Please update your bookmarks to correspond with this transition. There will be no more post at this address. Thanks and happy reading.
Monday, April 29, 2013
This Blog is moving to a new URL
Living Lighter on the Land will no longer be housed here at this web address. The new blog will be located on the official website of the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy, where you can continue to read about off-grid living, organic gardening, habitat management, natural history, conservation and all tenants of Living Lighter on the Land. Here is the direct link to the blog's new location.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Biodiversity and disease risk
Lets think of all the mammals that currently inhabit Pound Ridge, NY: chipmunk, grey squirrel, mice, vole, groundhogs, moles, opossum, cottontail rabbit, raccoon, red fox, gray fox, bobcat, mink, white tailed deer, bats, coyote and bear. Now think of the additional mammals that were here before the eastern forests were cut down: there were mountain lion, wolf, porcupines, beaver, woodland elk and weasels of all sizes. When you stop to list them all, this diversity seems impressive. It should be obvious this wildlife diversity varies greatly from place to place and depends on the presence of suitable habitat.
Consider our Lower Hudson/ Southern New England/ NY Metro region and all of the landscape pieces that make it up. We have cities, state parks, county parks, small lot suburbs, large lot suburbs, farms of all sizes, pasture, orchards, wooded wetlands, lakes, ponds, rives, stream, town centers, tree farms, and (thanks to groups like PRLC) small nature preserves. As you can see, there are a lot of different places for our mammals to live and each of these landscape pieces support a unique diversity of mammals.
For example, the diversity of mammals in Van Cortland Park is expected to be lower than that in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Certain mammals need large tracts of land on which to roam (bobcat, for example), while other animals do fine in a heavily fragmented suburban setting (such as the white footed mouse).
Here is the $64,000 question: does a place's diversity affect how that place functions? For years Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies has been asking this question. Specifically, Dr. Ostfeld studies the ecological components that contribute to Lyme disease risk across the tri-state region. His findings are shocking! In a nutshell, here is what he has concluded:
First, a bit of background:
Back legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) carry a spirochete (Borrelia burgdorfii) which, when entered into humans through a bite, causes Lyme disease. These ticks are not born with the spirochete, they must pick it up from a vertebrate (commonly a bird or mammal) during a blood meal. The animal that initially gives the spirochete to the tick is called a reservoir. Just stop here for a second. This is an important piece to understand. Without the reservoirs, ticks in Pound Ridge wouldn't carry the spirochete that causes Lyme disease. It is the reservoirs that keep infecting new generations of ticks with the infectious spirochete.
Now on to Dr. Ostfeld's research. He has found that:
1) Not all potential reservoirs are equally good at giving the spirochete to ticks. Specifically, ticks that feed on white footed mice are very likely to obtain the spirochete during their blood meal, whereas ticks on opossum are much less likely to obtain the spirochete. (*The reason behind this is not totally understood but it likely has to do with the reservoir's immune system*). This means that we would be better off with less mice and more opossums. There's more.
2) Reservoirs vary in the amount of ticks that they carry. Specifically, the average mouse carries roughly 50 ticks whereas the average squirrel carries roughly 150.
3) Reservoirs vary in the amount of ticks that they remove from their body. Specifically, mice remove far fewer ticks from their body than opossums.
4) A tick's chances of surviving the winter (an important component of their life cycle and therefore, disease transmission) depends on where it obtained its pre-winter blood meal. Specifically, mice-fed ticks survive the winter better than opossum and squirrel-fed ticks.
From these findings we begin to realize that it matters very much which animal an uninfected tick feeds on. Now on to the question of diversity. If it matters which animals an uninfected tick feeds on and we know that different places have different groups of animals and levels of diversity, can we then begin to predict which places are more likely to have infected ticks (and sadly, infected humans)? This is exactly what Dr. Ostfeld has done.
As diversity declines, disease risk goes up.
Think about it this way: as a forested landscape gets fragmented by development the first animals to be lost are those that are long-ranging - animals like the bobcat and bear that just love to roam. As we continue to whittle away at the landscape animals drop out in a predictable pattern based on their habitat requirements such as area, cover, and food source. Some animals do very poorly in the modified environments that are now common throughout the region while other animals do very well. You don't see a lot of porcupines around your house but you do see a lot of chipmunks, right? What Dr. Ostfeld has discovered is that the species that thrive in our fragmented and human dominated environments (specifically, the white footed mouse) are the most efficient disease reservoirs. His research shows that as animals are taken out of an ecosystem (aka, as diversity decreases), the risk of Lyme disease goes up. He also shows that as predators are removed from an ecosystem the number of mice (very efficient disease reservoirs) goes up.
For these reasons, managing for vertebrate biodiversity should be a priority. Predators like the red fox and bobcat are important in keeping down mice populations and critters like raccoon and opossum are helpful in diluting the reservoir effect or Lyme disease. It makes me happy to know that the compost at the Armstrong House is visited by raccoons and opossum!
More resources:
This book is a fantastic read on the subject.
Click here to watch Dr. Ostfeld cover a lot of this material in a lecture.
Consider our Lower Hudson/ Southern New England/ NY Metro region and all of the landscape pieces that make it up. We have cities, state parks, county parks, small lot suburbs, large lot suburbs, farms of all sizes, pasture, orchards, wooded wetlands, lakes, ponds, rives, stream, town centers, tree farms, and (thanks to groups like PRLC) small nature preserves. As you can see, there are a lot of different places for our mammals to live and each of these landscape pieces support a unique diversity of mammals.
For example, the diversity of mammals in Van Cortland Park is expected to be lower than that in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Certain mammals need large tracts of land on which to roam (bobcat, for example), while other animals do fine in a heavily fragmented suburban setting (such as the white footed mouse).
