Happenings April 2025
April 2025
Dear Volunteers, It's National Volunteer Month and We Want to Say Thank You for All You Do
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush established April as National Volunteer Month, dedicated to recognizing the importance of volunteering and honoring the significant contributions volunteers make by generously donating their time and talents to worthy causes. This month, CCE Putnam County is especially grateful to all the volunteers who work with us to make Putnam County a better place for all!
From 4-H leaders and members to Master Gardeners to Food Systems volunteers, every year, hundreds of members of our community give their time and energy toward our mission of education and outreach in (and around) Putnam County. Since 1944, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County has extended research-based information and education to the surrounding communities and much of that could not be done without the help and committment of our many volunteers.
Our 4-H volunteers helped us to serve about 1,500 youth and families in 2024. With 10 clubs and numerous workshops throughout the year, our volunteers help Putnam County youth grow leadership skills, interests, knowledge and gardens too! During the Putnam County Fair and 4-H Showcase in July, youth and adults managed our games and crafts tent, educated the public about agriculture and animals, sold food and drinks and entertained visitors. On top of all the work they did during the fair, they also helped plan, organize, set up and break down everything before and after the event. Thousands of volunteer hours are put into making the fair the largest public event in our county!
Our Master Gardener Volunteers don’t just learn about innovative and expert ways to grow gardens in their own backyards, they are out and about in all of our towns, teaching others with classes on gardening techniques, composting, pollinators and so much more. You can find our MGV folks manning tables at the Cold Spring Farmers Market, teaching workshops at local libraries and digging around the numerous community gardens in their care. In addition, these volunteers also work in our Horticulture Lab where they field phone calls and answer emails from county residents (and beyond) with concerns about plant diseases, soil issues and pest management.
Our Food System Volunteers keep our communities fed. In 2024, 11,148 free meals were delivered by volunteers to our Bountiful Meals freezers. The frozen meals are free for anyone who needs them and can be found at locations in Carmel, Kent, Mahopac, Philipstown and Putnam Valley. This year, we are adding more freezers in Kent and have already added volunteers to help with this endeavor. Second Chance Foods in Brewster prepares the meals in their kitchen and CCE volunteers deliver and stock all the freezers.
The above examples are just some of the ways volunteers work with CCE. We also have a volunteer-based Board of Directors and several advisory committees that help our organization operate, fundraise and work within our communities. And, of course, we have office and event volunteers and even once-in-a-while volunteers who help out in any way they can.
Studies show that volunteering increases happiness in the person volunteering. If this is true, we certainly have some of the happiest people in the county helping us out at CCE!
Key Benefits of Native Plant Gardening
by Mary-Jo Gallo, Master Gardener Volunteer
What are Native Plants?
Native plants are those that occur historically and naturally in a specific region. According to the US Forest Service, “Native plants are the indigenous species that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat. Species native to North America are generally recognized as those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement.” One useful way to divide these regions and their associated plant communities is into “ecoregions.” Each ecoregion has its own unique climate, soil characteristics, moisture, sun and other environmental conditions which support a community of plants. These beautiful native plants, in turn, support the entire food web indigenous to that region.
Why Choose Natives?
Unique adaptations: Plants that are native to a specific ecoregion are uniquely adapted to that region’s climate and soils. For example, olives are indigenous to the Mediterranean and grow profusely and easily in places with a similar long, sunny growing season and specific soil conditions. But olive trees are quite challenging to grow in New York State without a significant amount of human intervention.
Unique relationships: Many native insects, birds and butterflies have developed unique relationships with indigenous plants. Many even depend upon very specific plants at different stages in their development. The forage and nesting sites provided by plants they historically evolved with are suited specifically to them. Monarch butterflies are an example of a highly specific relationship. These insects depend upon milkweed for their larval life stages, and no other plants will do.
Keystone species: There are also certain native plants, called by some “keystone species,” that maintain the structure and function of the ecosystem. In the case of plants, these keystone natives provide forage, nest sites, and shelter to numerous native insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Something for Every Season: There are native plants blooming from late February through late October. With careful choices, your landscape can provide for pollinators and other wildlife from late winter through late fall.
What to Choose
Success in growing native plants depends on selecting the correct native plant for the correct environment. Often people think that because they are native or wild, they won’t need care. We always return to the old adage: choose the “Right Plant for the Right Place.” When selecting a native plant that will thrive in your garden, consider your garden’s environment and match it to the cultural requirements of the plant. Consider the hardiness zone, amount of sunlight, soil type, and moisture that the plant needs and be realistic about whether your selected growing spot provides what the plant needs. A good way to do your preliminary research is with the Pollinator Partnership ecoregion planting guides.
