UM, MAYBE ABOUT 150 BY A HUNDRED.
UH, IT WAS VERY SMALL PORTION.
CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE, UH, UM, AGAIN, THAT, THAT PORTION WAS HERE IN THIS POND AREA.
UM, WE WERE SEEING, OR WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF THE HONEYSUCKLE, UH, MULTI-FLOOR ROWS.
THERE'S SOME TREE OF HEAVEN AS WELL.
NOT A BIG POPULATION OF TREE OF HEAVEN, BUT THERE DEFINITELY ARE SOME, UM, SOME OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY ALREADY STRESSED OUT BECAUSE OF THE ATTACK ON, YOU KNOW, FROM THE, UH, UM, SPOTTER LINE SUPPLY.
UM, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF, UH, ANGELICA TREE AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, THREE YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST STARTED WALKING THAT PARK, PRIOR TO THE, THIS WORK COMMENCING, UH, THERE WASN'T THAT MUCH ON SITE WHEN WE WERE WALKING.
AND, UH, UP TO VERY MOST RECENTLY, UH, PRIOR STARTING THIS PROJECT, THERE WAS A LOT OF IT EVERYWHERE, LITERALLY IN ALL PORTIONS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING, WHICH IS THE ENTRANCE POND DOWN HERE, UH, THE SMALLER SECTION HERE, A LOT OF IT IN THIS POND AREA AND THE NORTH MEADOW.
UM, THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S TAKEN OVER THE PARK RIGHT NOW AND WHERE WE'RE WORKING.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE GONNA CONSTANTLY, IF WE, IF I WERE TO SAY WHAT'S REALLY OUT THERE CURRENTLY THAT WE'VE BEEN ATTACKING, IT'S A MULTI-FLOOR ROSE, A HONEYSUCKLE, UH, TREE OF HEAVEN AND ANGELICA TREE THAT'S REALLY DOING SOME DAMAGE TO THE PARK CURRENTLY.
I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT THE ANGELICA TREE, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT, IS A, A CHUTE THAT GOES STRAIGHT UP.
AND THEN LIKE, KIND OF LIKE FIRE WORKS OUT LIKE A TRUFFLE THE TREE FROM THE LORAX, AND THEY'RE OLIVER ROCKEFELLER STATE PARK, AND THEY'RE ENCROACHING ON HILLSIDE WOODS AND, UH, RAPHAEL'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
LIKE IT USED TO BE LIKE CONTAINED IN A CERTAIN SECTION AND THEY'VE JUST LEARNED HOW TO EXPLODE AND TAKE OVER LOTS OF AREAS.
UH, FOR RAPHAEL, UH, ON THE MAP, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT, UM, YOU POINTED TO A COUPLE OF TIMES IS JUST TO THE WEST OF VERNAL POND.
[01:05:01]
AND WALKING THROUGH THERE THIS PAST WEEK, IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, LIKE A MINI CLEAR CUT.SO IT'S NOT A SELECTIVE, YOU'RE JUST REMOVING AN AREA WHERE YOU THINK IT'S JUST TOO OVERGROUND TO DO INDIVIDUAL REMOVAL.
NO, WE'RE GOING IN THERE AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF FALLEN TREES CURRENTLY.
I KNOW THAT ALONG THE POND AREA, THAT POND AREA IS ACTUALLY WHERE, THERE WAS THE PORTION WHERE I MENTIONED ABOUT THE FRAG MIGHTY.
SO A LOT OF THAT WAS JUST REMOVED.
UM, WE ARE GOING THERE AND DOING SOME SELECTIVE FRUIT, UH, CUTTING.
WE'RE NOT JUST GOING IN THERE CLEAR CUTTING EVERY SINGLE THING.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW HAVEN WAS THERE, UH, LAST WEEK AND SHE HAD MENTIONED TO ME THAT, UH, SOME TIME AGO THERE WAS SOME PLANTING ALREADY DONE THERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE SOME STAKES IN THERE.
UM, SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT CUTTING EVERY SINGLE THING THAT'S THERE JUST TO MAKE WAY.
WE'RE ACTUALLY SELECTIVELY REMOVING BEAN BASES ON THE, THE SCOPE WORK THAT WE, THAT WE PROVIDED.
I GUESS IT'S ALL IN THIS SECTION, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT DOES LOOK LIKE THERE'S SOME SECTION.
AND AGAIN, THAT, THAT THERE, IF YOU GUYS EVER WALKED DOWN THAT PATH BEFORE THAT, LIKE THERE WAS A TON, THERE WAS A LOT OF HONEYSUCKLE, AND THOSE HONEYSUCKLES, THERE WERE 12 BY 12 FEET.
SO THAT TOOK A A LOT OF SPACE.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AM HONEYSUCKLE, WHICH LOOKS KIND OF LIKE A SMALL TREE.
ALL THE SMALL CRITS, BECAUSE THE GROUND ANIMALS WHO ARE NOW PREY, BECAUSE YOU SEEM LIKE NO ONE WALKED IN THOSE THICKETS BECAUSE THEY'RE IMPASSABLE.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE A GREAT PLACE FOR A SMALL ANIMAL TO BE PROTECTED FROM THE HAWKS AND THE OWLS THAT WE KNOW THAT LIVE THERE.
SO HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED ONE OF THEM, OR HAVE THEY JUST MOVED ON ALREADY? WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY SMALL CRITTERS THERE, TO BE HONEST.
UM, WE WERE JUST SEEING BIRDS HERE AND THERE, FLY IN, BUT THERE WASN'T ANY NESTS OR HOLES IN THE GROUNDS.
UH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY ANIMAL ACTIVITY ON THE GROUND CURRENTLY.
AND THIS SHOULD BE OUR LAST QUESTION, THEN AARON'S GONNA GET ON WITH THE COR GRANT.