Here is the $64,000 question: does a place's diversity affect how that place functions? For years Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies has been asking this question. Specifically, Dr. Ostfeld studies the ecological components that contribute to Lyme disease risk across the tri-state region. His findings are shocking! In a nutshell, here is what he has concluded:
First, a bit of background:
Back legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) carry a spirochete (Borrelia burgdorfii) which, when entered into humans through a bite, causes Lyme disease. These ticks are not born with the spirochete, they must pick it up from a vertebrate (commonly a bird or mammal) during a blood meal. The animal that initially gives the spirochete to the tick is called a reservoir. Just stop here for a second. This is an important piece to understand. Without the reservoirs, ticks in Pound Ridge wouldn't carry the spirochete that causes Lyme disease. It is the reservoirs that keep infecting new generations of ticks with the infectious spirochete.
Now on to Dr. Ostfeld's research. He has found that:
1) Not all potential reservoirs are equally good at giving the spirochete to ticks. Specifically, ticks that feed on white footed mice are very likely to obtain the spirochete during their blood meal, whereas ticks on opossum are much less likely to obtain the spirochete. (*The reason behind this is not totally understood but it likely has to do with the reservoir's immune system*). This means that we would be better off with less mice and more opossums. There's more.
 |
| This cartoon shows the differences between two disease reservoirs |
2) Reservoirs vary in the amount of ticks that they carry. Specifically, the average mouse carries roughly 50 ticks whereas the average squirrel carries roughly 150.
3) Reservoirs vary in the amount of ticks that they remove from their body. Specifically, mice remove far fewer ticks from their body than opossums.
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| A white footed mouse with an ear full of ticks |
4) A tick's chances of surviving the winter (an important component of their life cycle and therefore, disease transmission) depends on where it obtained its pre-winter blood meal. Specifically, mice-fed ticks survive the winter better than opossum and squirrel-fed ticks.
From these findings we begin to realize that it matters very much which animal an uninfected tick feeds on. Now on to the question of diversity. If it matters which animals an uninfected tick feeds on and we know that different places have different groups of animals and levels of diversity, can we then begin to predict which places are more likely to have infected ticks (and sadly, infected humans)? This is exactly what Dr. Ostfeld has done.
As diversity declines, disease risk goes up.
Think about it this way: as a forested landscape gets fragmented by development the first animals to be lost are those that are long-ranging - animals like the bobcat and bear that just love to roam. As we continue to whittle away at the landscape animals drop out in a predictable pattern based on their habitat requirements such as area, cover, and food source. Some animals do very poorly in the modified environments that are now common throughout the region while other animals do very well. You don't see a lot of porcupines around your house but you do see a lot of chipmunks, right? What Dr. Ostfeld has discovered is that the species that thrive in our fragmented and human dominated environments (specifically, the white footed mouse) are the most efficient disease reservoirs. His research shows that as animals are taken out of an ecosystem (aka, as diversity decreases), the risk of Lyme disease goes up. He also shows that as predators are removed from an ecosystem the number of mice (very efficient disease reservoirs) goes up.
For these reasons, managing for vertebrate biodiversity should be a priority. Predators like the red fox and bobcat are important in keeping down mice populations and critters like raccoon and opossum are helpful in diluting the reservoir effect or Lyme disease. It makes me happy to know that the compost at the Armstrong House is visited by raccoons and opossum!
More resources:
This book is a fantastic read on the subject.
Click here to watch Dr. Ostfeld cover a lot of this material in a lecture.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Time to cut Japanese barberry
Its official, spring has arrived: the pheobes are back, I heard an american robin singing, the leaves of the trout lily have emerged and I saw a red maple in bloom. In the coming weeks the forest will green out and it will start with the Japanese barberry. This shrub (originally from Japan and eastern Asia) is one of the first plants to push forth its leaves. For someone suffering from the winter blues the early-spring color of Japanese barberry can be quite welcoming but unfortunately there is a downside to its leaves.
It turns out that Japanese barberry is able to create a microclimate that is favorable to the black footed tick, the insect that transmits Lyme disease through its bite. Under the dense shrub, humidity stays high enough to allow for active ticks that would otherwise have to burrow into the moist soil to escape desiccation. This blog post encapsulates the recent findings of UCONN professors who say that managing Japanese barberry will reduce Lyme disease risk. This blog post presents additional findings.
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| Japanese barberry leafs out while most of the forest remains dormant |
I have spent the last few weekends removing Japanese barberry from the Armstrong Preserve. Besides harboring disease-carrying insects, this plant is well known for being an invasive plant capable of lowering plant biodiversity and altering soil characteristics. To read more about the plant's invasive behavior read here. Most of the literature offers a variety of options for barberry removal, from burning to pulling. On the Armstrong Preserve I either remove the entire plant (roots and all) or simply cut the plant at its base. Cutting at the base leaves the roots, from which new shoots will grow. With this approach subsequent cutting is necessary to finally kill the plant. Cutting Japanese barberry at its base has some advantages over pulling the entire plant, namely causing less disturbance to the soil. Around our vernal pool I decided to cut Japanese barberry instead of pulling it up because I wanted to reduce the amount of soil that ran into the water. Likewise, in areas of well established Japanese stiltgrass, disturbing the soil to remove Japanese barberry might create an ideal seed bed for stiltgrass.
If cutting is your method of barberry managing, now is a great time to get out your tools. Hit the plant before it leafs out to 1) prevent it from building up a tick-friendly microclimate and 2) prevent it from photosynthesizing (growing). Cut every winter/spring until the plant gives up. By continued cutting you are forcing the roots to resupply the shoots. If you keep taking the shoots, the roots will shrink and eventually poop out.
If cutting is your method of barberry managing, now is a great time to get out your tools. Hit the plant before it leafs out to 1) prevent it from building up a tick-friendly microclimate and 2) prevent it from photosynthesizing (growing). Cut every winter/spring until the plant gives up. By continued cutting you are forcing the roots to resupply the shoots. If you keep taking the shoots, the roots will shrink and eventually poop out.
