On Wednesday, March 8, a small group of SLGC members met with Senator Rob Portman’s NE Ohio Director in downtown Cleveland. Jane Ellison, former Zone X Conservation Chair, led us in a lively discussion about conservation and the environment with Caryn Candisky. Senator Portman has shown strong leadership in conservation and environmental issues, most notably clean water and our National Parks. Caryn very patiently listened to us for 1½ hours as we presented topics from The Garden Club of America's Position Papers.
The Garden Club of America’s 2017 National Affairs and Legislative (NAL) Annual meeting was held February 27 – March 2 in Washington DC. 300 delegates from 200 clubs across the country attended. The meeting had a rigorous agenda and focused on the GCA’s eight Position Papers: Clean Air, Clean Water, Climate Change, National Parks, National Public Lands, Native Plants, Sustainable Agriculture, and Transportation.
Our Shaker Lakes Garden Club member, and Founder of Bikes, Bees & Butterflies, Ann Cicarella, organized the second annual Pollinator Symposium held at Squire Valleevue Farm the end of October.
On Monday April 25th over twenty Zone X conservation delegates spent "TWENTY EIGHT" hours in our prized jewel to the south of us... Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Peninsula. Our very own Jane Ellison (Zone X Chair) was our stupendous leader who spent a year prodigiously putting this together. The highlights are as follows:
National Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them
Nine years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.
GCA iscounting on every GCA club member to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial. PARK it! with your club, family and friends by visiting one of the 408 sites of the National Park System. Share your photos and stories and register your visit in the GCA's Club Member Showcase at the GCA Showcase, and enjoy reading about other members’ fun park experiences!
Wetlands provide countless ecosystem services to local ecology and wildlife. This workshop will teach you about these fascinating habitats, the plants and wildlife that depend upon them! Learn how to manage wetland water levels, identify and manage invasive wetland plants. During an afternoon field walk, we’ll discuss management tips and search a vernal pool for salamanders and egg masses.
This year's conference take home messages were: Clean Water, Clean Air, Climate Change, and our beloved National Parks celebration and protection, Preservation of Native Plants, Sustainable Agriculture, Seed Diversity, Food Security and environmentally Responsible Transportation Legislation.
Join National Geographic and the National Park Service in Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the National Parks BioBlitz and Biodiversity Festival, May 20-21, 2016. Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been chosen as the BioBlitz “showcase” park for the Midwest Region!
The Garden Club of Cleveland is hosting a special conservation meeting on the troubling issue of Asian carp invasion in Lake Erie on the evening of April 26 at Laurel School, following our monthly membership meeting.