I WAS AT THE UNARY GARDENS THIS MORNING, UH, JUST A COUPLE MILES AWAY.
AND, UH, ON THE FLOOR OF, UH, OF THE GROUND, WE WERE THOUSANDS OF SEEDLINGS OF NORWAY MAPLE.
I WONDER HOW DO, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT? DO DO WE HAVE THAT SCALE THING? BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME NORWAY MAPLES? YEAH, SURE.
I TRYING TO GIVE, I DON'T BELIEVE NORWAY.
YEAH, I DON'T BELIEVE NORWAY'S WERE ON THE LIST.
UN UNLESS THEY WERE UNDER FOUR INCHES IN DIAMETER.
THERE'S SOME LARGE NORWAYS ON THERE.
AND IF WE DID GET INTO THAT, THEN YES, IT WOULD LOOK MORE LIKE A CLEAR CUT.
UM, THOSE SAPLINGS THAT ARE COMING UP ARE PROBLEMATIC, AND YES, AS MANY OF THEM AS YOU COULD GET OUT WOULD BE THE BEST, BUT IT IS A BIT OF, OF, OF A TASK.
IT'S SIS THE GUY THAT ROLL THE BOULDER UP THE HILL SOMETIMES.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN DO JUST REGULAR CUTTING, YOU'LL, YOU'LL BE, THERE'S GOOD, BETTER AT BEST.
AND SO JUST CUTTING WOULD BE GOOD.
CUTTING AND TREATING WOULD BE BETTER.
CUTTING AND TREATING AND RETREAT IS THE BEST OPTION TO GET RID OF THEM, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF SEEDLINGS THERE.
SO, AND IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA, IF NORWAY ENDS UP BEING A STILL SOMEWHAT DOMINANT SPECIES, IT'S GONNA BE BETTER THAN BARBERRY TREE, TREE OF HEAVEN, AND, YOU KNOW, ARA AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
SO I'M ASSUMING YOU MEAN BETTER, LIKE MORE EASY TO REMEDIATE? WELL, JUST OUTCOMES.
UM, AARON, YOU WANNA THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND AGAIN, THEY'RE UP THERE DOING THEIR WORK NOW AND, UM, TRYING NOT TO IMPACT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, UH, WE PUT OUT AN NOTICE INFORMING EVERYBODY.
SO, UM, AGAIN, THEIR WORK IS GOING ON ALONG VERY, VERY NICELY.
UM, CIRCLE BACK TO THIS GENTLEMAN'S QUESTION ABOUT, UM, HOW WE'RE GONNA DO SOME PLANTINGS, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, DISCLOSURE AREA.
UM, IT'S A GREAT LEAD IN FOR MY NEXT TOPIC.
SO, UM, WE CURRENTLY ACTUALLY HAVE SOME MINI EXCLOSURES THAT ARE, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE FENCED IN AREA.
UM, SOME OF THEM ARE, UH, SPECIFICALLY AROUND OUR BEACH GROVES, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S A, UH, BEACH LEAF DISEASES WITHIN WESTCHESTER, AND WE HAVE IT WITHIN HILLSIDE WOODS.
AND UNFORTUNATELY IT'S VERY DEVASTATING.
WE DON'T KNOW THE EXACT TIMELINE OF WHEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TREES WILL ACTUALLY WIND UP DYING, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO TO REPLACE THEM OR TO TRY AND FILL IN THE GAP BECAUSE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, YOU KNOW, EXPOSURE AREAS.
[01:10:01]
UM, WE, WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME PLANTINGS.WE'VE HAD A, UM, GRANT RECEIVED FROM THE BEACH LEAF COALITION, UH, OF WESTCHESTER, WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO PUT UP ONE OF THESE MANY EXPOSURES.
AND THEN THEY DID PLANT THINGS FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT, UM, BERUT SEEDLINGS.
UH, THEY PLANTED IT IN THIS EXPOSURE, WHICH IS IN STAND TWO, WHICH IS UP PAST, UH, SUGAR POND GOING UP TOWARDS JUDSON, UH, TOWARDS DOBBS FERRY.
UH, THERE WAS, UH, 75 BEAR ROOT SEEDLINGS THAT WERE PLANTED.
THEY'RE BEING MONITORED ANNUALLY.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING PRETTY WELL RIGHT NOW.
AND THESE SPEECHES INCLUDE WHITE PINE, UH, RED AND BLACK OAKS, CORN BEAM, AND WITCH HAZEL.
SO WHAT I'M GONNA DESCRIBE NOW IS ONE OF THE NEXT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE, BECAUSE THE VILLAGE RECEIVED A VERY, UH, GOOD GRANT FOR, UH, THE COMMUNITY REFORESTATION, UH, PROGRAM.
UM, WE RECEIVED A $350,000 GRANT.
AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NEXT COUPLE SIDES ARE GONNA EXPLAIN WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS AND HOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY WITH THAT, UH, IS TO DEVELOP, EXPAND, AND RESTORE FORESTED NATURAL AREAS IN OR NEAR URBAN COMMUNITIES ACROSS NEW YORK.
UM, ALL DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, PROJECT TYPES.
BUT FOR US IT'S TO RESTORE FORESTED, UH, A FOREST IMPACTED BY, UH, PEST DISEASE, INVASIVE VEGETATION.
UH, PRETTY MUCH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PESTS ARE TO DEER DEAD ARE EATEN THINGS, BUT THE INVASIVE VEGETATION IS A, A MAJOR CONCERN BECAUSE, UH, AGAIN, UM, IT COMPETES WITH THE, UM, YOU KNOW, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WHEN THE DEER EATEN EVERYTHING ELSE, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO INTO THE FARCE AND YOU SEE A GREEN AREA, YOU'RE THINKING THAT IT'S A HEALTHY AREA, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS BECAUSE IT, IT, IT'S WHAT THE DEER ARE NOT EATING ARE THE INVASIVES.
