Distinguising Invasive Plants and Native Look-a-Likes

        You might remember a blog post from us a few months back on "Spotting Invasive Plants".  If not, you can read it here - http://ctnofa1982.blogspot.com/2010/11/spotting-invasive-plants.html

        Now with all of the snow gone it's time to start spotting those invasive species again! Before you can go out and remove them however, it's important to be able to correctly identify invasive species from native "look-a-likes".  Well, you're in luck! Aton Forest, Inc. and Highstead Arboretum are sponsoring two 1-day invasive plant workshops on Friday, April 1 and Friday, April 8, one in Fairfield County and the other in Litchfield County. The workshops will be taught by Bill Moorhead, a consulting field botanist.  Both workshops will include work in the field or lab (depending on the weather),and will focus on distinguising invasive plants from similar native plants in the field in late winter/early spring. 
 
        The following information can be found at http://afworkshops.blogspot.com/
There are a number of advantages to doing invasive plant control work outside of the growing season, (e.g., no disturbance of breeding birds and wildlife, student volunteers more available, less disturbance of native vegetation, a much extended control season). But it requires more advanced field identification skills to avoid throwing native babies out with the bath water, when working at sites with a significant native plant component, e.g., especially, "early intervention" sites with intact natural communities. This workshop focuses on field identification of terrestrial invasive plants in late winter/early spring, prime season for pulling invasives but a difficult time to identify many plants using guides and manuals, as many are somewhere between dormant and leaf-on state. The emphasis will be on distinguishing invasives from native species with which they co-occur and may be potentially confused, especially when in young/immature state. The workshop will emphasize development and reinforcement of field identification skills in situ – it is planned that most of the day will be spent in the field, after a brief introductory classroom session. The workshop is designed for people who are already interested in and/or involved in hands-on invasive plant control, including land managers associated with land trusts, professionals looking to brush up on their skills, and private land owners managing their properties as natural areas. The workshop will also cover a number of so-called “watch list” species, i.e., plants that it is suspected may become invasive, and plants known to be invasive that have not yet become common in the area. In the event of weather too severe for field work, all or part of each session may be changed into a lab/classroom session, using fresh collected specimens. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants per session.
Each participant should bring: a good quality hand lens with at least 10X magnification; a field notebook (preferably waterproof) and writing implement[s], bags for collecting specimens; his/her choice of sun protection; appropriate footwear for both cold mud and hiking up to 2 miles on not-very-rugged terrain; clothing that allows you to stand around for 5-10 minutes in chilly and/or wet weather conditions in sufficient comfort to concentrate on listening and taking notes.
Dates, Times and Locations:  

Friday, April 1, 2011, 8:30 AM - ~5:00 PM. Highstead Arboretum, 127 Lonetown Road (Route 107), Redding, CT 06896
Friday, April 8, 2011, 8:30 AM - ~5:00 PM. White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759

Accommodations and amenities: Lunch and liquid refreshments will be provided. Transportation to field sites beyond walking distance will be by convoy/car-pool in participants' vehicles.
Tuition: 

$109.00 for each workshop. Payment is required in advance, by check or money order, to register. Checks should be made out to "Aton Forest Inc." and sent to Aton Forest Inc., P.O. Box 509, Norfolk, CT 06058. Enrollment will be on a first-come-first-served basis. If a session is canceled by us for any reason, tuition payments will be refunded in full, by mail. If a registered participant cancels, tuition may or may not be refunded, at our discretion, depending upon the final class size.

For more information, contact: Bill Moorhead (860-567-4920, whmoorhead@optonline.net),
John Anderson, Executive Director, Aton Forest Inc. (860-542-5125, contact@atonforest.org), or
Bill Toomey, Director, Highstead Arboretum (203-938-8809, btoomey@highstead.net, www.highstead.net)

