Nature

Nature and wind appear to have created this wreath from a weeping willow branch along Pa. 997 near Mont Alto, Pa.

Spring is just around the corner, and with a few warm days, we will all be itching to get outside and do something. We all know spring is a time of birth and rebirth, planting and sowing, as well as the flowering of trees and bulbs that have been slumbering in winter’s cold. However, we need to be cautious as spring approaches. You are probably thinking, what is there to be cautious about? Spring is for celebrating. That’s true, but what we need to do is work with nature and not against it. Now is the time when I get many calls about pasture renovation.

This is my final column. As a volunteer with other work obligations, I intend to turn my attention to developing a forestry outreach program that is less deadline-driven. I have enjoyed having this forum to share forestry facts and some ideas on how individuals can promote natural ecosystems by making small, incremental changes in their activities and lifestyles. Today, I will concentrate on the virtue of doing nothing. Recently I read a news article about a new and supposedly improved herbicide for use on lawns to suppress the growth of broad-leaved plants.

Joseph Coleman and Kevin Wilson examine the bark of a hardwood tree Wednesday at Renfrew Park in Waynesboro, Pa. The boys were participating in the Nose to Nose with Nature program.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer Some people line their walls with diplomas. Helen L. Youngblood decorated hers with thank-you notes and certificates of appreciation. She had plenty of them. Friends gathered in the Noland Village community room Sunday afternoon to remember the 48-year-old woman who died last Tuesday. They said her caring presence lifted spirits in the public housing complex and improved the lives of those she touched. "She never worried," said Judi Dominguez, a friend.

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Chambersburg MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Chaos ensued Wednesday morning after a tiny rodent escaped from the hands of Tuscarora Wildlife Education Project instructor Brent Gift, creating a temporary interruption in the lesson as the girls shrieked and climbed onto picnic tables while the boys started chasing the harmless meadow vole. "Where is he?" cried one boy. "There, catch him," yelled another, pointing to the vole - mistakenly known as a field mouse - heading into the nearby brush.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back - through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others - at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Rose DuPuis Clark George, who died Oct. 6 at the age of 88. Her obituary was published in the Oct. 8 edition of The Herald-Mail. A favorite story about Rose DuPuis Clark George's fervor for nature involved an ailing plant that had been tossed into the trash at an area store.

When she was about 7 or 8 years old, Anne Smith came to Hagerstown with her father and sat on a curb watching the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus unload at the railroad yards. "We stayed all day," she recalled. "We even brought our lunch in a bag. " That experience and so many others are now what Anne has of her father, H. Gerald Smith, who died March 17 at the age of 97. His love of fun, family and nature is an enduring legacy for her and many others who knew "Smitty" well.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Carol Robbins and her daughter, Angela Case, are walking along a trail deep in the Blue Ridge Mountain when they reach their destination: a big treehouse. The two go up a spiral staircase to the top of the structure while waiting for a reporter who is tagging along. "Isn't this neat?" asked Robbins, as the view behind her stretched across blue-colored mountain ranges. It's where the Friends Wilderness Center has established its home, back so far in the woods that hardly a sign of man can be seen or heard.

STATE LINE, Pa. - The killing of a person by a complete stranger, such as the shooting of Betty Jane Dehart last week, is relatively uncommon, with most homicide victims likely to die at the hands of someone they know. Paul Devoe, 43, a suspect in five killings in Texas, has been charged in the death of the 81-year-old retired seamstress and great-great-grandmother, whom Pennsylvania State Police said he killed for her car. In a statement to police after his capture Monday in Shirley, N.Y., Devoe said he was having car trouble, and saw Dehart sitting on her porch and a car in the driveway.

The Borough of Chambersburg and an area business have been awarded state funding to purchase natural gas vehicles or convert existing vehicles to natural gas. The Borough of Chambersburg, along with project partners IESI Corp. and the Borough of Shippensburg, will receive $472,500 for the purchase or retrofit of 19 vehicles to operate on compressed natural gas. The vehicles include refuse and recycling trucks, a utility bucket truck, and an ambulance, according to a news release from state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin/Cumberland.