AND WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE PERVASIVE AND THEY'RE GONNA OVERTAKE THE AREA AS WELL.
SO, UM, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS.
ONE OF THEM IS, AGAIN, THROUGH WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH BARTLETT AND THEN, UH, WORK THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING WITHIN THIS GRANT, UH, SCOPE OF WORK WITHIN THIS GRANT AS WELL.
SO THE REFORESTATION IS BASICALLY GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IN THIS BOX.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PREVIOUS FORESTED AREA, UH, AFTER TREATMENT OR NATURAL DISTURBANCES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE CAN PEAK DIE BACK WHERE NATURAL REGENERATION IS NOT BEING UTILIZED.
SUPPLEMENTAL AREAS WHERE NATURAL REGENERATION IS PRESENT, BUT NOT CURRENTLY ADEQUATE, UH, IN AN EXISTING FOREST TO HARVESTED NATURAL DISTURBANCES.
UM, SO AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING DIE BACK.
AND THE TWO REITERATE, THE MAIN THREE ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING WITHIN THE WOODS IS THE DEER ARE EATING EVERYTHING ON THE FOREST FLOOR.
THE INVASIVES ARE NOT ALLOWING THE LIGHT TO COME IN, AND THEY'RE TAKING OVER WHERE THE NATURAL REGENERATION WE WANT AND THE NORWAY MAPLES AND OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, TREES THAT HAVE THE CANOPY COVERS, NOT LETTING THE LIGHT COME IN, BASICALLY.
SO WE'RE STILL ATTACKING ALL THREE OF THOSE THINGS AS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
BUT EVERYTHING IS BEING DONE IN A METHODICAL, YOU KNOW, FASHION.
UH, I THOUGHT THIS SLIDE WAS MOUNT AROUND A LITTLE BIT IN THERE.
SO, UM, THIS JUST SHOWS YOU WHAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE WORK WAS.
THIS IS THE BEACH LEASH DISEASE THAT I, I HAD MENTIONED.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, PREVIOUSLY THAT WE HAVE SOME STUDIES GOING WHERE THOSE ARE, BECAUSE WE KNOW ABOUT THE DIEBACK.
UM, THIS GENTLEMAN I, YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN, HIS NAME IS JUSTIN BOWERS.
UH, HE ACTUALLY PUT UP SOME OF THE MINI EXPOSURES ALSO, AND, UH, HE WAS INTRODUCING OTHER SPECIES INTO THE AREA BECAUSE, UH, AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO REPLACE WHEN THE BEACH ARE, ARE GONE, BASICALLY.
UM, AND, UH, WE GET ANNUAL UPDATES FROM HIM.
I HAD ASKED HIM FOR ONE PRIOR TO THIS, UNFORTUNATELY I WASN'T ABLE TO CONNECT WITH HIM.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, AS OF MY LAST ONE, UM, THEIR SURVIVAL RATE OF THEIR SEEDLINGS WAS OVER 90%, WHICH IS VERY, VERY GOOD.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THAT WAS, UH, LAST YEAR.
SO I DON'T HAVE A CURRENT ONE, BUT, UH, WE, IT IS BEING MONITORED AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY WHENEVER A TREE LIMB COMES DOWN ON THE EXPOSURE, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE GET OUT THERE SO THAT WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, PROTECT YOU, THE SEEDLINGS 'CAUSE THE, THE DEER AND, UH, OTHER ANIMALS WILL GET TO THEM.
THIS WAS, AGAIN, SOME OF THE PLANTING THAT WENT ON.
OH, AND HERE WE GO FOR REPLANTING.
SO THE, UH, CORE GRANT, UM, AS I SAID, WE, WE RECEIVED THE CORE GRANT AND YOU KNOW, THE FIRST STEP IN THE PROCESS IS TO PREPARE THE RFP THAT'S GONNA GO OUT WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO, UM, UH, HIRE AN ARBORIST AND OR FIRM TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN IT.
[01:15:01]
DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT THE WORK PLAN DETAIL IS, AND THEN I'LL TRY AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY, BECAUSE THIS IS, AS I SAID, A VERY LARGE SCOPE OVER MANY, MANY YEARS, UH, AS WELL.SO, LIKE I SAID, THE RP WILL BE PREPARED.
WE'LL BE, UH, GOING OUT FOR A CERTIFIED ARBORIST OR A FIRM THAT CAN BASICALLY TAKE ON THE PROJECT AND IT'S GONNA BE SITE PREPARATION AND TREE PLANTING.
UH, HAVE THE SITE, UH, PREPARED FOR TREE PLANTING TO ESTABLISH A FOREST.
UH, AND HOW DO WE DO THAT? AGAIN, WE GOT CONTROLLED COMPETING VEGETATION.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT THE OVERALL GOAL IS GOING TO BE IS GOING TO BE, UM, TO TREAT A LARGER PORTION, AGAIN, NOT JUST THE 30 ACRES WITHIN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, HILLSIDE WOODS, UH, BOTH, UM, WITH, WITH, UM, DIFFERENT WAYS.
'CAUSE WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE NORTHERN NAPLES, THE BARBERRY, TO BURNING BUSH WITH STARIA, UH, AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS.
AND ONCE AGAIN, IT'S A GREAT LEAD IN FROM THE WORK THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING WITH BARLOW.
'CAUSE A LOT OF IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR.
THE, UH, SITE WILL BE, AS I SAID, WE BE PREPARED, UM, PLANT SEEDLINGS.
THERE'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, OVER THAT ENTIRE AREA THROUGHOUT THE FOREST, WE'RE GONNA BE PLANTING OVER 6,600 SEEDLINGS, UM, BASICALLY THROUGHOUT THE 88 ACRES OF THE FOREST.