Ask your nursery about the source of a plant you are considering buying. Natives are readily propagated from seed and a good native garden center can tell you where your seed or plants are from. You will find a curated list of native plants nurseries on our Putnam Pollinator Pathway webpage.
Some of our favorite New York native flowering perennials include wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), native sunflowers (Helianthus), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), just to mention a few. Native trees and shrubs in our region include flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), American holly (Ilex opaca), serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), white oak (Quercis alba), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Again, this is just as a start. There are hundreds of species of beautiful perennials, flowering shrubs, showy vines and impressive trees native to Putnam County.
How to Find them
Start at the Putnam County Cornell Cooperative Extension website to begin your research. You’ll find beautifully curated plant lists and articles on the Putnam Pollinator Pathway webpage. And at our May Plant Sale (Saturday, May 10, 2025) we’ll have a wide variety of native plants, including some of the beauties listed above.
When shopping, be aware that there are cultivated versions of native plants, called “nativars.” While some nativars provide as much or more resources for pollinators, others provide less and have convoluted flowers structures that make it hard for their visitors to find nectar and pollen. So, while research is ongoing, you can stay on the safe side by purchasing those naturally occurring versions for your area. (For a more thorough explanation of nativars, please see “The Nativar Dilemma,” CCE Putnam Happenings, July 2024).
While at the Putnam Pollinator Pathway page, look for information about plant succession. While you might enjoy spring ephemerals like Eastern bluebells (Mertensia virginica), remember that our pollinators need to be nourished all season, at each stage of their development, so plan your native garden for three seasons of bloom. You will have three-season beauty, and the pollinators will have food at each stage of their development.
Whatever you select, start small, watch, enjoy, and gradually build a native garden that will give you and visiting pollinators joy for years to come!
Happy gardening!
May Plant Sale Highlight: Shade Garden Plants
by Megan Castellano, MGV Class of 2016
After creating a landscape over 30 years at my first home, I moved. My new home left a lot to be desired as far as curb appeal and attractive outdoor spaces. I reveled in the opportunity to bring this property to life. And then I discovered that all the beautiful trees in my yard posed an interesting challenge…. shade! All the sun-lovers I had at my old house were now competing for the little bit of open south-western exposure I have in the front corner of the house. And worst of all, my kitchen window (I sadly spend a lot of time at my sink!) looked out to a scruffy, shady slope from April through October that daily made me feel like a failure as a fledgling landscape designer. What’s a gardener to do? Come to the Master Gardener Plant Sale!
The Native plant section has an area of shade plants that are designed to thrive in our rocky, clay-like soil…many are also deer resistant! My favorites are ferns. Having spent many years in New Hampshire, ferns are the beautiful understory everywhere you look. It never occurred to me that I could have that same variety and beauty, right here in Putnam County, NY. Some of the shade-loving, perennial ferns featured are: Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) , shade-loving evergreen ferns; and Northern Maidenhair Ferns (Adiantum pedatum) which are low growing with lacy fronds. Just a couple of the many varieties to choose from.
Another new favorite is Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), the native variety. Solomon's-seal prefers rich, moist, well-drained soils in partial to full shade, but they are quite adaptable to many situations, including those difficult dry shade spots near tree roots, making it a gem!
We’ll also have another shade-loving groundcover, Wild Ginger, (Asarum canadense). These beautiful perennials have velvety, heart-shaped leaves. Flowers, though inconspicuous, bloom from April through June, and are small, with three sepals which are tan to purple on the outside and lighter on the inside, with tapered tips and bases fused into a cup. The pipevine swallowtail also calls this plant home, and you may spot their black spiky larvae munching the occasional leaf. If you’re really lucky, you might spot this lovely butterfly flitting through the shade, too.
What I love about the Master Gardener Plant sale is that you will find rare varieties of common plants. Fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) is a shade lover that is smaller in stature and has more delicate leaves than the traditional variety. Another benefit is that unlike the traditional variety, these native shade plants are well adapted to growing in rich pockets of soil in our rocky forests. Also, while the old-fashioned bleeding hearts will quickly die back in early summer, the native variety will keep its decorative leaves all summer and may even rebloom!
So, shade can be beautiful! For more shade-lovers, come to the Master Gardener Plant sale on Saturday, May 10th from 8:30-12:30 at Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park. Natives are made to thrive locally, and many also invite pollinators! We have plants for all landscapes and budgets - “Bee” there!
