by Chris Earley

We did rodents last month and I thought a natural progression from that would be, can you identify all The Arboretum staff! Yes, from one group of mammals to another. We have a small but dedicated team that want your Arboretum experience to be a special one. So, see how many of us you know. Answers are at the bottom of the newsletter. For more info on our staff, please go to our staff page at: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/staff.shtml.

by Ric Jordan

Between waves of wind and rain I more or less managed to finish our yard work at home this past weekend only to realize that there is a bit more to do at The Arb yet. The weather has not been favourable for the grounds crew to apply Skoot to protect young woodies that are a favourite of rodents as a winter treat. Temperatures have been great but we need some dry weather to allow the material to dry on the bark so hopefully that will be in the stars for the coming week or so. Water lines have been shut off, drained and winterized, now we just have to finish off a couple of the water features before the snow flies.

Turf equipment has been brought in and awaits any maintenance before being packed away, while at the same time snow removal implements are being brought out and checked before being pressed into service. By the time you read this the highly successful Vanishing Acts display will be packed up and on its way back to the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. Over the winter we will investigate the possibility of other travelling exhibits being brought in as we feel items such as this can be wonderful educational tools for our visitors.

Although one might think activities slow down for staff over the winter months it is more a change of focus as we finish many things that weren’t completed over the summer and fall such as record keeping and then set about planning next year’s goals and activities. A number of volunteer activities have slowed or stopped however some are starting up while others go year round.

I recently attended an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) update workshop at which numerous organizations from across the province were represented and presented the situation as it was in their area. Although not understood why or how researchers have observed a few ash in the US and in Windsor which seem to have withstood the onslaught of this beetle but only time and more research will reveal if these trees have some resistant mechanism, like the blue ash, or what their secret is. That is the only bit of good news I gleaned from the day. I think it can be safely stated that the beetle is here and Guelph will see high mortality rates in its ash trees over the next 2 to 3 years as the EAB population increases. As you know we treated some selected ash for teaching and research purposes in 2012 and some said we jumped the gun however I am more comfortable knowing we did it proactively and not reactively. We will again be treating those trees this coming year and if the budget allows perhaps adding a few more to the list.

Someone once told me that you should always end a newsletter on a high note so I am pleased to see the City of Guelph has hired Martin Neumann as its Manager of Forestry. Martin comes to the city after many years with the Grand River Conservation Authority and also involvement with Trees for Peel, Green Streets Canada, Project Tree Cover and Trees for Guelph to name a few. No doubt one of the top items on Martin’s action list will be developing a plan for EAB in the City. Staff at The Arb are looking forward to working with Martin in the promotion of the Urban Tree Canopy and other initiatives.

Looking for a great gift for the nature lover? We have a series of 5 booklets: Feeder Birds, Wildflowers, Mammals, Dragonflies and Summer Garden Birds. Each booklet is full colour and is $8. Details can be found on our website.

We also have a nature journal with a series of colour photos in the centre pages and lots of unique pages with leaf backgrounds for sketching or journaling. Each journal is $10.

Our Biodiversity placemats are $4 each or $40 for the set of all 12. Each double-sided, laminated placemat features a different group of local organisms.

Gift certificates are also available for our workshops. Owl Prowls make a fabulous family outing or check out our other workshops.

To purchase these booklets, journals, placemats or gift certificates please call ext. 52358 or e-mail us at [log in to unmask]. We would be happy to mail these out to you (a mailing fee will apply).

We now have a youtube channel for you to look at: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFg6-3XPBFETE7Wm6ijhrnw . We have a few videos on the site but will be adding more as our incredible work study student, Jason, continues to put together fun and educational clips for your viewing pleasure.

Please note: Another option is to go to youtube, select ‘browse channels’ in lower left of screen and then in the search window enter ‘Guelph Arboretum’. This will take you to the channel and show a list of our videos. If you wish you can subscribe to our channel and then by simply going to youtube you will be able to see if we have put up any new videos.

Christmas is quickly approaching. If you haven't already booked your Christmas party then please consider The Arboretum. It is a perfect location for your Christmas party. We can accommodate up to 150 people for lunches or dinners with a view of the picturesque Arboretum grounds. We still have some good dates available … book soon before they are gone. For further information please contact Barb Watson – Ash, Marketing and Bookings Co-ordinator at extension 54110, [log in to unmask] or check out our website. All catering is provided by Hospitality Services, University of Guelph. For further information on the catering please call extension 53350 or e-mail [log in to unmask].

Auditorium

The Black and White Photography, Owl Workshop, Animal Tracking, Photographing Winter Landscapes and Owl Prowl workshops are approaching. The dates and registration deadlines can be found in our Coming Events Listing in the column on the left side of this newsletter. A detailed description of each course is available on our website. Help us promote our programs … please forward this e-mail on to your friends and colleagues who may be interested. The more participants we have, the more programs we can offer.

Registration is available on-line which will allows you to register for our programs at anytime, not just during our regular business hours. A secure link is provided on our web-site for this easy registration process.

If you do not have internet access registration can still be made by phone or in person at 519-824-4120 ext. 52358 as in the past . Please note that a decision is made on the registration deadline as to whether the workshop will run or not, based on the minimum number of required registrants. You may still register after the deadline as long as the workshop is running and there is space.

November is the big month of change here. Not quite fall anymore, but not quite winter either. Joy, one of our docents, recently found some stinkhorn fungi that are braving the frost and trying to fruit. This fungus is VERY well named - it really smells disgusting! This smell attracts flies which unwittingly end up carrying the fungal spores to other sites. In other fungal news, or at least half fungal, we have now reached 100 species of lichen identified in The Arboretum! Troy McMullin has been studying Arboretum lichens for a few years now and recently found another species called British Soldiers here. This is a rather colourful lichen and one that isn't too hard to identify, so be on the lookout when you visit.

  
Bristish Soldiers                                   Skirted Stinkhorn
Photo by Troy McMullin                          Photo by Chris Earley

Be a part of the BetterPlanet Project by donating on-line:

Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph donation page: http://uofg.convio.net/arboretum

If you prefer not to make an online donation, there are several other ways to provide your financial support. You can choose to donate by telephone, mail, fax, or in person:

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Attention Alumni Affairs 50 Stone Road East Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: 1-888-266-3108 ext. 56934 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56934 Fax: 519-822-2670 Email: [log in to unmask]

If you would like information on bequests and planned giving to The Arboretum please contact:

Ross Butler
Director, Gift Planning
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 56196 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]