Lawsuit Against USDA’s Approval of Genetically Engineered Alfalfa

        You may be aware of the USDA’s recent approval of genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” Alfalfa. According to an article by the Center for Food Safety [see link at bottom of article], 93% of all alfalfa planted by farmers in the US is currently done so without the use of herbicides. With full deregulation, the USDA estimates that up to 23 million more pounds of toxic herbicides will be pushed out into the environment every year!!
        Why be so protective of alfalfa, you may ask? Alfalfa is the key feedstock for the dairy industry. Once you start to allow for genetically modified feed, farmers could potentially lose their organic feed, essentially stripping them of their “organic” label.
        And here’s the kicker…this isn’t the first time that the USDA is trying to introduce GE alfalfa. A federal court denied the USDA’s approval in 2007, stating that the USDA failed to analyze any associated risks with GE alfalfa.
        All hope is not lost though! A group of farmers and consumers groups have filed a lawsuit against the USDA’s approval. The plaintiffs include the Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides, Cornucopia Institute, California Farmers Union, Dakota Resources Council, Geertson Seed Farms, National Family Farm Coalition, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Sierra Club, Trask Family Seeds and Western Organization of Resource Councils.
        To get a full understanding of this situation, please read the following article - http://truefoodnow.org/2011/03/18/farmers-and-consumer-groups-file-lawsuit-challenging-genetically-engineered-alfalfa-approval/
        To read the plaintiffs complaint, please visit - http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/1-Complaint.pdf

March 28th Homeowners Workshop in Cheshire, CT

The NOFA Organic Land Care Program is proud to announce the upcoming "Green Up Your Yard with Organic Land and Lawn Care: Save Money and the Environment". This workshop will be held at the Cheshire Public Library on Monday, March 28th at 7:00pm. The free 1.5 hour workshops include a half an hour for question and answers. The talk will be given by Bettylou Sandy, owner of Bettylou's Gardening and NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional.

This informative workshop will provide the tools and informational resources needed to practice organic lawn and landscape care, as well as information on the benefits of organic land care. Participants will receive a handout of resources they can use to find more information, and on finding a landscaper who has the knowledge to maintain lawns and landscapes organically.

CT NOFA promotes methods of farming, gardening, and land care that respect biodiversity, soil, water, air and the needs of future generations through education, support, and advocacy.

For more information on the Organic Land Care program please visit www.organiclandcare.net, or you can contact Clara at 203-888-5146.

GMOs Talks in Fairfield County

Jeffrey Smith, one of the nation's leading GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) experts will be speaking twice in  Fairfield County in April

• Wednesday, April 27th at the Greenwich Audubon
•  5:30pm - 7:00pm: Reception. 
• 7:00pm -9:00pm: Lecture and Q&A Session
• Thursday, April 28th at the Community Film Institute in Fairfield
• 7:00pm - 9:00pm: Lecture and Q&A Session
  

Mr. Smith has written the world's best selling book on GMOs: Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating. He is also the author of Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. 

Along with being a world-renowned author, Mr. Smith is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology.  If you have any questions about genetically modified foods and crops, please visit their website at http://www.responsibletechnology.org/.  The site offers everything from a basics page that answers the what, where and why; to a local, non GMO sources page, to an interesting page that discusses fraud relating to faulty regulations and rigged studies. 

GMOs are everywhere in the United States, yet other countries are banning them so it's important that we stand up for ourselves, our families and our future generations!  The first step you can take is by going to one of Mr. Smith's talks!

To register for the 4/27 Greenwich event, call 203-869-5272 x 239 or e-mail Jeff Cordulack at jcordulack@audubon.org. Tickets are $15.

To register for the 4/28 Fairfield event, call 203-292-8190. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door if not sold out.

UN Report on the Right to Food

The United Nations recently released a report on the importance of a shift back to real agriculture. With rising food prices, a lack of sustainable food systems, and a slew of other negative consequences from agribusiness, it’s time for us to take a stand.
 

The 21-page report states that this can only be done if its “highly productive, highly sustainable, and contributes to a progressive realization of the human right to adequate food.” The report found that the best system to obtain this is by studying and practicing agroecology, the combination of agronomy and ecology (the blending of the relationship between agriculture and the study of living organisms and its surroundings. 

To not reinvent the wheel, please read Jill Richardson’s wonderful summary of the report. You can find it here - http://www.alternet.org/story/150158/groundbreaking_new_un_report_on_how_to_feed_the_world%27s_hungry%3A_ditch_corporate-controlled_agriculture/

To see the official report, please visit http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20110308_a-hrc-16-49_agroecology_en.pdf

CT NOFA's Farmers Pledge

 CT NOFA is all about organic farms - hey, it's in our name! We know that it's important to become a USDA Certified Organic Farm. The Farmer’s Pledge is a commitment to farming, marketing and farm management in accordance with sound ecological and economic principles. It is separate and distinct from “Certified Organic.” There is no inspection process for the Farmer’s Pledge, but the farmers have signed the Pledge to show their commitment to its principles. Every spring, all our Farmer’s Pledge farms are featured in our annual Farm & Food Guide. Last year 15,000 copies of the Guide were printed and distributed all over the state at farmers markets, agricultural and environmental events, and wherever people were looking for healthy and sustainably grown food. 