If you are facing Japanese barberry on your property, you are not alone. It is so ubiquitous that eradication is not an option. Instead we have to strategically manage the plant to prevent its spread, remove it from the most ecologically valuable sites and eradicate it where public health is most compromised (along paths and around schools). The Invasive Project of Pound Ridge (TIPPR) is a recent initiative solely focused on managing invasive plants, including Japanese barberry. TIPPR will be holding ongoing workshops and informational events to tackle the issue from a town-wide level.
This problem isn't going away. Take up the fight, at least on your own property.
This problem isn't going away. Take up the fight, at least on your own property.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Hear them peep
Spring is slowly emerging...and so are the frogs. Ever since March 12th's warm rain officially unlocked winter's tight grasp, I have been hearing occasional peeps and quacks coming from the forest. I spent a few hours this weekend in my waterproof 'froggin' boots cruising through woodland ponds (also called vernal pools) looking critters. Here's what I found:
Vernal pool conservation
Unfortunately, life isn't always easy for animals that inhabit vernal pools. For centuries, vernal pools (and wetlands of all types) were seen as valueless to humans and were drained, filled and developed. Thankfully, times are changing. Now vernal pools (and wetlands of all types) are the subject of public interests, scientific research and conservation. Wood frogs, fairy shrimp and mole salamanders (which I have not yet seen in my nearby pool) are consider 'vernal pool obligates' because vernal pools are the only known habitats in which they beed. The future of these amazing animals would be critically imperiled if vernal pools were destroyed. For this reason, the Armstrong Preserve's vernal pool is protected, valued and used as an outdoor classroom to educate others about protecting vernal pools on their property. Although many municipalities have wetland regulations on the books, vernal pools could always receive more protection. Vernal pools are connected to the surrounding forests by the wildlife that move between both. Any harm that comes to the nearby forest will be passed on to the vernal pool. Forest and pool protection go hand in hand.
You and vernal pools
There may be a vernal pool in your backyard. Do you hear frogs in the spring? Is there a seasonally flooded pond in your forest? This website will help you identify a vernal pool from other wetlands. For a fantastic resource on vernal pools, their natural history and conservation, written by the region's pool expert, Dr. Elizabeth Colburn, see this book. If your property contains one of these pools, you can expect to spend many hours studying its fascinating wildlife. Protect it, and it will reward you with its beauty.
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| A male wood frog floating in a vernal pool, March 23, 2013 |
In a pool behind the Bedford Audubon Society's HQ I found THOUSANDS (!!!) of wood frogs (Rana sylvaticus) doing what wood frogs do at this time of year: float, quack and mate. These 2 inch amphibians live most of their lives on land but lay their eggs in water and rely on the safety of fish-free vernal pools to do so. During the first warm and wet days of spring wood frogs congregate in impressive numbers in the shallows of a vernal pool and get directly to business. Below is a picture of wood frogs mating. The larger, pinkish female is below the smaller and browner male. Both sexes contain a black mask over their eye, which helps in identification.
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| Female (larger, underneath) and male (smaller, above) wood frogs mating. |
Wood frogs have attained a good bit of fame due to their amazing overwintering strategy, which is described in the following videos.
Another frog found in vernal pools is the spring peeper, (pseudacris crucifer) whose very loud 'PEEP', 'PEEP', 'PEEP' can be heard echoing from wetlands at great distances. You have probably heard this little frogs before, but maybe you haven't seen one in action (they are certainly impressive). For a great look at the peeper in action, check out this video (I am sorry about the advertisement before this video - believe me, its worth it)
Back at the Armstrong Preserve's vernal pool, I found something that may rival the freezing frogs: fairy shrimp. These 1/2 inch - 1 inch long crustaceans in the Eubranchipus genus swim near the water's surface and take cover as shadow's pass by. The fairy in the picture below is carrying an egg sack on her back, which will be deposited in the pool where it will sit for a year before hatching.
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| A female fairy shrimp carrying an egg sack |
Unfortunately, life isn't always easy for animals that inhabit vernal pools. For centuries, vernal pools (and wetlands of all types) were seen as valueless to humans and were drained, filled and developed. Thankfully, times are changing. Now vernal pools (and wetlands of all types) are the subject of public interests, scientific research and conservation. Wood frogs, fairy shrimp and mole salamanders (which I have not yet seen in my nearby pool) are consider 'vernal pool obligates' because vernal pools are the only known habitats in which they beed. The future of these amazing animals would be critically imperiled if vernal pools were destroyed. For this reason, the Armstrong Preserve's vernal pool is protected, valued and used as an outdoor classroom to educate others about protecting vernal pools on their property. Although many municipalities have wetland regulations on the books, vernal pools could always receive more protection. Vernal pools are connected to the surrounding forests by the wildlife that move between both. Any harm that comes to the nearby forest will be passed on to the vernal pool. Forest and pool protection go hand in hand.
You and vernal pools
There may be a vernal pool in your backyard. Do you hear frogs in the spring? Is there a seasonally flooded pond in your forest? This website will help you identify a vernal pool from other wetlands. For a fantastic resource on vernal pools, their natural history and conservation, written by the region's pool expert, Dr. Elizabeth Colburn, see this book. If your property contains one of these pools, you can expect to spend many hours studying its fascinating wildlife. Protect it, and it will reward you with its beauty.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Microgreens in March
I am always interested in finding new ways to grow plants and experimenting with ways to do so on a tight energy budget. This is our latest success story: Sarah and I started growing microgreens next to our south-facing bedroom window last week. We didn't quite know how much light we needed to grow our pea and sunflower shoots but we seem to have enough. We are very happy to report that we didn't need a grow light. The pictures below show a few of the stages.
There has been an increasing hype around microgreens recently as they have been said to contain tons of nutrients. In a quick internet search, I discovered that there is some debate about just how healthy microgreens are. This NPR article refers to an August 2012 study out of the University of Maryland that concludes that microgreens contain more nutrients than mature leaves of the same plant. This source (scroll to the bottom of the page) contests the researcher's experimental design and remains skeptical about their findings. Here is some info about the August 2012 study, which was the first of its kind. Apparently, claims made before the University of Maryland study was conducted (and there are alot of them) were not based on evidence.