4-H News: Horse Bowl, Reading,
Growing and Future Careers
from by Brandy Keenan, 4-H Educator
March was a busy month for our 4-H clubs and volunteers!
Tall Oaks Club Members Qualify for NYS Horse Bowl
Junior and Senior members of our 4-H Tall Oaks Horse Club have qualified to go to the NYS Horse Bowl Competition. Pictured here are Regional Horse Bowl competitors: Novice competitors Peter and Mary Maffetone (novice do not qualify to go to NYS Horse Bowl), front row; and juniors Talita Lumaj, Elyssa Hofstetter and Lorelei Aakjar and seniors Camille Foerst, Karissa Escaravage and Aine Carey, back row.
Ag Literacy Week Held in Putnam County
During Agriculture Literacy Week in March, volunteers read “The Pumpkin that Molly Grew” to classrooms at three Putnam grade schools and each student planted a pumpkin seed. Volunteers visit local schools during Ag Literacy Week to read and talk to children about New York's agriculture industry. At the conclusion of the day's activities, the book they read is donated to the school library for students and teachers to use throughout the school year.
Garden Club at PQ Elementary School
The Pequenakonck Elementary School Garden Club is well under way with 50 Kindergarten through 5th-grade students participating in the club. Each month, students will learn about gardening through a book they read together, a craft activity and a garden activity.
TAG Learns About Careers from Guest Speakers
4-H TAG welcomed two guest speakers to their March 24 meeting in an effort to introduce teens to various career paths as they ponder their next steps after high school. Sue McNerney, LSW and long-time 4-H parent volunteer, spoke with club members about her career and then led the group as each worked on their own version of what she calls "Soup" - what we need each day to feel fulfilled. In addition, Lt. Owen Murray of the Croft Corners Fire Company and Field Training Officer with the Town of Kent EMS, spoke about his career in Civil Service and how following his passion has brought him personal and professional fulfillment.
What is Community Supported Agriculture?
submitted by Ruby Koch-Fienberg, Ag and Food Systems Coordinator, adapted from CCE Schenectady
Understanding the Current Crisis
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a mutually supportive and cooperative relationship between the producer and the consumer. The consumer pays for a crop "share" in advance, guaranteeing producers a market for their goods. In return, growers commit themselves to supplying fresh, quality produce to shareholders on a weekly basis throughout the growing season.
How does CSA benefit producers?
Payment in advance eases a grower's financial burden in the early growing season and provides them both a market and an income. Because they know their market, they are less likely to over- or under-produce. CSA farmers are also less likely to be devastated by unexpected weather conditions because they grow a wide range of crops. While certain conditions may not be ideal for one crop, they are likely to produce an abundance of another.
How does CSA benefit consumers?
Shareholders are guaranteed a supply of fresh, quality produce during the growing season, and possibly longer. They also have the unique opportunity to connect with the land on which their food is grown by assisting in production or just visiting the farm on a regular basis for pick-ups and shareholder events. Community is fostered as a result of cooperative work, shared responsibility, and keeping food dollars within the local economy.
How does CSA benefit the earth?
All the CSA farms listed employ agricultural practices such as diversifying crops, minimizing waste by avoiding overproduction, and reducing packaging and transportation. In addition, customers who spend time at the farms become aware of and sensitive to the fragile beauty and natural richness of their ecosystem.
How do I participate in CSA?
Review our Local Food Guide to find CSA farms that best suit your needs. Visit the farms to meet the owners and see the land. Review share prices, (call farms for current prices), pick-up times and locations, length of season, products available, and special features of the CSA. Then contact the farm to join. Please note that most CSA's require you to purchase your share in the spring, before the season begins. So move quickly to get your spot!
Celebrate Passover with a Recipe
submitted by Josephine Quiocho, Nutrition Educator, from SNAP-Ed
Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup
This savory, vegetable matzo ball soup is delicious and easy to make whether it's part of a holiday meal or to warm up on a chilly spring evening.
Ingredients for Matzo Balls:
Directions
To Make Matzo Balls:
1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Stir together eggs, oil, and vegetable stock in a small bowl. Add matzo meal, dill, and salt. Stir until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes to 8 hours.
3. Bring large pot of water to a boil; add a dash of salt. Using olive oiled hands, form dough into 12 1-inch balls.
4. Drop the balls one at a time into the boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
To Make Soup:
1. While matzo balls are simmering, make soup by adding all ingredients and bringing to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. To serve, spoon 2 cooked matzo balls into a bowl and ladle 1 cup of soup over them.
