Porcupine Pat

I serve on the board of the Schuylkill County Historical Society and it is our privilege to honor a local man that achieved so much.

C YA tomorrow! I'll be staffing my own table with some nature and gardening books available for a donation. All proceeds directly benefit the $1,000 annual scholarship for a student striving for something pertaining to the environment and such.

(Thanks to Deb Rubin Cooper of The Arts Barn for this post.) At first I thought this was a lizard swallowing another lizard. But, I wouldn’t look that calm if I were being eaten alive! As it turns out, this is just a lizard shedding it’s skin! ... Lizards shed their skin like snakes do! (Photo by Lahira Abeysekara)

It was 50 years ago yesterday (May 20) that this song debuted on radio. As a newly-minted teen, I heard it on "The Big 8" CKLW from Windsor, Ontario that boomed in my part of Ohio. We sure are in a better place with the environment. Always baby steps brothers and sisters, sometimes two steps back but then you get those steps going forward...yeah! Click below to give a listen and enjoy!

We all depend on the survival of bees! Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators cont...ribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity. To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated May 20 as World Bee Day. Why this date? May 20 coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability to work so hard, while needing so little attention. The goal of World Bee Day is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries. We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity. https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day

It's hot off the press! Explore Schuylkill is the visitors bureau for Schuylkill County and they just released their 2021 visitors guide book. Contents include Arts & Culture, Museums & Tours, Food & Drink and much more! These folks have done an astounding job of putting the shine on our county! Get your copy by either stopping by their Union Station office where you will see a guide book stand outside their doors. Or, you can contact them at 800-765-7282 to find out whe...re a copy can be obtained. Their office will also mail it to you too! We've got a lot to offer both residents and visitors. Keep in mind that tourism and outdoor recreation are in the top five economic drivers in PA!

Pottsville is very fortunate to host the Charles Baber Cemetery. It's historical and natural significance is amazing and a precious island of green in the middle of the city. From their website: "The Baber cemetery plays a unique but intricate role in the community. It is a cemetery within the setting of a garden park. As a cemetery it offers a union with nature through its in-ground burial plots shaded and sheltered with an amazing variety of trees and shrubs." Here's ...more info: "As a garden park, the cemetery has much to offer the visitor: a variety of trees and shrubs providing homes to many birds, paved and grassy walking paths, lush green grass, a meditation area aside a small spring fed pond with vegetation for the multicolored butterflies and humming birds in the summer months, a Gothic Chapel, an Egyptian Revival style gateway entrance, a carriage house, and a long, tree lined stone wall running the length of its property along Market Street. The garden park offers a pageantry of colors that awaken the senses to the beauty of nature as it changes through the seasons of the glittering snow white of winter, to the yellowish green, pink, purple, and white flowering and blooming buds and leaves of spring, to the shimmering and shaded green of summer, to the reds, oranges, rusts, and golds of autumn. Whether as a cemetery or as a garden park, the Charles Baber Cemetery has much to offer the visitor." I am told that the largest collection of Japanese Maple trees in PA is located right here. You feel like you are walking in an Asian garden along certain stretches of the paths. http://babercemetery.org/baber/trees/

Our compadres at the Wayne CD have a nifty endeavor with NEPA Audubon and getting the word out about their office mural. (That would be great to have for the Schuylkill CD..just sayin'!) The Wayne Conservation District and the Northeast Pennsylvania Audubon Society have teamed up to bring the habitat mural in the Wayne Conservation District office in Honesdale to life, virtually speaking. The two organizations created an interactive video exploration of the densely populat...ed mural, created by Katharine Dodge and Helena Guindon from 2013 and 2017. The large painting depicts a wide array of Wayne County flora and fauna in summer, autumn, winter and spring. Various items of taxidermy and props give the mural a three-dimensional quality. Conservation District Watershed Specialist Colleen Campion, who worked with the Audubon Society on the project, said the virtual tour starts with the fall section of the mural and the other seasons will be added during the year ahead. https://www.thinglink.com/video/1395792574446305282

CHEMSWEEP 2021 Registration Deadline by February 28, 2021 CHEMSWEEP provides Pennsylvania farmers and other licensed pesticide applicators with a means to dispose of canceled, suspended, or unwanted pesticide products. Note: Schuylkill County can participate this year! Through CHEMSWEEP, applicators can legally dispose of unwanted pesticides, generally at little or no cost. Almost all of the waste pesticides collected are burned in EPA-approved incinerators. The remaining pe...sticides are treated and placed in EPA-permitted hazardous waste landfills. CHEMSWEEP has collected over 2.7 million pounds of unwanted pesticides through 2020! CHEMSWEEP operates in a selected number of counties each year. Licensed farmers, professional pesticide applicators, and pesticide businesses in the counties selected for that year are eligible to participate. If you are a pesticide applicator in agriculture, pest control, lawn care or other professional capacity, or a pesticide dealer, check the CHEMSWEEP 2021 map below to see if your county is eligible. If so, complete the CHEMSWEEP registration form and return it to the address shown by the deadline of February 28. Here is the registration form: https://www.agriculture.pa.gov//HBG%20Chemsweep%20Form%20A Only pesticide products that are or have been registered for sale or use in the Commonwealth will be accepted in this program. These materials are classified as Universal Waste Pesticides and will be collected, packaged, transported, and disposed of in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations. The PDA contractor will become the generator of record for your waste pesticides at the time of collection. Homeowners: CHEMSWEEP is not a homeowner-oriented pesticide disposal program. If you are a homeowner wishing to dispose of home and garden pesticides or other household waste items like used oil, paint, solvents, cleaners, etc., please see DEP's Household Hazardous Waste Program or contact your county solid waste authority. Here is the link to the DEP program: https://www.dep.pa.gov//Household/Pages/HHW-Collection-Pro HHW Sponsors: If you are a municipal entity and wish to sponsor a Household Hazardous Waste collection event, it may be possible for you to utilize the CHEMSWEEP contract for your event. Please contact James Cunningham at 717-772-5210 for additional information.

I'll be more than glad to offer my Subaru as a "canvas" for any street artist that would happen to need an outlet! I live in "center city" Saint Clair and will not wash my car for a couple weeks after so that others can enjoy your creation. LOL Thanks again to my artist friend, arts supporter and owner of The Arts Barn Deb Rubin Cooper for this posting! https://mymodernmet.com/dirty-car-art-nikita-golubev/