Well, I for one don't need too many nutrient-based reasons to grow microgreens in my bedroom in March. Vegetables are good for you (no matter how 'micro' or 'macro' they are) and growing them at home reduces my carbon footprint. Seems like a no brainer to me.
If you are interested in growing microgreens at your own home you can check out A good how-to guide for growing micro greens.
At the Armstrong Education Center I am likely to continue growing microgreens because they are mobile (just pick up the tray!), taste great and (some say) nutritious. I will have no trouble growing them in the long days of summer and now I know that I can always throw them in front of a south facing window in late fall and early spring. Happy growing!
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| Day 5. Little baby pea shoots opening their first set of seed leaves or 'cotyledons'. |
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| Day 5. A cute little sunflower shoot. |
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| Day 10. Two trays of microgreens. Pea shoots on the left and sunflower shoots on the right. |
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| Day 15. Post harvest. Our microgreens aren't so 'micro' anymore. |
There has been an increasing hype around microgreens recently as they have been said to contain tons of nutrients. In a quick internet search, I discovered that there is some debate about just how healthy microgreens are. This NPR article refers to an August 2012 study out of the University of Maryland that concludes that microgreens contain more nutrients than mature leaves of the same plant. This source (scroll to the bottom of the page) contests the researcher's experimental design and remains skeptical about their findings. Here is some info about the August 2012 study, which was the first of its kind. Apparently, claims made before the University of Maryland study was conducted (and there are alot of them) were not based on evidence.
Well, I for one don't need too many nutrient-based reasons to grow microgreens in my bedroom in March. Vegetables are good for you (no matter how 'micro' or 'macro' they are) and growing them at home reduces my carbon footprint. Seems like a no brainer to me.
If you are interested in growing microgreens at your own home you can check out A good how-to guide for growing micro greens.
At the Armstrong Education Center I am likely to continue growing microgreens because they are mobile (just pick up the tray!), taste great and (some say) nutritious. I will have no trouble growing them in the long days of summer and now I know that I can always throw them in front of a south facing window in late fall and early spring. Happy growing!
Monday, March 4, 2013
A fire inside
I have always been a little conflicted about fireplaces and wood stoves. No matter how much I love sitting next to my wood stove I must admit that it releases pollution and carbon dioxide into the air. This fact has caught the attention of municipalities and governing bodies around the country and air pollution laws often times address residential wood burning.
See what the City of Los Angeles did in 2008.
Arcata, California also addressed wood burning at home.
I found this diagram and think that it is worth sharing but I certainly don't take it as gospel. The diagram suggests that oil, gas and electric heat emit the least amount of fine particles. If you only calculate emissions at the home, this diagram is accurate. If you take into consideration that your home's electric heat was produced by burning coal in a factory, you might have to take out your paper and pencil and double check your math. Obviously, this diagram is too simple and doesn't account for other sources of pollution along the process of production. What the diagram does do well is illustrate that not all wood stoves are created equal. Most open-faced fire places are still pretty inefficient, but we have entered the world of efficient residential wood stoves. Since Neanderthals first made fires in caves, efficient and clean-burning fire technology has come a long way.
My wood stove is not the primary heating source for the Armstrong House. Its more like a very fun and entertaining way to heat up my living room. I fire it up at night when I watch a movie, when I entertain guests or when I simply want to play with fire. I don't think too much about releasing airborne toxins because my wood stove is an amazing piece of technology.
See what the City of Los Angeles did in 2008.
Arcata, California also addressed wood burning at home.
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| Diagram showing the relative emissions of 7 common heating methods. |
I found this diagram and think that it is worth sharing but I certainly don't take it as gospel. The diagram suggests that oil, gas and electric heat emit the least amount of fine particles. If you only calculate emissions at the home, this diagram is accurate. If you take into consideration that your home's electric heat was produced by burning coal in a factory, you might have to take out your paper and pencil and double check your math. Obviously, this diagram is too simple and doesn't account for other sources of pollution along the process of production. What the diagram does do well is illustrate that not all wood stoves are created equal. Most open-faced fire places are still pretty inefficient, but we have entered the world of efficient residential wood stoves. Since Neanderthals first made fires in caves, efficient and clean-burning fire technology has come a long way.
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| My wood stove is much more efficient and clean burning than this fire |
Generously donated by Wittus (a local stove dealer), my EPA certified, soapstone-covered stove boasts a handful of technical efficiencies, including:
Clean burning - many of the organic particles (like ash) are burned in the firebox instead of being sent up the stove pipe.
Cold air intake pipe – This is my favorite feature. My stove has two pipes that connect it to outside: 1) The smoke stack (necessary for any stove) and, 2) an air intake pipe. Without this intake pipe, the fire would steadily pull in the room's air (remember, fires need to breath). As the fire sucks in the room's air, the room needs to replace it – where does the room get this air? Cold air from outside enters the room through the windows and walls to replace the air being sucked into the fire. While that air exchange is going on the temperature of the room goes down. My air intake pipe streamlines that whole process and directly sends air to the fire without inadvertently cooling the room.
Insulated combustion chamber - the materials used to insulate the combustion chamber allow it to reach extremely high temperatures, which increases efficiency while reducing emissions.
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| The Armstrong House's wood stove. |
The soapstone stays hot for hours and is actually still warm to the touch in the morning. I have found that wood stoves certainly have their place in residential home heating and, like at the Armstrong House, stoves are suitable components of the overall heating system. Now with efficient and technologically advanced stoves, burning wood doesn't necessarily mean spewing pollution into the air.
If you're shopping around, you need to do your research. Here is some general starting information on residential wood burning. Happy heating. Respect fire.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Here is a flyer for a neat event series coming your way this spring.
Join local gardeners, botanists, ecologists and land managers to learn more about Westchester's spring wildflowers.