UM, I DON'T ASK D LOCATIONS 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE ARBORISTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ENGAGING IS GOING TO GIVE US THE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT.
UM, ONCE AGAIN, WITH ANY TYPE OF DEC GRANT, WE, WE WORK WITH THEIR APPROVALS.
SO, UM, WHATEVER ARBORIST OR FIRM THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, WE'LL BE DOING PROGRESS REPORTS.
WE'LL BE GETTING UPDATES FROM THE REGIONAL, UM, DEC FORESTER WORKING HAND IN HAND BASICALLY.
AND AS I STATED BEFORE, THIS IS A LONG TERM, UH, PROJECT.
IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, THE MONITORING WITHIN THIS SCOPE OF THIS, UH, GRANT IS FOR ANOTHER ONCE THE SEEDLINGS ARE DONE FOR ANOTHER THREE TO FOUR YEARS, AND THEN THE VILLAGE IS TAKING ON THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MONITORING OR FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS AFTERWARDS.
SO WE WANT TO SEE SOME SUCCESS WITH THIS, UH, REGENERATION FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UH, REFORESTATION AGAIN, THE PLANT THINGS.
THERE'S ALSO BEEN OTHER VOLUNTEER EFFORTS THAT HAVE PLANTED WITHIN HILLSIDE WOODS WHERE THEY'VE PUT IN, UM, SOME TREE TUBING, YOU KNOW, PROTECTION.
UM, ONCE AGAIN THEN THIS WAS, UH, TREE CAGES THAT, UH, UH, WERE DONATED BY PANARA FLAHERTY, GOD BLESS, AND VOLUNTEERING FOR THE PROJECT.
WE WILL COME BACK TO MS. HAVEN.
SO DOES EVERYBODY WANNA STAND UP FOR LIKE A SECOND THEN SIT DOWN AGAIN? LIKE JUST, YOU KNOW.
'CAUSE I CAN IMAGINE YOU'VE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR LIKE TWO HOURS.
UM, I'M JUST GONNA QUICKLY GO OVER, WE HAVE KIND OF A LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS AND IF ANYONE IS INCLINED TO GET MORE INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT, REALLY TRULY, THIS IS LIKE HASTINGS FOREST AND WE, I MEAN, SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I WELCOME ENGAGEMENT FROM ALL THE AMAZING PEOPLE AND MANY OF THEM ARE IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED ON THIS PROJECT.
UH, AND IF YOU WANNA GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY, THERE'S THAT.
AND IF YOU WANNA DO SOMETHING LIKE WALK AROUND THE FENCE AND, UH, MAKE THAT PART OF YOUR, OKAY, AARON HAS SIGNUP PIECE.
IF YOU WANT TO LET US KNOW OR YOU CAN JUST EMAIL US.
UM, LIKE AARON SAID, LIKE THE FENCE IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
IF YOU WANNA ADOPT A PIECE OF FENCE AND YOU'D LIKE TO WALK YOUR DOG, OR YOU JUST LIKE TO TAKE A WALK IN HILLSIDE WOODS ONCE A WEEK, WE COULD SET UP A, YOU KNOW, THAT'S YOUR PART OF THE FENCE THAT YOU CAN WATCH AND WE CAN TRY TO GET PEOPLE TO DO VARIOUS PARTS.
IF YOU'RE INTREPID AND YOU WANNA CIRCUMNAVIGATE THAT FENCE, IT TAKES, I DON'T KNOW, HALF AN HOUR, MAYBE IF YOU JUST WALK IN QUICK, UH, MAYBE LONGER IF YOU'RE LIKE WATCHING IT CAREFULLY TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY, UH, ISSUES THERE.
UM, THE FENCE IS REALLY CRITICAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT AND FOR THE REGENERATION OF THE EXPOSURE.
SO THE MINUTE THERE'S A PROBLEM IN THE FENCE, THE SOONER PARKS KNOW TO SEND A CREW OUT THERE TO FIX IT, THE BETTER.
IF A DEER GETS IN FOR A DAY, THAT'S FINE.
YOU KNOW, LIKE IT'S THE, THE FOREST CAN SUPPORT SOME DEER, BUT WE DON'T, WE REALLY WANNA KEEP IT DEER FREE.
UM, IF THERE IS A DEER IN THE EXPOSURE, WE HAVE HAD RESIDENTS PROPPING OVER THE GATE OPEN THE GATES.
THAT'S A REALLY NOT GOOD PRACTICE IF YOU'D KNOW WHO'S DOING THAT.
I THINK THERE'S ONE PERSON IN THE VILLAGE WHO KEEPS PROPPING THE GATE OPEN.
IT ALLOWS BABY GEAR INTO THE EXPOSURE, BUT THEIR MOTHERS CANNOT FIT.
SO YOU'RE SEPARATING A BABY DEER FROM ITS MOTHER AND FROM ITS HERD.
AND THAT'S NOT HAPPY FOR ANYBODY.
UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY A PICTURE OF A DEER THAT ANN MACKEY TOOK WHO SHE SAW IN THE EXPOSURE.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON A PROTOCOL TO ADDRESS THAT, IF THAT HAPPENS OR WHEN THAT HAPPENS.
UM, ON THE LEFT SIDE THERE, YOU SEE, LIKE, WE HAVE A FRIEND WHO'S A, A FRIEND GUY WE KNOW IN SCARSDALE.
HE'S A COP IN SCARSDALE, IS A DRONE OPERATOR, A LICENSED DRONE OPERATOR.
AND HE'S DONE FLYOVERS UP HILLSIDE WOODS IN THAT EXAMPLE THAT YOU SEE THERE.
[01:20:01]
SNAPSHOT, BUT YOU'LL SEE THAT THE DIAMONDS ARE DEER AND THEY'RE EITHER LIKE UP ABOVE HILLSIDE, WOODS AND CHILDREN'S VILLAGE OR DOWN BELOW DURING THE DAY BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE AND DOGS WALKING IN THE FOREST.HE ACTUALLY HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
HE GOES AND FINDS LOST DOGS IN THE WOODS AS A KIND OF A PUBLIC SERVICE.
