Topics:

• Water Resources Outreach
• Extension Assists Community Shade Tree Programs
• Weeds, Pests and Disease
• Lady Bugs, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Western Conifer Seed Bugs, Biggest Homeowner Concerns
• Soil Testing
• Master Gardener Program - Up and Running
• Landscape Seminar of Interest

Water Resources Outreach

A Pond Management Workshop via satellite downlink was presented April 27, 1999. Ten individuals attended the workshop where information was presented on pond design and construction, controlling aquatic plants and algae, and managing pond fisheries. A Safe Drinking Water Clinic via satellite downlink was presented in May. Workshop attendees learned about water testing, well construction and maintenance, and water treatment. Pike County Cooperative Extension contracted with a local lab to provide 4 water testing options for homeowners with their own well. Thirty-five people participated in the water testing and received their results at the workshop.

Pike County Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Brodhead Watershed Association (BWA), Stroudsburg Municipal Authority and Stroud Township (Monroe County), were successful in obtaining a $3,000 Local Watershed Protection Grant from the PA League of Women Voters. The grant will develop a "Know Your Watershed" education campaign and information series for the Brodhead watershed. The campaign will consist of a "Know Your Watershed" section on the BWA website, a series of "Stream Facts" fact sheets and stream name road signs at road crossings on the Brodhead Creek and tributaries within Stroud Township.

The Pike County Wellhead Protection video was produced as part of an educational component of the recently completed Pike County Water Resources Plan. The video discusses the population growth the County has experienced the last 25 years and how this increase has affected the community water systems in the County. It also addresses tools available for the public and local governments to use in protecting groundwater. The video is available by loan at the County Cooperative Extension office.

Extension Assists Community Shade Tree Programs

The regional extension urban forester continues to provide technical assistance to community tree programs. In the spring, the urban forester, in partnership with the Milford Shade Tree Commission, held an evening workshop titled "Caring for Community Trees" that addressed the importance of managing community trees and the issues effecting their health and public safety. Approximately thirty five concerned county residents attended the meeting and learned about tree declines, pruning standards, identifying hazard trees, and the importance of increasing species diversity within a community forest.

The extension urban forestry program has also provided advice and materials to the Milford Shade Tree Commission that is helping them contract out tree pruning and removal work and select and procure replacement trees from quality nurseries.

Advice on controlling Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an imported pest that is slowly infesting and killing many native hemlock trees, is being provided to homeowners and lake associations in the county. Without such information, improper identification and control measures may lead to misuse of pesticides, damage to the surrounding environment, or increases in the adelgid population.

Weeds, Pests and Diseases

Spring, summer and fall, the extension office is flooded with requests for assistance in identifying weeds, diseases, and insect pests. While most of the Pike County questions come from homeowners, some questions do come from business owners. If a problem is particularly difficult to diagnose, samples of the plants are mailed to Penn State University for further study. The Department of Entomology maintains specialists to aid in insect identification and the plant pathology lab is used to identify diseases on crops, turfgrass and ornamental shrubs. If a disease cannot be identified visually, attempts are made to culture the disease organisms, growing them in a laboratory to aid in identification.

Lady Bugs, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Western Conifer Seed Bugs, Biggest Homeowner Concerns

1999 proved to be our "Year of the Bugs." Callers requesting information on how to control unwanted additions to their landscape, even outnumbered those calling about deer damage.

The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle was one of the insects in question. This insect was introduced into the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a biological control agent and is an important predator of aphids and scale insects. The beetle's recent population increase in Pennsylvania probably did not result from the earlier USDA releases. Instead, they are thought to be from a new source that was accidentally introduced in New Orleans from an Asian freighter.

While most of the year was "lady bug free," they became a nuisance when they inundated Pike County homes and businesses from September through April. Large numbers were found congregating on windows, doors, back porches and on the sunny sides of buildings in search of a place to hibernate.

Another bug that caused residents to call for assistance was the Western Conifer Seed Bug. This bug feeds mainly on the seeds and developing cones of several species of conifers and their respective hybrids. It has been expanding its range eastward and was first detected in Pennsylvania in 1992. Recent records suggest that interstate commerce has been a factor in extending the insectĚs range. The western conifer seed bug has bothered people in homes, businesses and laboratories and becomes a nuisance when it enters these places in search of overwintering sites.