These flowers are beautiful, mysterious and threatened - find out more by coming to one or more of these events. Link for more information.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Post-blizzard greens
Look what Sarah Bush got me for Valentine's Day...lucky me!
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| Sarah presenting her bounty. |
We opened the cold frame today to find a beautiful bed of greens. Last week's winter storm Nemo couldn't stop the power of this passively-heated winter garden bed. As you can see, some of the plants were a little bit crowded and needed to be thinned.
The picture below was taken after Sarah thinned the bed. Now the remaining plants can grow to fill in the space.
See my first post on cold frames to find out what they are and how they work.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Post-blizzard walks
Hooray, snow has come to the northeast. Like a good rain, there is something purifying about a load of fresh snow, which covers the earth like a fresh canvas. A new beginning, I suppose.
You've shoveled out and plowed the driveway – now its time to take advantage of all this snow. GO FIND SOME ANIMAL TRACKS. Animals move through the snow and leave direct evidence of their identity, location and behavior. For instance, on the Armstrong Preserve I found where three deer bedded down during the storm. I also followed a fox on a long trek over hill and dale. The grand prize of my post-blizzard journey: an American mink hopping along the icy shore of the nearby Cross River Reservoir.
Seeing animal tracks in the snow really puts our backyards into a new perspective. Most wildlife is secretive and many of our local mammals only come out at night or during twilight. They usually go about their lives totally undetected, so it is hard for us to appreciate them as neighbors. After a snow fall it becomes obvious how many critters rely on your backyard. I suggest you spend a few minutes wandering around your backyard, scanning the snow for signs of animals. You will be surprised by the amount of wildlife moving about just beyond your awareness. Don't worry if you don't know which animal made the tracks – what's enjoyable is seeing where the tracks lead and getting a sense of your wild backyard.
The following pictures are from a few hours of wandering around the Armstrong Preserve. Note: The powdery snow is sometime difficult to track in because it is so easily disturbed (melted, blown around, etc.). After today's rain, the snow will be harder and more able to clearly capture the track of an animal.
If you are interested in the subject of animal tracking there are many resources out there. Here are two:
In print: Mammal Tracks and Sign by mark Elbroch
Web-based: Alderlead Wilderness College
Happy tracking, feel free to share with me what you find.
You've shoveled out and plowed the driveway – now its time to take advantage of all this snow. GO FIND SOME ANIMAL TRACKS. Animals move through the snow and leave direct evidence of their identity, location and behavior. For instance, on the Armstrong Preserve I found where three deer bedded down during the storm. I also followed a fox on a long trek over hill and dale. The grand prize of my post-blizzard journey: an American mink hopping along the icy shore of the nearby Cross River Reservoir.
Seeing animal tracks in the snow really puts our backyards into a new perspective. Most wildlife is secretive and many of our local mammals only come out at night or during twilight. They usually go about their lives totally undetected, so it is hard for us to appreciate them as neighbors. After a snow fall it becomes obvious how many critters rely on your backyard. I suggest you spend a few minutes wandering around your backyard, scanning the snow for signs of animals. You will be surprised by the amount of wildlife moving about just beyond your awareness. Don't worry if you don't know which animal made the tracks – what's enjoyable is seeing where the tracks lead and getting a sense of your wild backyard.
The following pictures are from a few hours of wandering around the Armstrong Preserve. Note: The powdery snow is sometime difficult to track in because it is so easily disturbed (melted, blown around, etc.). After today's rain, the snow will be harder and more able to clearly capture the track of an animal.
If you are interested in the subject of animal tracking there are many resources out there. Here are two:
In print: Mammal Tracks and Sign by mark Elbroch
Web-based: Alderlead Wilderness College
Happy tracking, feel free to share with me what you find.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Night at the Movies with the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO WINTERN STORM NEMO. PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Controlling heat loss
I am always impressed with the winter survival strategies of animals: bears that metabolize their fat, inactive frogs that nearly freeze and active birds that drop their body temperatures. This last thermoregulation strategy – reducing body heat to minimize heat loss – is one that has direct human applications.
In the winter, ducks swim in very cold water and stand around on ice. Why don't their feet freeze? Why doesn't their body heat quickly drain through their feet, slowly cooling them? How do duck feet work with the rest of the duck body to keep it alive in the cold?
The winter physiology of ducks is a marvel of biological engineering, where many sophisticated systems come together to sustain a warm-blooded animal in a very cold environment. For the purposes of this blog post I will highlight only one aspect of duck physiology – reduced foot temperature – which is beautiful in its simplicity. First, a question:
On a winter morning, which will lose heat faster.
A) A hot cup of coffee
B) A can of cold soda
Answer: A, a hot cup of coffee will lose its heat faster than a cold can of soda. *if your dying to know why, click here. It makes sense, then, from an energy conservation perspective for a duck to maintain a lower body temperature in winter. The obvious hiccup with temperature reduction is that bodies need to stay warm enough to carry out their biological processes (which are temperature dependent); simply reducing body temperature could result in a loss of the body's function. The duck does a wonderful job of keeping its body functioning while reducing its temperature. It does this by breaking its body into different heating zones.
So what does cold bird feet have to do with Living Lighter on the Land? The Armstrong House is actually a lot like the duck – they are both broken up into different 'zones' and which are heated differentially. Once the Armstrong House's heating system is completely finished it will be broken up into different heating zones (which roughly correlate with the different rooms), where some rooms will be kept at lower temperatures to reduce heat loss. By slightly reducing the temperature in less-used rooms or rooms that don't require much heat, the Armstrong House's overall energy consumption is reduced. Also, the different zones can be managed to have their temperature's fluctuate over time. For example, the whole house temperature can be reduced at night and specific zones can be heated in the morning in the order in which they are used. For instance, the bathroom can be heated first, then the kitchen, then the office. In fact, the zones can be managed to reflect the occupant's schedule. Zones that are unused during the day (bedrooms and master bathroom) can be lowered until 4:00 pm – just in time to be warm for the occupant returning from work. Likewise, primary rooms where the most time is spent (like the kitchen and living room) can be grouped as a zone that stays warmest. The mud room, sun room and work room can be zoned together and kept cooler.