As redbuds flash purple along our roadways and tulips blink red and yellow at our doorsteps, I am reminded that natural beauty is awe-inspiring and worth protecting.  Not just on Earth Day, but every day. Gardeners are some of the best environmentalists, choosing smart practices that help, not harm, our natural resources. Every choice you make as a gardener can tip the balance toward conservation. Healthy gardens grow healthy plants. So build healthy soil to keep your gardens productive and part of a vibrant ecosystem.

 The SouperNatural Kitchen dinners return Tuesday, April 23, to the Canal House in Bolivar. The meal includes soup, bread, dessert, music and a class by Dr. Harris on "Nuts, Beans and Seeds - Unlock More Nutrients. " Ticket price now includes direct donations. The cost is $18. For information on tickets or to volunteer, call 304-535-3009.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is now accepting registrations for a nature photography workshop it is sponsoring the weekend of Friday, April 12, to Sunday, April 14. The workshop will be held at the National Conservation Training Center near Shepherds-town. It will be led by Wil and Donna Hershberger, and aimed at beginners but will also be useful for more experienced photographers. The cost to participate will be $150 for the entire weekend. The workshop begins with a 6:30 to 9 p.m. session Friday; continue with 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. sessions Saturday; and concludes with a 6:30 a.m. to noon session on Sunday.

Wrestler “Nature Boy” Ric Flair has canceled his appearance Friday, March 29, as part of the Big Time Wrestling event at The Maryland Theatre due to a death in his family, according to Jessica Green, the theater's operations director. The Associated Press reported today that Flair's son, Reid Fliehr, who was also a wrestler, was found dead in a North Carolina hotel. Get the information you need fast. Sign up for our Breaking News alerts today. A statement from police said there are no signs of foul play, and that the cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is accepting enrollments for its April and May "Wee Naturalists" sessions for preschoolers. The sessions are designed to provide opportunities for ages 3 to 5 to explore nature together safely under the guidance of an experienced PVAS instructor. All sessions are held at the Society's Yankauer Nature Preserve, on Whiting's Neck in northeastern Berkeley County, W.Va. Each session lasts from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The April sessions are Monday, April 15, and Thursday, April 18. The May sessions are Monday, May 6, and Thursday, May 9. The April sessions will be devoted to learning about signs of spring.

Two area ski resorts are reporting strong seasons thanks to cold temperatures and state-of-the-art snow making equipment. Compared to last year, Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg and Liberty Mountain Resort in Fairfield, Pa., are reporting excellent seasons. Don MacAskill, president and general manager at Whitetail Resort, said the resort is up 25 percent in overall visits this year over last. “That's quite significant,” MacAskill said. “Although we haven't had a great deal of natural snow, we have had excellent temperatures for making snow,” MacAskill said.

The Borough of Chambersburg has been awarded a state grant to help build a compressed natural gas fueling station. The Redevelopment Assistance Capitalization Program Grant worth $500,000 was awarded to the borough to assist in the construction of the compressed natural gas, or CNG, fueling station at a site the borough is leasing near the intersection of Wayne Avenue (Pa. 316) and Interstate 81, according to a news release from the borough. The governor's office approved nearly $125 million in projects and announced the awards Thursday.

Md. lawmakers approve natural gas surcharge bill ANNAPOLIS (AP) - Natural gas companies would be able to seek a surcharge of up to $2 on monthly gas bills to help recover costs for replacing aging infrastructure, in a measure approved by state lawmakers Thursday. The Senate voted 35-12 after spirited debate. The House of Delegates' vote was 120-17. The measures are similar and any differences will need to be worked out for the legislation to go to Gov. Martin O'Malley. Lawmakers who supported the bill said companies need the cash to help replace aging pipes and address safety concerns.

Some local governments in Franklin County, Pa., are considering whether converting municipal vehicles to run on natural gas could provide long-term cost savings. Waynesboro's borough manager, Lloyd Hamberger, said this week he thinks his municipality could save $1 to $1.25 per gallon equivalent compared to what it pays now for gasoline. In the Borough of Chambersburg, municipal officials are taking steps to install a fueling facility on a leased site at Exit 14 of Interstate 81. That facility would serve private and commercial fleets as well as any converted municipal vehicles.