Additionally, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has become a concern to many county residents. The most obvious evidence of this bug is the large masses of white filaments of wax produced by the females. These "cottony" masses normally persist throughout the season and into the following year, even after the insects are dead. Host plants are injured by the adelgids inserting their piercing-sucking mouthparts into the base of the needles and removing plant fluids. Moderate infestation may cause a reduction in tree health, while severe infestation may result in premature needle drop, reduced twig growth, dieback or death of trees.

In the case of all of these insects, callers were given information over the phone on control methods and this information was reinforced with a factsheet that was mailed to the caller. News releases were also provided to print and radio media.

Soil Testing

The Penn State Soil Fertility Program is designed as a soil management for farmers, homeowners, golf course superintendents and landscapers. The soil test kit is supplied by the Pike County Cooperative Extension Office at a cost of $6.00. The kit contains a mailer and directions for taking the soil sample. The report includes the results of the soil analysis and recommendations for soil improvement. A copy of each report is mailed to the extension office so that assistance can be provided to anyone who requests it.

Master Gardener Program - Up and Running

The Master Gardener program is designed to provide avid home gardeners with skills necessary to share their knowledge and experiences with others in a variety of ways. In exchange for the intensive 30 hours of lecture and workshop instruction provided by university specialists and county agents, participants must agree to donate 50 hours of volunteer services back to Cooperative Extension. Volunteer activities include: managing trial garden demonstration sites, developing exhibits, presenting lectures and workshops, providing consumer assistance by phone and through news articles and working with youth and children as 4-H club leaders.

In the Spring of 1999 Master Gardeners from Pike, Monroe and Carbon Counties attended training sessions that were held in Bushkill. Of the 20 individuals trained, 13 were from Pike County. Students in the program typically improved knowledge of plants by 25%, or more, based on the difference in pre- and post-tests.

Since the training, Pike Master Gardeners have provided over 170 hours of service and made over 151 contacts through mid-August. Examples of their efforts include:

• A Master Gardener presented "Herbs: Growing, Preserving, and Using" to the Milford Garden Club members in February.
• Our Multi-County Horticulture Agent presented a two hour workshop on "Gardening with Native Plants" at the Blooming Grove Fire Hall with 16 people attending and was covered by a local TV station.
• The Master Gardeners developed a courtyard water and landscape garden with high school students and provided tours of the area to the Bushkill and Milford Garden Clubs.
• A historic garden restoration is taking place, in cooperation with the Friends of Marie Zimmerman. The Master Gardeners are working to identify and recreate the original landscape at the Marie Zimmerman House and Gardens, which included many roses and peonies.

• A Master Gardener is working with the Pocono Environmental Education Center in developing and maintaining a low upkeep, perennial Butterfly Garden. The garden will be used in teaching about insects and sensory experiences with plants for children's summer camps at PEEC. When completed, it is estimated that over 100 children will use the garden as an outdoor laboratory/workshop.
• The Master Gardeners have also been active at the Greene-Dreher Sterling Fair and the Pike County Fair. At each event, Master Gardeners manned a booth and provided programs on: Greenhouse Construction and Gardening; Composting for Organic Gardens; Garden Feng Shui; and Long, Dry Summer and Plants. In addition, Master Gardeners and the multi-county horticulture agent conducted plant related workshops at the yearly 4-H Show and Crow.
• Seven Master Gardeners were trained for a Garden Clinic based out of the Pike County Extension office. They provided consumers with answers to gardening questions over the phone and in person contacts.

Landscape Seminar of Interest

A 1999 Northeast region Landscape Seminar was initiated and conducted in February. It provided 76 commercial growers with information about landscaping. Topics presented included: Woody Plant Maintenance, PDA Updates, Diseases of Landscape Plants, Landscape Design & Installation, Weed control in the Landscape, and Insects in the Landscape. Overall, 76% rated the seminar as very good to exceptional. The most valuable topics presented were noted as insect, disease, and PDA information.

A telephone survey was conducted of 33 commercial landscapers in the three county area. This information was used to begin the planning process for this and other landscape seminars.