In surfing the web I found a neat house in Vermont that is similiar to the Armstrong House. They too understand the benefit of zoning their house and heating based on use (see below).
I love my warm and cozy house, so I am certainly not advocating for living in an icebox. I am convinced that a comfortable environment can be kept inside the home and energy can be conserved by strategically managing the temperature of various zones. If the mallard duck can stay active in a half frozen pond, we can surely figure out better ways to thermoregulate our houses to conserve energy.
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| Ducks in an icy lake |
In the winter, ducks swim in very cold water and stand around on ice. Why don't their feet freeze? Why doesn't their body heat quickly drain through their feet, slowly cooling them? How do duck feet work with the rest of the duck body to keep it alive in the cold?
The winter physiology of ducks is a marvel of biological engineering, where many sophisticated systems come together to sustain a warm-blooded animal in a very cold environment. For the purposes of this blog post I will highlight only one aspect of duck physiology – reduced foot temperature – which is beautiful in its simplicity. First, a question:
On a winter morning, which will lose heat faster.
A) A hot cup of coffee
B) A can of cold soda
Answer: A, a hot cup of coffee will lose its heat faster than a cold can of soda. *if your dying to know why, click here. It makes sense, then, from an energy conservation perspective for a duck to maintain a lower body temperature in winter. The obvious hiccup with temperature reduction is that bodies need to stay warm enough to carry out their biological processes (which are temperature dependent); simply reducing body temperature could result in a loss of the body's function. The duck does a wonderful job of keeping its body functioning while reducing its temperature. It does this by breaking its body into different heating zones.
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| A temperature diagram of a common gull. Like the mallard duck, this gull sustains a high temperature in its core, but – to conserve energy – allows its legs and feet to cool dramatically. |
In surfing the web I found a neat house in Vermont that is similiar to the Armstrong House. They too understand the benefit of zoning their house and heating based on use (see below).
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| The three heating zones of 'Perfect House', an energy effecient house in Vermont. |
I love my warm and cozy house, so I am certainly not advocating for living in an icebox. I am convinced that a comfortable environment can be kept inside the home and energy can be conserved by strategically managing the temperature of various zones. If the mallard duck can stay active in a half frozen pond, we can surely figure out better ways to thermoregulate our houses to conserve energy.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Mid Winter Compost Tip
Here is a compost trick:
If you throw whole eggshells into your compost heap you are likely to get small pieces of egg shells in the finished compost: not ideal. Manually crushing up your eggshells before you throw them into your compost pile will help them break down faster and more completely. See the following pictures:
If you throw whole eggshells into your compost heap you are likely to get small pieces of egg shells in the finished compost: not ideal. Manually crushing up your eggshells before you throw them into your compost pile will help them break down faster and more completely. See the following pictures:
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| I save a bunch of old egg shells in the fridge and grind them all at once. |
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| I lay all of the eggshells in a cookie sheet and then dry them, one of a few ways. You can bake them in the oven at 170 degrees for an hour or so. In the summer you can just put them in direct sunlight on a hot day. I have also seen people put their egg shells over the grill on a long day of cooking to let the waste heat dry them out. The goal is to simply dry out the eggshells and make them brittle. However you achieve this will be fine. *Be sure to keep your work station clean when handling wet egg shells so you don't accidentally spread or ingest harmful bacteria. Wash your hands and materials well* |
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| I use a large mason jar to crush the egg shells. The dry shells should break easily. |
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| Crush, crush, crush! |
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| It only takes a minute to crush up all of the eggs. |
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| I will stick the crushed up egg shells in the fridge and await spring. It is best to incorporate these nutrient rich food items directly into active compost. I am afraid that if I throw the eggshells in my half frozen compost now, the rain and snow will wash them away. |
It is mid January, which means we have another two months or so before 'compost season' opens. Even in winter you can be improving your compost skills and planning for next spring – make sure you are saving the ash from your fire place and eggshells from breakfast!
Interestingly, the same thing can be done to your eggshells if you want to feed them to your backyard chickens. If you crush up your eggshells really well, you can add them to your chicken feed and recycle the calcium. Recycling = Living Lighter on the Land
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Energy efficient refrigerator
When designing the solar system for the Armstrong House we calculated a number of 'load estimates', which aim to predict the house's energy consumption. To provide a generous amount of comfort for the Armstrong House residents we needed to account for every little device they were predicted to use. Imagine doing a load estimate for your house.....think about all the things you plug in:
DVD players, TVs, computers, hair dryers, coffee makers, blenders, lights and lamps (30 of them), stereos, cell phones, washing machines, garage door openers, video games, WIFI routers, toaster, microwave, water pumps, printers, fax machines, radios... the list can go on and on. Some things you only use sporadically - like Christmas lights - so their overall burden on the electricity load isn't great. Other items, such as your refrigerator, never quite - they just keep working away, 365 days a year. These are the appliances that could end up pushing you over your electricity budget. At the Armstrong House we invested in an energy efficient fridge/freezer called the Sun Frost RF 16, which boasts many technological advancements over your 'traditional' refrigerator.
Check out their brochure below or click here to see it in a PDF version.
Remember, when you are trying to cut down on your household energy use you must address the appliances that run frequently like your fridge/freezer, computer (if you work from home) and dishwasher.
DVD players, TVs, computers, hair dryers, coffee makers, blenders, lights and lamps (30 of them), stereos, cell phones, washing machines, garage door openers, video games, WIFI routers, toaster, microwave, water pumps, printers, fax machines, radios... the list can go on and on. Some things you only use sporadically - like Christmas lights - so their overall burden on the electricity load isn't great. Other items, such as your refrigerator, never quite - they just keep working away, 365 days a year. These are the appliances that could end up pushing you over your electricity budget. At the Armstrong House we invested in an energy efficient fridge/freezer called the Sun Frost RF 16, which boasts many technological advancements over your 'traditional' refrigerator.