SO IF YOUR DOG IS LOST IN THE WOODS, HE'S GOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, CELL PHONE OR RADIO WHENEVER HE IS LIKE, OH, GO LITTLE TO THE LEFT, HE'S OVER THERE, YOU KNOW, AND HE'S REUNITED PEOPLE WITH THEIR LOST DOGS.
WE COULD DO THE SAME THING WITH DEER, BUT KIND OF IN REVERSE, LIKE, JUST KIND OF SHOOING THEM OUT OF THE OPEN GATE AND THEN CLOSING THE GATE AFTERWARDS.
AND WE'RE WORKING ON A PROTOCOL TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
YOU PROBABLY NEED 10 PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF LIKE GENTLY SHUSH THAT DEER IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SO YOU COULD SIGN UP FOR THAT.
UH, AS MARK MENTIONED, THERE'S GONNA BE ALL KINDS OF NORWAY MAPLE SEEDLINGS GOING BACK UP IN THE FOREST BECAUSE THE DEER ARE NO LONGER IN THE EXPOSURE.
LIKE SO IN THE EXPOSURE AREA, YOU'RE GONNA GET SEEDLINGS OF TREES YOU DON'T WANT AS WELL AS, UH, SEEDLINGS OF TREES YOU DO WANT.
SO ONE THING THAT WE WILL BE DOING IN AN ONGOING WAY IS, ASIDE FROM WHAT AARON MENTIONED, LIKE REHIRING CONTRACTORS, BECAUSE WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE A STATE THAT GRANTS MONEY FOR URBAN FOREST RENOVATION AND RENEWAL.
BUT VOLUNTEERS CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE.
GET TO KNOW YOUR FOREST, GET TO KNOW YOUR PLANTS.
YOU CAN WORK WITH ME OR ANYONE WHO'S WILLING TO HELP YOU.
YOU'VE GOT OTHER NATURALISTS IN THIS ROOM WHO ARE REALLY SKILLED, WHO CAN, UH, UH, SET YOU OFF IF YOU ENJOY WEEDING FOREST.
UM, WE DO HAVE A TEAM THAT COMES IN IN THE BEGINNING OF JUNE EVERY YEAR TO KIND OF DO A LITTLE SNAPSHOT WHAT'S GROWING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE EXPOSURE.
THEY GO BACK TO THE SAME PLACE.
IT'S LED BY TARA AKA WHO WAS MENTIONED EARLIER IN THIS UH, PRESENTATION.
BUT I FEEL LIKE MORE EYES ON THE EXPOSURE THE BETTER.
YOU CAN TAKE YOUR IPHONE OR WHATEVER YOUR SMARTPHONE DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP INATURALIST, TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING, AND THEN WE CAN CROWDSOURCE THAT INFORMATION AND SEE WHAT'S GROWING IN THE EXPOSURE.
IT AUTOMATICALLY GEOLOCATES WHERE YOU ARE, IT AUTOMATICALLY POSTS THE TIME AND THE DAY, ET CETERA.
AND THAT'S, UH, ANOTHER WAY THAT YOU CAN KIND OF CONTRIBUTE TO LIKE THERE OUR COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE EXPOSURE AND OUTSIDE THE EXPOSURE.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THE PLANT IS CALLED OR RECOGNIZE IT.
THE APP WILL IDENTIFY IT FOR YOU.
UM, WE WILL BE REPLANTING MASSIVE REPLANTING.
AS AARON MENTIONED, THERE'S FUNDING FOR SOME OF THAT, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN FACT, UM, WITH CAREFUL, UH, UH, VETTING OF PLANTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE GROWING IN YOUR YARD THAT ARE NATIVE.
I'M HOPING THAT WE THE VILLAGE CAN PARTNER WITH A NON-PROFIT CALLED WILDWOOD RESTORATION PROJECT.
'CAUSE IT'S VERY LIKE PRELIMINARY.
WE DUNNO YET IF IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
THE, THE, THE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IS, UH, LINDA DER WHO USED TO RUN THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY PRISON THAT, UM, CHRIS MENTIONED THE PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT.
SHE'S INCREDIBLY KNOWLEDGEABLE.
SHE'S SET UP THIS INCREDIBLE PROJECT WHERE SHE, UM, ETHICALLY HARVESTS SEEDS FROM LOCAL, UH, PUBLIC PARKS THAT ARE NATIVE PLANTS, HAS VOLUNTEERS GROW THEM OVER THE SUMMER IN POTS AND THEN HAS VOLUNTEER TEAMS REPLANT THEM IN PUBLIC FOREST FLOORS AS A WAY OF REGENERATING NATIVE PLANT STOCK.
I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH HER.
I'M LIKE, I KNOW I CAN GET YOU PEOPLE IN HASTINGS.
THERE'S SUCH A GREAT VOLUNTARY TOWN.
SOMEBODY'S GONNA BE ABLE TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN THEIR BACKYARD OVER THE SUMMER, NURTURE SOME SEEDLINGS AND THE VOLUNTEER GETS TO KEEP 20% OF ALL THE SEEDLINGS THAT THEY GROW.
YOU COULD POPULATE YOUR OWN YARD WITH SOME NATIVE PLANTS.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE A TRAIL MAINTENANCE PROGRAM REALLY.
I MEAN, WE DO ADDRESS TRAIL STUFF.
THERE'S A TREE DOWN PARKS WHERE THEY'LL CUT IT UP.
BUT ULTIMATELY AT SOME POINT, HILLS EDWARDS COULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM A TRAIL MAINTENANCE PROGRAM.
