Monday, December 27, 2010

Holiday Fun That's For the Birds!

Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter
to makea festive energy bar
for the birds in your backyard.
So... the children are home all week on their holiday break, the wind is whipping up all the snow that fell yesterday so it feels too cold to play outside for long and you want to do something with your family that makes the spirit of the season last through this entire week.  We've got just the activity for you! 

You can stay indoors where it is warm and whip up some treats to share with the birds that are searching out nutritious food now that the insects that remained in our region for the winter are in hiding and the berries left on trees and bushes are buried under drifting snow.  You'll have a great time making these treats, and it will be even more fun to watch the birds flock to them once you've put the treats outside in a spot you can view from your windows.  Over the last several days we've spotted cardinals, juncos, chickadees, blue jays, mourning doves, various finches and sparrows and even bluebirds at feeding stations we've set up around our house.

Use half a hollowed-out orange
to hold your energy bar mixture. 
It makes a very attractive bird feeder!
You don't have to go out and purchase lots of fancy ingredients for these treats.  Chances are good that you've got the necessary supplies right in your kitchen.  Energy bars are all the rage for humans these days, and it turns out that birds love them too.  To make a batch, combine 1 cup chunky peanut butter, 1 cup vegetable shortening, 2 ½ cups coarse yellow corn meal, seeds, raisins or other dried fruit, and roasted peanuts. Mix the peanut butter and shortening, then add cornmeal to thicken the mixture. Stir in seeds, raisins or roasted peanuts. Make energy bar "muffins" by placing your mixture in muffin tins. Sprinkle seeds on top. Place a pipe cleaner in each muffin to act as a hanger and place the tin in the freezer. Once hardened, hang the muffins or place in feeding stations. Hang the cakes from the tree with string, in a suet cage, or in mesh bags like those in which oranges and grapefruit are sold. You can use orange grapefruit or even coconut halves to create a feeder by stuffing your mixture into half of a hollowed-out rind. Poke three holes in the edge of the rind and run string through the holes. Sprinkle seeds on top. Place in the freezer to harden. Once hardened, knot the strings at the top and the bottom to secure and hang outside near a window. You can also gather cones from evergreen trees like pines and spruce, stuff shortening and peanut butter into the crevices, and then roll them in seeds.

For more recipes to make this week and throughout the winter, please visit URWA's Creature Feature web page at http://urwa.org/education/creatures.html.


Monday, December 20, 2010

Appointments to Council: Some Good, Some Not

The Highlands legislation was created to protect the water of the Highlands region. The Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, made up of both elected officials and public members is the body responsible for implementing the protection.

The members are appointed by the governor, and in the past have all demonstrated, for the most part, an understanding of their role as protectors of our water supply. Governor Christie recently appointed seven new members to the Council to fill vacant seats. Two of these appointees Michael Sebetich, an aquatic biologist and Professor at William Paterson University, and Tim Dougherty, the Mayor of Morristown, have backgrounds advocating for the protection of Highlands resources.

We are concerned that the remaining appointees have in the past called for the repeal of the Highlands Act and/or the disbanding of the Council. These are not the characteristics that we want in Council members charged with protecting the water supply of 5.5 million New Jersey residents. The Governor makes it clear by these appointments that he does not appreciate the work of the Council, and wants to cripple its effectiveness.

Take a stand with URWA. The Senate Judiciary Committee must approve all of these nominations to the Council. We urge you to reach out to the Committee Chairperson Senator Nick Scutari at senscutari@njleg.org 908 587 0404 or the Vice Chair, Senator John Girgenti at sengirgenti@njleg.org 973 427 1229. Urge them to oppose the appointments of Highlands Act opponents Roxbury Mayor James Rilee, former West Milford Planning Board Chair Michael Tfank, Sussex County Freeholder-elect Richard Vohden, and White Township Committeeman. Tell them that you want people who will honor the intent of the Highlands Act and who will protect our water supply appointed to the Council.

Learn more about this issue and other Highlands news at http://www.njhighlandscoalition.org/

Monday, December 13, 2010

Food for Thought as We Approach the New Year

An interesting Op-Ed piece appeared in The Boston Globe a few days ago.  Written by John P. DeVillars, who served as the New England administrator of the EPA from 1993 to 2000, it reminds us that we’ve come a long way as a society in terms of environmental protection, that as a country full of people with many different viewpoints and opinions it is possible for us to work together to resolve problems and that it is everyone’s job to protect the natural environment.

We encourage you to follow this link to read Mr. DeVillars' comments.  He offers some valuable food for thought and hope for a brighter future!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

It's Time to Treat the Birds

As autumn winds down and Mother Nature makes the transition into winter, wild birds that have been successfully foraging in the woods, fields and suburban areas will begin to scout out locations where they’ll be able to find a source of food through the colder months. If you enjoy attracting birds to your yard by putting out birdfeeders, now is the time to make sure that they are ready!

Before you set your feeders out, wash them thoroughly. It is important to start the season with clean feeders, and to keep them uncontaminated by washing them every three weeks or so. This is because birds can get sick if they eat moldy or decomposing seeds and hulls that accumulate on feeder trays and in the base of tube feeders. In addition, bird droppings that land on feeders can spread infectious avian diseases. To clean your seed feeders, wash them in hot, soapy water and then soak or rinse them in a solution of one part white vinegar to nine parts water. Be sure to give them a final rinse and let them dry completely before you fill them with seeds!

As the bird feeding season progresses, be sure to clean the ground below your feeders each week. This will prevent uneaten seeds, hulls and other waste from accumulating and becoming moldy. Left on the ground, this debris is quite appealing to pets such as dogs, which can become ill if they consume it. The debris is also likely to attract unwanted rodents to the area.

With your bird feeders in place (try to spread them apart so the birds aren’t all crowded into one small space), you will see more and more birds using them as the weather cools down and their food sources diminish. If there is not a natural water source nearby (a pond or small stream), your feathered friends will appreciate a birdbath or other water feature that you keep clean and filled with fresh water throughout the winter.

Next week, we'll offer some tips and recipes for making special treats for the birds as the holidays approach!
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