Check out their brochure below or click here to see it in a PDF version.
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| Sarah Bush showing off our Sun Frost RF 16 refrigerator. Loki the cat in the foreground. |
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| The walls of our freezer and refrigerator are quite thick, which means great insulation. |
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| Refrigerators become less efficient when their motors get dirty. On our Sun Frost RF -16 the motor is on top where it can be easily cleaned. |
Remember, when you are trying to cut down on your household energy use you must address the appliances that run frequently like your fridge/freezer, computer (if you work from home) and dishwasher.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
2013: A new, cold year...full of fresh greens
Happy New Year everyone. Here in Pound Ridge, NY the temperatures have hovered around 30 F. for the past week. Two storms dropped a total of 6 inches of snow on us after Christmas and in spite of the cold we continue to eat fresh salads at the Armstrong Education Center. How is this possible? With the use of 'cold frames'.
The simple anatomy of a cold frame
Cold frames are just little boxes that trap and retain heat. Just like a greenhouse, these little garden tools are used to create an interior growing environment that is warmer than the exterior environment. It's all about the sun. In the northern hemisphere, cold frames face the south and they are constructed and positioned in such a way that they collect as much direct light as possible during the day. Notice that in the picture below the back wall is higher than the front wall. When the transparent lid is placed on top of both these walls it sits at an angle facing south, toward the sun. Inside the cold frame the soil heats up and the air is kept warm throughout the day. Any insulation that is added to the cold frame helps to keep the air warm after the sun goes down. In Pound Ridge, NY the climate allows us to grow a wide variety of 'cold hardy' greens, whiche are varieties of greens (like kale and lettuce) that can grow at cold temperatures and tolerate freezing temperatures. In general, your summer varieties of greens will do poorly in a cold frame in January - stick with the 'cold hardy' greens. Here is a list of what we are currently growing:
Forcea lettuce
Red Russian kale
Green kale
Arugula
Purple mizuna
Escarole
Italian dandelion
Pac choi
Tat soi, and
Hardy white scallion
The following pictures were taken at the Armstrong House on New Years Eve, 2012. You can see that snow is no problem for our cold frames - the little plants inside continue to thrive.
There are hundreds of cold frame designs out there - many of which can be made with recycled materials. Just look at all the cold frames on Google images. Your cold frame design will vary depending on your growing goals, your space, your winter climate and your materials. As long as you are achieving a warm temperature inside your cold frame, you are doing it right. The straw bale cold frame pictured above is not a permanent structure because the straw will eventually rot and loose its ability to insulate. In the future we may continue to use temporary straw bales or we may choose to design and construct a permanent cold frame. The sky is the limit.
Want to learn more?
The book Four Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman describes how to successfully grow food through the winter. Elliot has mastered season extension through his work up in Maine. Here in Westchester County, Stone Barns uses and demonstrates many different season extension methods to grow food through the winter. In fact, it was the Stone Barns Vegetable Farm Manager Jack Algiere who assured Sarah and I that cold frames would work here in New York.
Happy growing
The simple anatomy of a cold frame
Cold frames are just little boxes that trap and retain heat. Just like a greenhouse, these little garden tools are used to create an interior growing environment that is warmer than the exterior environment. It's all about the sun. In the northern hemisphere, cold frames face the south and they are constructed and positioned in such a way that they collect as much direct light as possible during the day. Notice that in the picture below the back wall is higher than the front wall. When the transparent lid is placed on top of both these walls it sits at an angle facing south, toward the sun. Inside the cold frame the soil heats up and the air is kept warm throughout the day. Any insulation that is added to the cold frame helps to keep the air warm after the sun goes down. In Pound Ridge, NY the climate allows us to grow a wide variety of 'cold hardy' greens, whiche are varieties of greens (like kale and lettuce) that can grow at cold temperatures and tolerate freezing temperatures. In general, your summer varieties of greens will do poorly in a cold frame in January - stick with the 'cold hardy' greens. Here is a list of what we are currently growing:
Forcea lettuce
Red Russian kale
Green kale
Arugula
Purple mizuna
Escarole
Italian dandelion
Pac choi
Tat soi, and
Hardy white scallion
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| A cold frame is essentially a small, south facing green house used for extending the growing season. The picture above shows the basic design, on which more bells and whistles can be added |
The following pictures were taken at the Armstrong House on New Years Eve, 2012. You can see that snow is no problem for our cold frames - the little plants inside continue to thrive.
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| Our rectangular cold frames sit on the southern side of the Armstrong House. You can see there that we removed some snow from the plexiglass on the cold frame's right side. |
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| A close up picture of the cold frame lid. Can you see the condensation on the inside of the plexiglass? That is a great sign because it means that the temperature inside the cold frames is warm enough to evaporate water from the soil. |
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| Harvest time! My partner Sarah Bush picks kale from one of our cold frames. Examine the cold frame's construction: we used straw bales as insulation and lined the cold frame's inside with a thin reflective insulator. Currently, our lid is not attached to any part of the cold frame - it just rests on top of the straw bales. This method is not ideal for the long term but it seems to be working for now. |
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| Sarah Bush harvesting greens from our second cold frame. You can see that on this 30 degree day, Sarah (a Tennessee native) is dressed for the cold. The 'cold hearty' greens in our cold frames do just fine through the winter. |
There are hundreds of cold frame designs out there - many of which can be made with recycled materials. Just look at all the cold frames on Google images. Your cold frame design will vary depending on your growing goals, your space, your winter climate and your materials. As long as you are achieving a warm temperature inside your cold frame, you are doing it right. The straw bale cold frame pictured above is not a permanent structure because the straw will eventually rot and loose its ability to insulate. In the future we may continue to use temporary straw bales or we may choose to design and construct a permanent cold frame. The sky is the limit.