For more information, visit USDA’s MyPlate Kitchen.
Resource:https://snaped.fns.usda.gov
Last updated April 1, 2025
April Celebrates Volunteer Month with a Spotlight on the Patterson Rotary Club
April is a month of recognition and gratitude for the power of community service. In honor of Volunteer Month, Cornell Cooperative Extension is proud to shine the spotlight on the Patterson Rotary Club—a group whose dedication to the community exemplifies the club’s motto, "Service Above Self."
The collaborative effort between the Patterson Rotary Club and the Bountiful Meals program underscores a powerful truth: when community organizations and local volunteers come together, they can create lasting change. By supporting initiatives like Bountiful Meals, the club not only fosters a sense of community but also addresses essential needs—ensuring that every individual has access to nourishing food.
As we celebrate Volunteer Month, the Patterson Rotary Club reminds us that every act of service, no matter how small, contributes to the collective strength of our community. Their work, and the work of all volunteers, continues to light the way toward a healthier, more connected future.
Learn more about volunteer opportunities and community programs by visiting Cornell Cooperative Extension’s website or connecting with your local Rotary club today.
April is ...
Autism Acceptance Month
Autism Acceptance Month begins with United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. The first observance of Autism Awareness Month began in April 1970. In 1988, President Reagan issued the first presidential proclamation for National Autism Awareness Month. There was a shift in 2021 when Autism Awareness Month became Autism Acceptance Month, putting the emphasis on creating an inclusive society for autistic people. It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, moving beyond awareness towards acceptance.
Resource: Autism Speaks
BLT Sandwich Month
National BLT Month is a celebration of the popular sandwich consisting of bacon, lettuce, and tomato, often enjoyed with mayonnaise or other condiments. You can celebrate by enjoying a BLT sandwich, experimenting with different variations, or sharing your favorite BLT recipes. If you want to try a BLT salad, try this recipe from Illinois Extension.
Garden Month
In the 1980s, the 24 national horticultural organizations worked to legislate National Garden Week. In 1986, President Reagan signed the Proclamation. In 2002, the National Gardening Association worked to extend the celebration to encompass the entire month of April. During this month, consider planting a garden. Look on our website to get tips on what to plant from vegetables to pollinator gardens. Whether you find of patch of lawn to plant a flower garden or use containers to grow your own vegetables, gardening can be a fun activity for the whole family.
Resource: National Garden Bureau
Garlic Month
The origin of garlic is unknown, but many experts believe it originated in Central Asia. Its use in China and Ancient Mesopotamia dates back 5,000 years. It was brought to other parts of the world by traders, and it is believed that Cortez brought it to North America in the 1500s. It has been valued for its medicinal properties since ancient times and is a fundamental part of Asian and Mediterranean cuisines. If you want to try a recipe with garlic, this pea pesto features garlic and is great on meat or pasta.
Resource: Herb Society of America
Scottish-American Heritage Month
Scottish-American Heritage Month highlights Scottish heritage and remembers the Scottish-Americans who have had an impact on U.S. society and history. Many of the founding fathers of our country were of Scottish ancestry from John Adams to John Muir. Almost 30 million U.S. citizens claim Scottish or Scottish-Irish heritage.
Resource: American Scottish Foundation
Get Ready Putnam Residents—The Ticks Are Coming!
from Putnam County Department of Health
Despite prolonged stretches of frigid cold weather this winter, those pesky arachnids will soon be very active once again. How many ticks there will be varies from year to year, but unfortunately freezing temperatures do not kill them off. They lay dormant in winter by finding their way under leaf litter, and into the open spaces between soil particles, where they can survive more easily.
“New York State is consistently amongst the states with highest incidence for tickborne disease in the nation, and the Hudson Valley Region has some of the highest rates in the state,” said Alison Kaufman, DVM, MPH, epidemiologist at the Putnam County Department of Health.
The chance for getting a tickborne disease is directly related to the risk for encountering an infected tick. Tracking tick populations by regions, along with the proportion of those ticks that test positive for at least one pathogen, the state assigns a “tick risk score” by region. This analysis puts the Hudson Valley in the high-risk category along with the Catskills, Greater Niagara and the Capital-Saratoga regions, and behind the Finger Lakes region which has the highest risk score in the state.
