Farmscape Ecology Program

a Hawthorne Valley Association Program

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What’s New in 2023

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2023

Kyle’s Feature in a WAMC Radio Segment

In an episode of WAMC’s radio series called The Best of Our Knowledge, Kyle shares insights into the roles and ecologies of ants in our environment. In this short segment, he covers the diversity of ants in Columbia County and the Hudson Valley, touches on some of the different morphological characteristics within this large taxa, explains how they impact our environment including within a farm context, and so much more.  Check out this segment for a brief overview of ants and how they live in the land among us. If you find this interesting and would like to know more details about ant diversity or the agroecology of ants, be sure to check out Kyle’s talk on ants which expands on many of the ideas he mentions in this radio interview!

Conrad’s Article on Ponds Published in LakeLine Magazine

Conrad explores the history and ecology of Columbia County ponds in his recent article, “The Pond Boom and Its Implications for Nature,” published in LakeLine Magazine’s winter issue. Ponds as we know them are not usually a natural occurrence in Columbia County. They are often the result of a human need, such as an irrigation source for farming, a desire for recreational activities like swimming or fishing, or aesthetic preferences. Whatever the reason, ponds are now common, and Conrad explores just what this might mean for the ecology of the landscape.

In this article, Conrad describes four ecological challenges that certain human-constructed ponds pose to the resiliency of our local flora and fauna. He also describes some groups of organisms and species of plants that are found in productive pond ecosystems, and how they might be hindered or supported depending on management practices used in the surrounding landscape. Conrad invites readers to imagine and explore how we can better manage and steward these bodies of water to draw out the potential for supporting native biodiversity. If you would like to dive deeper into the ecology of ponds, check out our pond webpage for more information on Farmscape’s original pond study.

The Farmscape Ecology Program on “Roots to Renewal” Podcast

Hawthorne Valley’s Executive Director, Martin Ping, sits down with Conrad Vispo and Claudia Knab-Vispo to talk about the Farmscape Ecology Program on Season 2, Episode 4 of Hawthorne Valley’s “Roots to Renewal” podcast.

The “Roots to Renewal” Podcast started in 2021 as part of the celebration of Hawthorne Valley’s 50th anniversary. In each episode, podcast host Martin Ping sits down with people advancing the ecological, social, and spiritual work at the heart of Hawthorne Valley’s mission. Guests have included such internationally renowned thinkers and practitioners as Bill McKibben and Frances Moore Lappe, alongside those doing this work locally or at Hawthorne Valley.

In this episode, Conrad and Claudia share the background story of how they came to start the Farmscape Ecology Program, where the term “farmscape” came from, and some of the surprises, highlights, reflections, and accomplishments along the way. As the Farmscape Ecology Program celebrates its own anniversary of 20 years, this episode is a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from its founders.

The Little Things that Run the World — A Winter Lecture Series

This autumn/winter, we offered a four-part in person and online lecture series. These lectures focused on four fascinating insect groups and their role in regional biodiversity and agriculture. The richly illustrated presentations explore the amazing worlds of bees, ground beetles, ants, and wasps. What do these insects look like? How many species do we know of? What have we learned about what they are doing? And how can we help them to continue thriving in our landscape?

This free lecture series was presented on four Thursdays, in the Hawthorne Valley Learning Center (327 CoRoute 21C, Ghent NY; the white building attached to the red barn):

The Little Things That Run the World—A Winter Lecture Series (recordings available)

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This autumn/winter, we will be offering a four-part lecture series “The Little Things That Run the World“. These in person lectures will focus on four fascinating insect groups and their role in regional biodiversity and agriculture. The richly illustrated presentations will explore the amazing worlds of bees, ground beetles, ants, and wasps. What do these insects look like? How many species do we know of? What have we learned about what they are doing? And how can we help them to continue thriving in our landscape?

This free lecture series will be presented on four Thursdays, 7pm in the Hawthorne Valley Learning Center (327 CoRoute 21C, Ghent NY; the white building attached to the red barn):

Please note that for extra safety of attendees and presenters, these will be masked events; masks will be available at the event for anyone who may not have one.

If you would like to attend any of these events online, please register with Josie and she will send you a Zoom link the day before each event.

Exciting Publication Co-authored by FEP staff in Journal of Ecology

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Last week, a paper was published in the Journal of Ecology co-authored by FEP staff documenting the advancement of spring in plants.