UM, PEOPLE HATE ME WHEN I SAY THIS, BUT REALLY IN THE EXPOSURE, IF DOGS COULD BE ON LEASHES, IT'S REALLY BETTER.
THEY DISTURB BROWN NESTING BIRDS AND THAT'S PART OF THE PURPOSE OF THE EXPOSURE, TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE ALL OF NATURE CAN THRIVE AGAIN.
AND THEIR, THEIR POOP IS NOT GOOD FOR THE SOIL AND VOLUNTEERS DON'T LIKE TO STEP IN IT.
WE HAVE IN THE PAST RUN PUBLIC EDUCATION NATURE WALKS IN HILLSIDE WOODS.
AND IF YOU HAVE A SKILL THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY, WE'VE HAD NATURALISTS AND UM, ENTOMOLOGIST.
HERE'S A BIRDWALK, A NATURALIST WALK WE'VE HAD.
UM, HERE'S DEVON, OUR, I WARNED YOU, UH, BOTANIST LOOKING AT, UH, BEACH TREE REGROWTH.
HERE'S A GUY WHO USED TO LIVE IN HASTING WHO'S AN ENTOMOLOGIST WHO HAD TWO CHILDREN AND ENTHRALLED ABOUT INSECTS AT NIGHT BY SUGAR POND.
UH, AND A SHOUT OUT TO ADAM HART AND THEN OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD, UH, WHO THE HAS LED AND WILL LEAD AGAIN NEXT MONTH.
A HISTORY WALK OF HILLSIDE WOODS.
AND HE ALSO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR MAP ON THE, UH, KIOSK.
AND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WORK IN HILLSIDE WOODS, BUT YOU WANNA BE INVOLVED IN ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
[01:25:01]
PROJECT, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO JOIN MATT HOBBY IN REMOVING MILE A MINUTE AND OTHER VINES FROM EXIT 12 OR DON IRWIN WHO IS SPEARHEADING A RESTORATION OF THE LOWER BRK ESTATE.AND IF THAT STILL IS AN INTERESTING TO YOU, REMEMBER, HERE'S OUR LITTLE HILLSIDE WOODS WITH THE RABBIT EARS OF THE, UH, OUS FOREST ON CHILDREN'S VILLAGE LAND.
BUT THERE'S ALL THIS OTHER ACREAGE OF HASTINGS VILLAGE IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS AND ALL OF THAT AREA CAN BE YOUR YARD AND YOU CAN DO SOMETHING IN YOUR YARD TO PROMOTE, UM, HABITAT AND UH, YOU KNOW, UH, PLANTS AND THINGS THAT WERE GOING TO HELP OUR ECOSYSTEM.
SO WE HAVE, UM, HOPEFULLY, UH, WOODS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY LOOK GREEN AND VERDANT AGAIN BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE AIMING FOR.
OF COURSE, IF YOU'D RATHER SEE A FARM, SEE ME AFTER CLASS.
AND, UM, WITH THAT I'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANY OTHER QUESTION.
AND WE HAVE A, UH, SIGNUP SHEETS.
ERIN HAS SIGNUP SHEETS SHOULD YOU LIKE TO, UM, FOR US TO KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED OR YOU CAN KEEP THAT SECRET.
AND JUST EMAIL US AT HILLSIDEWOODS@HOHI.GOV.
HAVE QUESTIONS, ANDY? YOU MIGHT TURN IT ON.
MAY, MAYBE IT'S TOO EARLY FOR THIS QUESTION, BUT ARE YOU ABLE TO SEE ANY DIFFERENCE FROM INSIDE THE EXPOSURE TO OUTSIDE AT THIS POINT YET? I SAW A SA FRASS TREE GROWING THAT WAS THIS TALL THE OTHER DAY.
AND I THINK THAT WOULDN'T NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THERE WERE A DEER IN THE EXPOSURE.
UM, I ALSO SH OPEN IT UP TO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE WOODS MORE OFTEN THAN I AM.
UM, SEE A LOT OF BABY NORRY MAPLE SEEDLINGS TOO THAT WE MAY HAVE TO 'CAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT EATING THOSE, UM, I THINK THE DATA THAT TARA'S COLLECTED TO DATE IS NOT THAT ENCOURAGING.
WHAT WE WILL SEE FIRST IS TREES ARE STILL DROPPING SEEDS.
YOU MAY SEE TREE SEEDLINGS COME BACK.
UH, YOU'RE NOT MOST OF LIKE THE NORMAL FOREST FLOOR NATIVE PLANTS OR THERE'S NO SEED BANK LEFT.
SO THEY NEED TO BE REINTRODUCED FOR US TO HAVE THOSE IN OUR FOREST.
UM, AND FINALLY, LIKE AS CHRIS SAID, THE FOREST'S FLOOR, THE SOIL IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN IT USED TO BE.
AND WE DO HAVE INVASIVE WORMS IN HILLSIDE WOODS AND ALL BETS ARE OFF REALLY ON, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FEELS LIKE WE NEED TO BE REALLY CLEVER AND PERCEPTIVE AND SEE WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T WORK AND HELP NURTURE, LIKE YOU WOULD NURTURE ANY AILING CREATURE.
UM, AND IT MAY BE SURPRISING WHAT WE FIND OUT OR IT MAY BE ABLE TO JUST REGENERATE WITH THESE STANDARD PLANTS THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THAT
UM, SPEAKING OF THE, THE WORMS, UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
IS THERE, WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT THAT? OR DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT? OR, UM, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THAT? 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE WITHOUT TAKING CARE OF THAT, EVERYTHING ELSE IS SORT OF UM, I DON'T KNOW.
PASS MY, IT'S A TOUGH QUESTION TO MY KNOWLEDGE.
THERE'S NO WAY TO REMOVE THEM IN A LARGE AREA.
UM, IN MY LIKE OWN GARDEN, YOU CAN DUMP, YOU CAN MIX MUSTARD WITH WATER.
