Forest Lawn & Re-Tree WNY seek volunteers to plant trees from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2 at Forest Lawn, 1411 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. No experience is necessary; a brief training session will take place each day. Children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. During this event, about 300 bare root deciduous hardwood trees will be planted throughout Forest Lawn as part of Forest Lawn’s ongoing efforts to “return the forest…...
Tag: Environment
Grants available to towns, school districts for tree projects
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is accepting applications for urban forestry project grants. The deadline is Dec. 5. Communities can apply for tree planting, maintenance grants or invasive pest studies in cases involving an infestation of the emerald ash borer or the Asian long horned beetle. Grants are available to municipalities, public benefit corporations, public authorities, school districts and not-for-profit organizations that have a public ownership interest in the property or are acting on behalf of…...
Amherst Arboretum project to be recognized at bi-national conference
The Amherst Conservation Advisory Council will be recognized for the Arboretum at Amherst State Park Project at the 2013 Conference on the Environment: A Bi-National Summit be held Thursday and Friday, Oct. 3 and 4, at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Buffalo. The conference is for environmental professionals and community leaders from the United States and Canada. The public can attend the conference’s opening event, an evening with Gord Downie, front man for the band The Tragically Hip, at 6…...
Local growing is one topic to be discussed at environmental summit at Daemen College
“Food for Thought: Safe and Green for the Future” is the theme for the Western New York Environmental Summit to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Wick Student Center of Daemen College, 4380 Main Street, Amherst. The event is free and will include presentations, vendors, exhibits and tours of LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) energy efficient buildings on campus. You can also drop off your old electronics to be recycled. The…...
Look up– There’s a flower garden on the roof!
by Connie Oswald Stofko Denis Uminski said he should put a sign in his backyard that says, “Look up!” Otherwise visitors can miss one of the newest and most interesting features of the landscape: a flower garden planted on the slanted roof of the Uminskis’ garage at 95 Columbia Blvd., Kenmore. He and his wife Mary Jane got the idea during a visit to Plantasia five years ago. They had the garden installed during the second week in June, so…...
Land Conservancy gets $500,000 to create Stella Niagara Preserve
An ecologically important parcel of land in Lewiston that supports rare plants is several steps closer to being protected as the Stella Niagara Preserve, thanks to work by the Western New York Land Conservancy. The Niagara River Greenway Commission on July 16 voted unanimously that the proposed preserve was consistent with the Niagara River Greenway Plan. Less than a week later, the Greenway Ecological Standing Committee of the New York Power Authority approved a $500,000 funding request. This grant is…...
Williamsvile gardener rescues plants from demolition sites
When a house or other building is being razed, wonderful flowers, shrubs, vines and bulbs are often destroyed in the process. Elise Fila of Williamsville doesn’t like to see those plants go to waste. She rescues the plants to use in parks as well as in her own garden. I visited Fila during the Williamsville Garden Tour, which was held Saturday, July 20. Watch the video below to get a few tips on how you can get free plants by…...
Pesticide-free yard in Parkside is kid-friendly & pretty, too
You may be used to seeing small yellow signs warning you to keep your children and pets off a neighbor’s lawn because it had recently been sprayed with a pesticide. A different kind of yellow sign is displayed in the front yard at 82 West Humboldt, Buffalo: “Pesticide Free. This area safe for children, pets and other living things.” “To me, it’s worth avoiding pesticides,” Dan Cadzow said. “You track it inside on your shoes and the kids play on…...
Want something unique? Try daylilies–Easy to grow, too!
If you’re looking for a flower that’s easy to grow and different from what your neighbors have in their gardens, try one of the 1,100 varieties of daylilies available at Lasting Dreams Daylilies, 6425 South Abbott Rd., Orchard Park. If you need more variety, hang in there. Carol and Anthony Haj, owners of Lasting Dreams Daylilies, are working on hybridizing their own brand new varieties, too. There are so many reasons to love daylilies. Topping the list is daylilies’ beauty…...
Spring is dry and summer may be worse– Water your trees
by Connie Oswald Stofko The arborvitaes above have been damaged by drought, but don’t wait until your trees look like that to take action. Our spring has been dry enough that you should already be watering your trees, especially young trees and old trees, said Jeremy P. Sayers, president of the Tree Doctor and a board-certified master arborist. Conditions in 2013 are already dry We all remember last summer’s drought, but you may not realize that we’ve been experiencing dry…...