Want to learn more?
The book Four Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman describes how to successfully grow food through the winter. Elliot has mastered season extension through his work up in Maine. Here in Westchester County, Stone Barns uses and demonstrates many different season extension methods to grow food through the winter. In fact, it was the Stone Barns Vegetable Farm Manager Jack Algiere who assured Sarah and I that cold frames would work here in New York.
Happy growing
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Efficient home heating, Part 1.
Nighttime lows have been dipping into the twenties, making my cozy little home all the more comfortable. The Armstrong House, the physical structure that protects me from the raw forces of nature, envelopes me in a bubble of evenly warmed air. The source of this warmth: underfloor – or radiant – heating. Although winter is a great excuse to wear indoor slippers, they are not much needed as my floors radiate a steady stream of thermal energy. On those early mornings when my cat's demands for breakfast rip me from the bed, my toes happily waltz naked across the heated floor.
A little background on the Armstrong House
When the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy (PRLC) committed to renovating the Armstrong House, they decided to use it as a showcase for simple energy efficient building and lifestyle choices. The PRLC chose to prioritize energy efficiency because it realized that both prongs of conservation (land protection and sustainable lifestyles) need to be practiced and taught. At the Armstrong Education Center we call this philosophy 'Living Lighter on the Land', and radiant heating is just one of the many ways we demonstrate a low-impact lifestyle.
How radiant heating warms the Armstrong House
Like the tortoise, radiant heating (AKA, underfloor heating) is slow and steady. There are many different radiant systems available – air, electric and water – which differ in their heat-carrying medium. At the Armstrong House we use water (AKA, 'hydronic') to carry heat throughout the house. Here is how our system works: roughly 90 degree water is continually pumped throughout the house in underfloor plastic 'PEX' tubes. The water's heat energy leaves the tubes and radiates upward into the cooler room. Radiant heating systems can be thermostatically controlled, just like other home heating systems. Take a look at the pictures below to understand the basic design of this heating system.
Radiant heating versus other types of heating
What makes radiant heating so efficient and great feeling is its omnipresence – the tubing underlies nearly all of a room's floor, which means that heat enters the room from almost every inch of ground. Alternatively, radiators and forced-air systems rely on a few sources of very hot air, which is expected to permeate a space. The result with these systems are drafts, hot pockets, cool pockets and – as you'll see – a room that is heated from the top down.
The body's response to different heating systems
It is said that radiant heating has advantages over other heating systems on a purely physiological level. When looking at the heating preferences of the human body, our feet and legs like to be the warmest and our heads like to be the coolest. The diagram below reiterates the point that a bottom up heating system has advantages over a top down heating system.
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| Walking on heated floors is a delight in the Armstrong House |
A little background on the Armstrong House
When the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy (PRLC) committed to renovating the Armstrong House, they decided to use it as a showcase for simple energy efficient building and lifestyle choices. The PRLC chose to prioritize energy efficiency because it realized that both prongs of conservation (land protection and sustainable lifestyles) need to be practiced and taught. At the Armstrong Education Center we call this philosophy 'Living Lighter on the Land', and radiant heating is just one of the many ways we demonstrate a low-impact lifestyle.
How radiant heating warms the Armstrong House
Like the tortoise, radiant heating (AKA, underfloor heating) is slow and steady. There are many different radiant systems available – air, electric and water – which differ in their heat-carrying medium. At the Armstrong House we use water (AKA, 'hydronic') to carry heat throughout the house. Here is how our system works: roughly 90 degree water is continually pumped throughout the house in underfloor plastic 'PEX' tubes. The water's heat energy leaves the tubes and radiates upward into the cooler room. Radiant heating systems can be thermostatically controlled, just like other home heating systems. Take a look at the pictures below to understand the basic design of this heating system.
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| Underfloor tubing runs throughout the entire Armstrong House like in this picture. |
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| A picture of plastic 'PEX' tubing in a room. This tubing will be covered by a floor. |
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| A detailed look at how radiant tubing sits under a floor. |
What makes radiant heating so efficient and great feeling is its omnipresence – the tubing underlies nearly all of a room's floor, which means that heat enters the room from almost every inch of ground. Alternatively, radiators and forced-air systems rely on a few sources of very hot air, which is expected to permeate a space. The result with these systems are drafts, hot pockets, cool pockets and – as you'll see – a room that is heated from the top down.
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| Two systems of heating compared. Forced-air systems on the left and radiant floor systems on the right. In most cases, radiant heating is more efficient and comfortable. |
Radiant heating literally heats a room from the bottom up, which means that the space occupied by people (the bottom six feet of the room) is the warmest and most comfortable. Alternatively, by heating a room in a top-down manner (as in a forced air system), energy is wasted heating unused air. This also creates very dramatic and noticeable differences in heat conditions between floors. For example, I remember in my grandmother's house the second floor was brutally hot while the first floor was comfortable. Besides being uncomfortable, this style of heating is inefficient.
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| Comparing how heat fills a room in different heating systems. Radiant heating on the left vs. force-air heating on the right. |
The body's response to different heating systems
It is said that radiant heating has advantages over other heating systems on a purely physiological level. When looking at the heating preferences of the human body, our feet and legs like to be the warmest and our heads like to be the coolest. The diagram below reiterates the point that a bottom up heating system has advantages over a top down heating system.
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| Our bodies like to be heated from the bottom up. Our heads like to experience slightly cooler temperatures than our legs and feet.
When trying to reduce your energy and resource use, you have to tackle the large energy hogs, like home heating. Here in the north, many months are spent heating the home and an efficient system will make a large difference over time. This post is Part one of a series on efficient home heating. In part two I will show you how the water in our radiant system is heated. Here's a hint: Its big, yellow and likes to sit in the sky. Stay tuned.
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More reading
There are lots of people talking/blogging about radiant heating technology. It is found all across the country and applied in all sorts of buildings. Here are some links. Happy heating!
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