Around 7 years ago, Conrad discovered a unique treasure trove of 19th century records from around New York State documenting the timing of the seasonal life cycle events (phenology) of many different plants and animals. When were apple trees in flower? Or the lilacs in leafing out? All of the observations were carefully documented as part of an early meteorological network that initially was comprised of the academies (19th century high school equivalents) before expanding more widely. The network collected data from 1826-1871.

We digitized and standardized the resulting data set (available through a searchable browser here) and partnered with Kerissa Battle of Community Greenways Collaborative and the New York Phenology Project to explore how this historical data set might be paired with recent records – from a current phenology network of citizen scientists- to inform our understanding of the effects of climate change on seasonal plant cycles.

This analysis, spearheaded by Kerissa, and a great team of co-authors, has been published as a paper in the Journal of Ecology: it is freely accessible here. If you want a short teaser, below is the title and brief abstract sharing what we found:

Citizen science across two centuries reveals phenological change among plant species and functional groups in the Northeastern US

Citizen observations across two centuries reveal a dramatic, climate-driven shift to earlier leaf out and flowering, which varies across settings, species, and functional groups. Plants in urban areas, insect-pollinated trees, and early-season species show the greatest rate of advancement overall. This unprecedented comparison of historical-modern network observations illustrates how long-term monitoring and citizen science efforts are invaluable for ecological forecasting and discovery.

 

We are now accepting applications for 2022 Summer Internships/Learnerships

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We are inviting two or three learners or student interns (one working primarily with plants and one or two primarily with insects) to join us for the 2022 summer months.

Learnerships and internships form a cornerstone of our educational outreach at the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program. Through our learnerships and internships, we hope to provide participants with experiences, knowledge, and skills that will enrich their lives and help them to explore potential career paths. Learners and interns are involved directly in our ongoing projects and our public outreach. We train them in research methods and encourage them to explore our region’s landscape through various lenses which, depending on the exact position, could include agroecology, botany, wildlife ecology, entomology, and/or anthropology. We are especially interested in mentoring people whose interests align closely with the themes of our research, but who have not previously had opportunities to pursue those interests in a professional setting. We also believe that diverse voices enrich our profession and can help our program to maximize the impact of our work. To that end, we welcome and encourage applications from people who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color, who identify as LGBTQIA+, who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, or who belong to other historically marginalized communities.

Please see the links below for details and application process. If you have any questions, please contact us by email (or phone, 518 938 1109). Unfortunately, we are only able to consider applicants who are US citizens or permanent residents, or who otherwise have US working papers.

ENTOMOLOGY position description (.pdf file) for the Summer of 2022.

BOTANY position description (.pdf file) for the Summer of 2022.

Woody Plants in Winter–A Self-guided Course

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Are you interested in seeing the winter forest as more than a grey-brown woody maze? This free Winter Botany Workshop is designed to help you become familiar with the identification of woody plants in winter.

The workshop, piloted last year, is offered again in collaboration with the Town of Chatham Recreation Department and PS21 from Jan 15 – March 20. The workshop has a flexible format, allowing for completely self-directed learning, participation in outdoor in-person sessions, or a combination of the two. It uses a holistic approach, considering clues given by the habitat, the shape of the plant, the bark, the buds, its fallen leaves/fruits, its smell, and more… Customized online learning materials (https://hvfarmscape.org/WinterWoodies) are matched with flagged trees and shrubs along the trails at Crellin Park and PS21 in Chatham. This enables participants to work with the materials at their own pace and to learn how to recognize 30 different species of trees and shrubs in the winter. The materials can also be used for family-friendly out-door activities. For example, the maps of flagged trees could serve as the basis for “tree treasure hunts”.

Three outdoor sessions at the same locations will be guided by Conrad and Claudia Vispo (Saturdays, Jan. 29, Feb. 12, and Feb. 26; 1-3pm). These will parallel the three installments of the do-it-yourself course. To reserve your spot for the free outdoor sessions and to learn about the Covid protocol, contact fep@hawthornevalleyfarm.org.

For those who used these materials for self-directed learning last year, we hope this serves as a chance for review; for those undertaking this for the first time, we hope it’s a doorway to a new world!

For more information please reach out to Conrad Vispo at conrad@hawthornevalleyfarm.org.

Year in Review 2021

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An illustrated narrative of FEP’s activities and accomplishments in 2021 is now available in Year in Review. Please check out what we have been up to and we hope you enjoy the read!