HAVE YOU HEARD THAT BEFORE? LIKE MUSTARD POWDER.
IF YOU CAN GET FROM RESTAURANT SUPPLY, YOU MIX IT WITH WATER, YOU KNOW, UNTIL IT'S KIND OF SOUPY.
NOW IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THICK, BUT JUST KIND OF YELLOWISH AND THEN YOU DUMP IT AND IT'LL IRRITATE THEIR SKIN AND THEY COME TO THE SURFACE AND THEY CAN GRAB THEM AND UH, DO WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WITH THEM.
UM, WE USUALLY HAVE LIKE A BUCKET OF ALCOHOL, WHICH IT'S NOT FUN TO WATCH, BUT, UM, YOU CAN REMOVE THEM THAT WAY.
BUT YOU COULDN'T DO THAT ACROSS THE WHOLE FOREST.
SO, UM, PERHAPS AROUND A PARTICULAR PLANTING.
BUT IT'S HARD IF THEY'RE INFESTED.
THERE'S NOT MUCH YOU COULD DO THAT I KNOW OF.
OH YEAH,
THEY DO DAMAGE BUT NOT TOO MUCH.
AND THEN THE UH, ASIAN JUMPING WORMS IS A TWO OR THREE SPECIES, BUT ALL SIMILAR THAT REALLY EAT THE LEAF LITTER AND, AND THAT DESTROYS HABITAT AND THE FUNGAL COMMUNITIES AND THE
UM, BUT DOING ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO WILL DEFINITELY LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT.
AND IF YOU'RE NOT SEEING REGENERATION AND THE EXPOSURE, IF YOU ARE REMOVING, YOU KNOW, THE NORWAY MAPLES, IF YOU, IF YOU GIRDLE THOSE OR CUT 'EM AND MORE LIKE IT'S DOWN AND YOU'RE KEEPING THE DEER OUT, YOU'LL SEE SOMETHING FOR SURE, AT LEAST WITH THE MAPLES AND HOPEFULLY THE OAKS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.
AND IF YOU DO NEED TO RESTORE SOME OF THE WILDFIRES, YOU
[01:30:07]
YEAH, YEAH, THE LIGHT, PROVIDING LIGHT WILL SPEED EVERYTHING, THAT'S FOR SURE.AND BUT THEN YOUR, YOUR INVASIVE JOB GOES UP TOO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, BUT FROM THEM, THANK YOU.
UM, SO YOU SAID THAT SOMEONE'S BEEN TOPP AND OPEN THE GATE TO THE CLOSURE AND CAN YOU NOT PUT A LOCK ON IT OR SOMETHING? I MEAN, I MEAN THEN NO ONE COULD GET IN IF YOU PUT A LOCK ON IT, BUT COULD PEOPLE GO IN AND OH YEAH.
NO, THE EXPOSURE IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS THE PUBLIC SAID THEY WANTED WHEN WE FIRST PROPOSED THE FENCING.
WELL, CAN WE GET IN, UH, WHAT ABOUT MY PATH THAT I TAKE? YOU KNOW? RIGHT.
SO IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S NO WAY TO STOP THEM.
I MEAN WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, UH, SO THE HISTORY OF THE S GATE IS THAT SUPPOSEDLY THERE, THE DEER DON'T WALK THROUGH THEM, BUT THEY WERE MADE A DA ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE THE CONTRACTOR, THAT'S WHAT HE DOES.
SO THEY'RE WIDE ENOUGH FOR SMALL DEER TO GO AROUND.
WE COULD NARROW THEM AND, UH, LEAVE AN A DA ACCESSIBLE GATE TO COMPLY WITH WHOEVER WANTS TO GET IN, WHO'S IN A WHEELCHAIR OR SOMETHING.
UM, AND THAT GATE COULD HAVE LIKE A MORE SECURE, YOU KNOW, OR WE CAN JUST CHECK THAT GATE MORE OFTEN, MAKE SURE IT'S NOT PROPPED OPEN.
WE COULD DO SOME SORT OF PHYSICAL REDUCTION OF THE OPENINGS THAT'S ON THE TABLE.
WHY DOES SOMEBODY PROP IT OPEN THOUGH? I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, MY GUESS IS THAT THEY JUST WANT THE GEAR TO GET IN, I GUESS.
I COULD TELL YOU WHY THE GATE IS PROPPED OPEN.
'CAUSE WHEN PEOPLE WALK THEIR DOGS, THERE'S ONE WOMAN, SHARON, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW HER TOO.
SO WHEN SHE WALKS THROUGH THE GATE, SHE POPS THE GATE OPEN SO THE SLOW DOG COULD CATCH UP ON ITS OWN PACE.
IF YOU KNOW HER, COULD YOU MAYBE HER? I DON'T KNOW HER TALK TO HER.
BUT I'VE HEARD OF THIS ELUSIVE WOMAN.
WELL, UH, HOPEFULLY SHE'LL GET THE MESSAGE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT A DELETERIOUS PRACTICE THAT IS.
BUT I THINK MODIFYING THE ESCAPE TO MAKE IT SMALLER WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL BECAUSE MM-HMM
I'VE SEEN LARGE TIER AND OH, HAVE SEEN LARGE TIER.
THE GATES ARE SPRING LOADED, BUT IF SOMEONE PROPS IT OPEN, EVEN IF IT'S SPRING LOADED, IT'LL STILL BE ACCESSIBLE.
SO THE CLOSURES ON THE GATES HAVE BEEN MODIFIED A COUPLE OF TIMES ACTUALLY, SO THEY DO SELF CLOSE.
HOWEVER, IF THERE'S SOMETHING IMPEDING IT, IT WILL STILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO.
AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE RUNNING INTO RIGHT NOW.
THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT MOTION SENSORS AND LASER LIGHTS AND ANNOYING BEEPS.