The Farmers Pledge is a commitment to:

• Reject the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides & fertilizers
• Reject the use of GMO’s, chemically treated seeds, synthetic toxic materials, irradiation & sewage sludge
• Treat livestock humanely by providing pasture for ruminants, access to outdoors & fresh air for all livestock, banning cruel alterations, & using no hormones or antibiotics in feed
• Support agricultural markets & infrastructures that enable small farms to thrive
• Maintain & build healthy soils by farming practices that include rotating crops annually, using compost, cover crops, green manures & reducing tillage
• Conserve natural resources by reducing erosion & pollution of air, soil & water through responsible farming practices
• Maximize the nutritional value of food & feed by practicing careful post harvest handling
• Practice minimal processing for all food products to preserve the natural nutritional value of food: NO use of irradiation, ultra-pasteurization, excessive heat, synthetic preservatives, or GMO processing agents or additives
• Reduce the ecological footprint of farms & homes by limiting energy use & converting to renewable sources of energy
• Reduce food miles by selling produce locally & regionally
• Create beneficial habitat for wildlife & encourage biodiversity
• Help preserve farmland & farming know-how
• Ensure food safety by using potable water for washing crops
• Handle raw manure & soil amendments with care
• Use ethical business practices
• Pay a living wage to all farm workers & acknowledge their freedom of association & their right to collective bargaining
• Treat family members & farm workers with respect & ensure their safety on the farm
• Work in cooperation with other farmers & with neighboring community to create a more sustainable way of life
• Sustain the land in healthy condition for future generations

For more information about the Farmers Pledge, please visit http://ctnofa.org/OrganicCertification.htm. We urge you to see if your local farm has signed the pledge. If not, please have them visit this link - http://www.ctnofa.org/documents/2011%20farmers%20pledge%20new%20logo.pdf

Healthy Yards, Safe Waters Conference

The NOFA Organic Land Care Program is proud to host the Healthy Yards, Safe Waters Conference on Saturday, March 19^th.  Co-sponsored by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the conference will be held in Kroon Hall, a truly sustainable building on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, CT. 

This conference is meant for homeowners and property managers who are interested in learning organic techniques to keep their yards healthy and free from pesticides.  Many do not realize the effects that pesticides and harsh chemicals have not only on our yards but also our waters. 

Schedule
9:30am – 10:00am – Registration and Exhibits
10:00am – 10:15am – Introduction
10:15am – 11:00am – Why Go Organic?
11:00am – 12:00pm – A Landlubbers’ Guide to Protecting Long Island Study
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – 2:00pm – Breakout Session #1
2:00pm – 3:00pm – Breakout Session #2
3:00pm – 3:15pm – Closing Remarks

Breakout Sessions
Local Initiatives Panel
Working with Towns
Lawns and Lawn Alternatives
Increasing Biodiversity and Environmental Services in Your Yard
Rain Garden Installation
Nearby Nature: Creating Habitats for Children

Confirmed Speakers
Dr. Michael Dietz, Program Director, CT NEMO
Bill Duesing, Executive Director, CT NOFA

Troy Hill, Doctoral Student, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Mike Nadeau, Owner and Operator, Plantscapes
Judy Preston, CT Outreach Coordinator, CT Sea Grant

Chris Randall, Executive Director, New Haven Land Trust

Michael Sesko, CEO, Encendia Biochar
Jerry Silbert, Executive Director, Watershed Partnership

Dr. Kimberly Stoner, Vegetable Entomologist, CT Agricultural Experiment Station

Christine Tang, Director, City of New Haven’s Office of Sustainability

Cost

The conference will cost $25 for the general public; $20 for NOFA members, NOFA Accredited Professionals and the Yale Community.  For group rates, please call the office at 203-888-5146.  The cost includes a delicious lunch by the Big Green Truck Pizza!

Vendors

Go Organic LLC

Harrington's OLC

Natureworks 

Kroon Hall is located at 205 Prospect Street in New Haven, CT. For more information and to register online, please visit http://www.organiclandcare.net/education/healthyyards