WAYNEDALE WOODS AND WATERS
Trail Groups Collaborate to Expand Greenway
The Greenway Consortium recently received $37,500 funding for the extension of Fort Wayne’s trail network into Aboite Township. This planned four-mile extension from Rockhill Park to the intersection of Jefferson and Engle Roads will be partially paid for with funding from the Aboite New Trails organization.
“With this donation to the Greenway Consortium, we hope to move forward with plans to create multi-use trails between Aboite Township and the City of Fort Wayne,” said Lynn Reecer, President of Aboite New Trails. “The Towpath project gives us a chance to collaborate with other trail groups, and at the same time work to benefit Aboite residents and neighboring communities.”
The Aboite New Trails $37,500 donation for the Towpath project is 50% of a grant received from English Bonter Mitchell Foundation.
“The Greenway Consortium and Aboite New Trails have agreed to join hands in the design and development of the Towpath Trail, which is so essential to both groups’ objectives,” said George DeRoche, President of the Greenway Consortium. “This generous donation will, among other things, enable us to complete engineering studies, after which we can submit applications for federal and state funding sources.”
September is Indiana Archaeology Month
“A Decade of Celebration – Centuries of Discovery”
Hoosiers interested in history are invited to try their excavation skills, learn about archaeological sites and artifacts, make stone tools, and much more, as Indiana celebrates Archaeology Month in September.
This year marks the tenth annual statewide celebration of archaeology: “A Decade of Celebration – Centuries of Discovery.” Gov. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. has officially proclaimed September as Indiana Archaeology Month, recognizing the contributions of archaeology and the clues it can offer about Hoosier history.
“Archaeology not only helps Hoosiers understand our past but also how it shaped today and will shape tomorrow,” said Kyle Hupfer, director of the Department of Natural Resources. “But while it is educational it also can be fun. We invite all Hoosiers to join us in getting in touch with our past and enjoy Archaeology Month in Indiana.”
In honor of this month, the DNR invites Hoosiers to discover such facts as:
*The State Archaeologist works for the DNR;
*Archaeological investigations have been taking place in Indiana since the early 1800s; and
*More than 49,000 archaeological sites have been recorded in our state.
Indiana Archaeology Month will feature events for all ages. For a calendar of events, visit the DNR Web site at www.IN.gov/dnr/historic/archeomonth.html The Web site also provides information on available educational materials, the commemorative Archaeology Month poster, the official Archaeology Month T-shirts available for purchase, and much more. For information, contact Amy Johnson at the DNR DHPA at 317-232-1646.
Indiana confirms new emerald ash borer site-Ash quarantine expanded
The emerald ash borer (EAB), an exotic species of beetle that destroys ash trees, was recently confirmed at an additional location in LaGrange Co. As a result of the discovery, the DNR has extended the quarantine for most ash products to include Lima Township. Clay, and VanBuren townships were placed under the quarantine in 2004; Newbury Township was quarantined earlier this year.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources found live EAB larvae on an ash tree at a campground near Howe, Indiana in Lima Township.
Dr. Robert Waltz, state entomologist, said the quarantine forbids transportation of ash trees and most ash tree products out of the township. This includes nursery stock, logs or untreated lumber with the bark attached, and any composted or uncomposted ash chips or bark chips that are one inch or larger.
In keeping with the federal eradication program for emerald ash borer, all ash trees within a half-mile radius of the infestation will be removed. That removal will likely take place this winter.
Hoosiers can play a part in slowing the spread of the EAB. “This infestation likely happened because humans moved infested ash products,” said Jodie Ellis, the exotic insects education coordinator at Purdue University. “More than likely it occurred when firewood was moved.”
That’s why it’s important that Hoosiers avoid moving firewood. Ellis said if it’s necessary to move firewood, it’s best to debark it before traveling to check for EAB or other insect larvae. Campers should burn all the wood they take with them.
The adult emerald ash borer is slender and a bright, metallic, coppery-green color. It is about one-third of an inch long, making it difficult to spot in tree leaves. The larval, or immature, form of the pest destroys live ash trees by eating the vascular tissue that supplies nutrients to the tree, Ellis said. The tree starves to death approximately three years after the vascular tissue is destroyed.
One of the main ways to distinguish the emerald ash borer from native species is the presence of D-shaped exit holes in the ash tree’s trunk and limbs. Other symptoms include leaf thinning in the top third of the tree, vertical splits in the bark and increased woodpecker activity.
Residents who see evidence of the emerald ash borer should contact Ellis at (888) EXT-INFO or the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species Hotline at (866) NO-EXOTIC.
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