I DON'T KNOW, I, THAT SEEMS A LITTLE MUCH FOR A FOREST, BUT I LIKE THE, I LIKE THE WAY YOU'RE GOING.
WE'RE CURRENTLY GONNA BE EXPLORING, UH, MAKING THE ENTRANCE LESS WIDE.
SO POSSIBLY MODIFICATION, UH, WITHIN THE GATE OR POSSIBLY PRIOR TO THE GATE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, COOL.
BUT YOU HAVE TO TALK ON THE MIC BECAUSE IT'S BEING RECORDED IN CASE ANYBODY WANTS TO HEAR THE QUESTION.
UH, I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH HILLSIDE WOODS, BUT IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH BICYCLISTS IN HILLSIDE WOODS OR IS THAT PERMITTED? BICYCLING IS NOT PERMITTED IN HILLSIDE WOODS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO RIDE THEIR BIKES IN HILLSIDE WOODS.
I WAS WALKING WITH LIKE 10 OTHER PEOPLE HAVING HELPED PLANT THE OAK TREES AND JUSTIN BAUER'S EXPOSURES.
AND A BICYCLIST WAS LIKE, EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME.
HE'S TRYING TO RIDE HIS BIKE PAST THIS LONG LINE OF PEOPLE ON THE TRAIL.
AND I SAID, UM, SORRY, BUT BIKE BICYCLING ISN'T ALLOWED IN HILLSIDE WOODS.
HE SAID, I'VE BEEN RIDING MY BIKE IN HERE FOR 15 YEARS.
AND I SAID, WELL, GREAT, YOU'VE BEEN BREAKING THE LAW FOR 15 YEARS AND HE GOT REALLY HOSTILE.
I THINK THAT, UM, IN MY IDEAL WORLD, WE WOULD ALL HAVE THE, I DON'T KNOW, THE CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE UM, SORT OF THE SENSE, WHAT DID YOU CALL IT?
AND THEN I GOT A HANDWRITTEN NOTE FROM SOMEONE WHO SAID, WE'VE BEEN WALKING OUR DOGS IN HERE FOR DECADES AND IT'S OUR COMMUNITY AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR DOGS TO RUN.
AND SO I PUT UP, UM, ANOTHER NOTE THAT SAID, OH, SO GREAT THAT YOU ARE CARING ABOUT THE WOODS AND MAYBE YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, GET IN TOUCH WITH ME AND LET'S TALK.
[01:35:01]
HER FRIEND THAT SHE SAW THE PERSON WHO HAD PUT UP THE SIGN.AND THAT PERSON'S DOG WHO WAS OFF LEASH HAD ACTUALLY RIPPED MY FRIEND'S FLEECE
SO I HAVE, I'M THE CAT PERSON, I DON'T KNOW.
I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE LOVE THEIR DOGS AND THEIR DOGS NEED TO RUN.
ULTIMATELY HASTINGS NEEDS A DOG RUN WHERE DOGS CAN GET THAT OUT OF THEM SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT THEIR DOGS NEED TO DO AND CAN ALSO RESPECT THE SPACE THAT WE'VE DESIGNATED FOR AN ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT, WHICH IS COSTING US A LOT OF TIME, MONEY, AND VOLUNTEER EFFORT.
UM, SO THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY ON THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, I REALLY THANK EVERYBODY.
WHERE ON THE HASTINGS VILLAGE WEBSITE, CAN YOU FIND LIKE A SHORTENED VERSION OF THIS AND LIKE A SHORTENED VERSION OF WHAT THE CURRENT BASIC SPECIES ARE TO LOOK OUT FOR? SLASHING NOT HAVE IT OUR OWN PERSONAL GARDENS.
OKAY, I'LL PUT THAT ON MY LIST.
UM, WE DO HAVE THE HASTINGS GREEN WEBSITE, WHICH HAS A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION ON IT.
THIS IS SORT OF LIKE A PUBLIC FACING WEBSITE.
IF YOU GO TO THE NATURE TAB, YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS CURRENTLY AT WORK IN HASTINGS.
AND IF YOU GO TO HILLSIDE WOODS, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, HERE'S OUR RECENT GRANT THAT AARON TALKED ABOUT.
THE POOR GRANT WAS A $350,000 GRANT.
YOU CAN SEE THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO PLANTED TREES AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, WHAT HASTINGS IS DOING.
AND THAT DETAILS LIKE THE MAPS I SHOWED YOU HAVE THE NORWAY MAPLES AND STUFF.
LIKE, IT'S JUST LIKE MY KIND OF DATA DUMP FOR ALL THAT STUFF.
SO THAT'S A GREAT RESOURCE IF YOU WANT TO, UH, GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT HASTINGS GREEN.ORG.
UH, AND THERE'S ALSO A HILLSIDE WOODS, UH, ON THE, WE, UM, ON THE VILLAGE WEBSITE.
THERE'S ALSO A HILLSIDE WOODS SEGMENT, UH, PORTION ON THE HILLSIDE.
UM, BUT PARKS AND REC PROPERLY.
AND THEN UNDER THAT, I THINK IT'S HILLSIDE WOODS.
AND ONE THING I DIDN'T MENTION TODAY, BUT WHICH IS REALLY AMAZING, THE ZINZER PARK COMMUNITY GARDENS TEAM HAS DONE SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY RENOVATION OF THAT, UH, AREA.
AND THEY'RE GIVING A TOUR OF IT NEXT SATURDAY, MAY 2ND AT NOON.
SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM, UH, THE GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN SPEARHEADING THAT RESTORATION AREA OF THE HUMAN GARDENS, UM, PLEASE COME TO THAT.
SO THE SIGNUP SHEETS IN BACK AND WE'LL BE AROUND TO ANSWERING QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL ONES.
I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY WHO IS HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND HEARING MORE.