Most people are familiar with Lyme disease because it is the most common tickborne disease. However, two other tickborne diseases, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, also occur regularly in Putnam County. “Reported cases of tickborne disease tend to seesaw back and forth from one year to the next due to a variety of ecological variables, but on average there are about 300 Lyme cases reported each year in the county,” said Dr. Kaufman. “There is much more year-to-year variability for anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Reported cases have tended to spike recently in alternate years, with the highest counts on record seen in 2023: 95 cases of anaplasmosis and 60 cases of babesiosis. We had much lower incidence in 2024 with only 29 cases of anaplasmosis and 16 cases of babesiosis. That may mean that we are in for another high incidence year in 2025, but there is no way to know for sure.”
The numbers of ticks fluctuate from year to year as well. The ecological factors that impact this variability include such aspects as the abundance of acorns that feed the mice which carry juvenile ticks. Weather patterns also impact tick survival. It is suspected that changing climates have increased the geographic range of ticks and the diseases they carry. Human behavior, the one factor which we can control, also has a direct influence, in particular on the number of bites.
“Ticks are most likely to transmit disease to humans as juveniles called nymphs because they are so tiny that people often don’t notice they have been bitten,” Dr. Kaufman stated. “The biggest threat is in late spring to mid-summer, roughly from the middle of May to mid-August, when nymphs are active, and humans are spending more time outdoors. Adult ticks emerge and become active in the fall. They do survive the winters, so it is possible to be bitten by a tick year-round, with hunters and other winter recreational participants at risk.”
Last year to broaden education efforts, the Putnam County Department of Health launched a dedicated Lyme Disease and other Tickborne Illnesses webpage complete with easy-to-understand videos in English and Spanish. Preventing tick bites is the focus of primary prevention of all tickborne illnesses.
There is no one strategy that prevents all tick bites, so it’s best to use several strategies to reduce risk as much as possible. Being informed and avoiding places where ticks may be more common is one of the best ideas, but not always possible or realistic. Wearing protective clothing and using appropriate repellants properly goes a long way to reducing risk, but even with repellent, checking frequently for ticks and removing them promptly and properly is important. Recognizing symptoms of an infection is also important so that treatment starts early in the course of disease.
To alert residents and visitors to some popular locations where ticks are likely, the health department and the county’s parks and recreation department have posted more than 75 warning signs along the Putnam Trailway and at other recreational areas, including all Putnam sleep-away camps.
Resources:
Lyme Disease Fact Sheets—CDC (three fact sheets, each in English, Spanish and three other languages)
Lyme Disease and other Tickborne Illnesses Page—PCDOH
Tick Risk Score by Region—NYSDOH
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Tidbits
Seed Libraries are open at libraries countywide
Did you know you can borrow more than just books at our county libraries? Seed libraries offer free seeds to check out, lowering the financial barrier to gardening and encouraging gardeners of all ages to grow their own vegetables, herbs and pollinator friendly plants.
How does it work? In each library, there is a seed station where individuals can pick out seed packets to take from the library. At the end of the growing season, growers are encouraged to return some seeds back to the seed library, replenishing for next year.
Buying seeds to start an entire new garden can add up. Seed libraries make it a bit more financially feasible to start growing food without fronting a large bill. In addition, seed libraries are also a great way to build community and help preserve heirloom varieties that grow well in our region and promote pollinator livelihoods.
SNAP-Ed Brewster Schools
SNAP-Ed NY Regional Coordinator Bintou Hinds and Nutrition Educator Josephine Quiocho visited Brewster Central School District where they held a workshop for Food Service employees. The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) provides schools with research-based, low-cost strategies to promote healthier eating habits in school cafeterias by making healthy food choices easier and more appealing for students to select, eat, and enjoy!
"Food Connects Us" Wellness Program for County Employees
Nutrition Educator Josephine Quiocho discussed how food connects us to our cultures, families and friends at a Putnam County Employee Wellness program. In addition, to teaching about the factors that influence the food we eat, she also cooked a lovely vegetarian chili and discussed where in the world the vegetables and herbs she was using the recipe originated.
Farmers Gather for Marketing Workshop in Putnam County
A handful of farmers from the region joined us at "From Farm to Customer: Marketing Strategies for Growth" March 27. CCE Ulster Agricultural Economic Development Specialist Uliana Ahashkova discussed how to find ideal customers and create messages that reach them well. This session covered using practical digital marketing tools, such as websites, social media, and branding techniques, to improve visibility and build strong customer relationships. Participants broke into groups and worked on marketing and promotion strategies. The program was simultaneously translated (Spanish/English) by Ali Toxtli of Yei Tochtin.
