Are you interested in map-reading, compass use, digital photo taking, or visiting protected properties? If so, you may be a good fit for the Photo-Monitoring Squad!
These dedicated & hardy individuals visit protected properties once a year to monitor any changes. On Saturday, February 13th from 1-4 p.m., this year’s Photo-Monitoring Kick-off will provide interested volunteers with the necessary training to be a part of the Photo-monitoring Squad. The Kick-Off will take place at the NEW Center, 1100 N. Main Street, in Ann Arbor. It will include indoor discussion as well as outdoor practice – please dress for the weather.
Hope you’ll consider chipping in. We’ve got a great corps of folks already involved, and since we have several new properties to visit this year, we could definitely use some extra help!
If you’re interested in participating but can’t make it to the Kick-Off, or if you have questions, not to worry — we’d still love to have you participate, and we’re glad to answer any questions you may have. Please contact our office: (734) 302-5263 or stewardship@legacylandconservancy.org. Thanks!
I found out some pretty cool things about Groundhog Day while doing research for the hike. To start with, the official Groundhog Day started in 1887 in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania. Since then Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog), has seen his shadow 97 times (6 weeks more of winter), has not seen it 15 times (early spring), and nine years got lost along the way. However, he hasn’t had a great accuracy rate. The National Climatic Data Center reports that he has been accurate 39% of the time.
Yesterday it is reported that he did in fact see his shadow, but he was in Pennsylvania, and here in Michigan there were no shadows to be seen. This question has led some states to find their own weather predicting mascots. Texas has an armadillo to predict their weather!
This seemingly random tradition actually goes back much further than 123 years. In Europe the tradition was for a badger to predict the weather on February 2nd. This date goes back even further with the tradition of Candlemas, and before the Christian Candlemas to the Pagan tradition of Imbolc. On this day in many European cultures a day of light predicted a longer winter.
Germanic:
For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.
Originally when the day was Imbolc, the Wiccan tradition was on this day to bless the seeds for the coming planting. A festival of the Maiden in preparation for growth and renewal. Predicting when the winter would be over makes sense in this context of the spring planting.
Groundhog Day can then be viewed as not only a day to check on the whereabouts of Phil, but also a day to be looking forward to planting in the spring, and for those of us who do not plant, a day to be grateful for those of us who grow enough to share!! THANK YOU FARMERS!!
If you would like to get involved in predicting the weather, a fun way to do that is through an online information gathering system called, “Project Budburst” (how could anyone resist a name like that!). Volunteers get involved in documenting plant growth stages all over the country. This information is used to track climate change.
-Dana
Were you watching the full moon over the weekend? The moon is at its closest to the earth this month, and combined with the clear, cold nights was mystical. It prompted a three way phone call with my family as each of us, in different parts of the state, called the other to ask ‘can you see it?’…Susan
Groundhog Day Hike
Tuesday February 2, 2010
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Join the Legacy Land Conservancy, hosted by Michigan Friends Center on February 2, from 4-6 p.m., for a wintery hike at the Center. We’ll gather at the Michigan Friends Center, located in Chelsea, and head out to read signs of spring along the trail and determine if, in fact, the groundhog will see its shadow. Hot tea to follow the hike.
From now until January 31, buy a gift certificate to Grange Kitchen & Bar, and help earn money to protect local lands!
New Ann Arbor restaurant Grange Kitchen & Bar has made a generous offer: For every gift certificate you buy during the month of January, Grange will donate 10% to Legacy Land Conservancy to protect local natural areas and farms.
Grange Kitchen & Bar’s menu is based on fresh ingredients from lots of wonderful local farms. And the food is fantastic! So, if you…
* have been looking to try out a new restaurant
* are looking for a nice gift
* are planning ahead for Valentine’s Day, or
* have a special occasion coming up…
…then buy a gift certificate or two during January! You’ll be supporting local farms and the Conservancy in the process!
Here’s how you can buy your gift certificate:
* Visit Grange Kitchen & Bar at 118 W. Liberty in Ann Arbor, or
* Call them (734) 995-2107
In the closing weeks of 2009, Legacy Land Conservancy completed six conservation agreements, each unique and collectively as diverse as the landscapes around us. Woodlot additions, farms, and rivers are all among the lands that will remain – forever – pretty much as they are today.
It’s common for these last weeks of the year to be our busiest. But it’s a time I look forward to as part of the joy of the winter holidays. These are gifts to all of us who live here now, or will in the future, from incredibly generous families.
Our web site showcases these new protected lands. Come take a look. They are a reminder of how much is special about our area…Susan
Come see how you may be able to help! Volunteer Fair: Sunday January 31, 1-3 PM.
Drop by to learn the many ways you can help, meet new people and make a difference for the Conservancy. Volunteer opportunities are located throughout Washtenaw and Jackson counties. Here’s a sneak peak of some of the opportunities.
This fun and informal event will be held at the NEW Center overlooking the Huron River, 1100 N. Main Street in Ann Arbor.
Hope you’ll join us!
Since nothing is more local than the lands that surround us, it’s no surprise that the Legacy Land Conservancy is a fan of the Local First movement. I was in Jackson today and stopped by the Armory Arts center (home of, among other things, the Jackson School of the Arts) and picked up a flyer from Jackson Local First (www.jxnlocalfirst.com). It offers some great answers about shopping “local first” (What if they don’t have what I want? What if they cost too much? What if they aren’t open when I need them?) including their Five Reasons to think Local First: (more…)
New Ann Arbor restaurant Grange Kitchen & Bar celebrates local farms by creating menus based on fresh ingredients from local sources.
In support of the local lands that sustain the restaurant, Grange will donate 10% of proceeds from all gift certificates purchased in January to Legacy Land Conservancy.
So, if you….
* have been looking to try out a new restaurant
* are looking for a nice gift
* are planning to hit downtown Ann Arbor for Restaurant Week, or
* have a special occasion coming up…
…then buy a gift certificate or two to Grange during January! You’ll be supporting local farms and the Conservancy in the process!
Grange Kitchen & Bar is located at 118 W. Liberty in Ann Arbor, (734) 995-2107, www.grangekitchenandbar.com.