At the end of the program, everyone was treated to lunch and some networking time.
The program was held collaboration with CCE Putnam, Ulster, and Dutchess counties and was supported by the intramural research program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets New York Food for New York Families Grant Nu. AGM01-C01006GG-3000000.
At a glance ...
Native Plants Program at Desmond-Fish Public Library
Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m.
Desmond-Fish Public Library
472 Route 403, Garrison
Registration is free.
Register through the library
HERE.
Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, Janis Butler to learn about native plants and the pollinators they attract to our gardens during this Putnam Pollinator Pathway educational program. In honor of Native Plant Month, you’ll learn about native plants, their role in plant communities, and their relationships with insects and other critters. This program will include an explanation of ecotones, nativars, and ecotypes; facts about global insect decline, and a look at the NYC Highline. Learn how you can integrate more natives into your garden without going broke!
Seed to Supper in Putnam Valley
Tuesdays, April 22, April 29, May 6, May 13, May 20, 6 to 8 p.m.
Putnam Valley Library
30 Oscawana Lake Road
Registration is free.
Register
HERE.
Taught by Cornell Extension Master Gardener volunteers, this class is perfect for beginners! Whether you have a yard, porch or windowsill, you can grow your own vegetables and herbs at home. You will learn how to plan your garden, grow healthy plants and manage weeds and pests that might show up. The program is free and families are welcome! There are separate classes for adults and children and refreshments will be served.
Ask a MGV at Cold Spring Farmers' Market
Saturday, April 26, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Boscobel House and Gardens
1601 Route 9D, Garrison
Free event.
Join our Master Gardener Volunteers the second Saturday of the month at the Cold Spring Farmers' Market to learn the ins and outs of gardening from native planting to composting and more! The Cold Spring Farmers' Market is held every Saturday at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison.
— Community Earth Day Celebration *** special hours - 9:30 am - 1:30PM*** Getting Your Garden Started: Spotlight the MGV Plant Sale on May 10, 2025. Demonstration on how to begin a garden: site assessment, planting from seed and plugs. Putnam Pollinator Pathway - Get to Know the Pollinators: Learn how the importance of pollinators in your garden.
First Friday Webinars
Each month at New York State Integrated Pest Management's "What's Bugging You? First Friday" events , experts share practical information and answer questions on using integrated pest management to avoid pest problems and promote a healthy environment where you live, work, learn and play.
April 4, 12 p.m.: Pest rats explained | Myth: cats for rat control
Join IPM experts on World Rat Day to learn all about the brown rat and what makes it a pest. We'll then address the myth of cats for rat control.
Learn more HERE.
Register HERE.
CCE Westchester: Home Gardening Webinar Series and Tour
The 2025 Home Gardening Lecture Series comprises webinars on Flowering Native Shrubs, Gardening in Small Spaces, and Shade Gardening. Also offered is a private garden tour of Hart's Brook Park and Preserve in Hartsdale, NY. Please note that garden tour spots fill quickly!
Session 4: Gardening in Small Spaces
Wednesday, April 9, 10-11 a.m.Judy Rozanski will explore how to maximize usable space, whether suburban or
urban. She will explain how to plant in a limited space to garden outdoors
whether on a balcony, in a yard, or another small area.
Fee: $5 per session
Learn more HERE
Register HERE
Update: Avian Influenza
from NYS Department of Ag and Markets
To date, 52 flocks in New York State have tested positive for HPAI since February 2022. The Department is working closely with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on a joint incident response and is also collaborating with partners at the Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation.
The detections of HPAI in New York prompt reminders for commercial and hobby poultry farmers to increase their biosecurity measures to help prevent the spread of the disease. Poultry biosecurity materials and checklists can be found on the USDA’s “Defend the Flock” website . Best practices include:
- Discourage unnecessary visitors.
- Ask all visitors if they have had any contact with any birds in the past five days.
- Forbid entry to employees and visitors who own any kind of fowl.
- Require all visitors to cover and disinfect all footwear.
- Lock all entrances to chicken houses after hours.
- Avoid non-essential vehicular traffic on-farm.
- After hauling birds to processors, clean and disinfect poultry transport coops and vehicles before they return to the farm.
- Report anything unusual, especially sick or dead birds, to AGM.
In addition to practicing good biosecurity, poultry owners should keep their birds away from wild ducks and geese and their droppings.
To report sick birds, unexplained high number of deaths, or sudden drop in egg production, contact the USDA at (866) 536-7593.