Seed Harvest @ Fox Island - INVITATION

SATURDAY October 24, 2010

1 pm - 4pm

Seed Gathering at Fox Island        1pm – 4pm

BRING CLIPPERS/sheers/scissors etc. for cutting! NO RIPPING OUT ROOTS!
 

This nature preserve is opening up its “home” to Save Maumee Volunteers.  We will teach you to identify plants that are native to our riverbanks and have you pluck the seeds for plantings on our riverbanks….Remember, only pick the ones we tell you to and LEAVE THE ROOT BASE! For example, we don’t want that pretty purple flower (Purple Loose-Strife, Japanese Honeysuckle, Ribbon Grass, ect.) to invade our area!

A very informal, yet informational and helpful event! Currently Save Maumee is paying $530 for one acre's worth of seed! Help out your rivers...pick a few pounds!

Save Maumee has an approved DNR planting list for Indiana that we are very strict at enforcing. None of us want invasive plants to take root, and take over, but our rivers need foliage!  Remember, MOST of the forested corridor in Indiana have been removed....which is one of our water's natural filtration device.  Up to 80% of a streams water quality is inherited at the headwaters!

We will plant collected / dried seed on Save Maumee’s Annual Earth Day.  Some of the seed will be started in Top Notch Tree Service's Greenhouse.  It will be the same greenhouse you put up in July 2009 with approximatly 85% salvage and recycled materials!

Meet us ¼ mile EAST of Fox Island BEFORE the entrance on Yohne Rd….look for the Save Maumee Banner…Plucking will be on the north side of Yohne Rd.  in the large prairie, Parking on the SOUTH side of Yohne Rd. ~ You wont be able to miss us!  It will be free because we will not be entering "Fox Island" but we will be able to use their facilities!

Click on picture for larger image!

We will meet here: ALL EVENTS ARE RAIN OR SHINE

What kind of plants will we be plucking? ~ Whatever that is harvestible (NOT GREEN) on this list: Don't worry....we will show you what is what!

IMPORTANT TO KEEP SEEDS SEPARATED!  WE WILL HELP YOU LABEL!

THE FOLLOWING IS EXACTLY WHAT WE GATHERED in 2009
 

Seed able to be identified and gathered at our first Fox Island Seed Harvest;
of course this is not an exhausted list.

Harvested on 9/26/09 and what will be planted on Earth Day 2010 in addition to seed purchased...

In order of AMOUNT collected

*Big Blue Stern & Canada Wild Rye & Indian Grass – 16 lbs (TOTAL of these 3) 

*New York Iron Weed/Tall Iron Weed – 5 lbs

*Bergamot/Monarda – 2 lbs

*Gray Headed Coneflower – 2 lbs

*Milkweed (most of the Milkweed was too green to harvest, but some were) 75 pods

*Yarrow – 12 ounces

*Mullein – 12 ounces

*Switchgrass – 6 ounces

*Common Evening Primrose – 6 ounces

*Prairie Dropseed – 6 ounces
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TOTAL SEED COLLECTED: Approximately 29 lbs!  This will definitely make our area have a diverse variety of plants!

The following in blue is a price list of WORTH of seed collected from Heartland Restoration/Earth Source Inc. 

Big Bluestem: $12/LB                            Save Maumee collected approx. 10lbs = $120

Canada Wild Rye: $14/LB                      Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $70

Indian Grass: $8/LB                               Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $16

Tall Iron Weed: $225/LB                         Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $1,125

Wild Bergamot: $352/LB                        Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $704

Gray Headed Coneflower $105/LB          Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $210

Common Milkweed: $7/oz, $108/LB        Save Maumee collected approx. 15 ounces = $105

Switchgrass: $2/oz                                Save Maumee collected approx.   6 ounces = $12

Prairie Dropseed: $18/oz                       Save Maumee collected approx    6 ounces = $108

So how much is all of this worth in dollars saved by plucking it ourselves?

Approximately: $2,470 WORTH OF SEED!!! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

Not harvestable but present:

Gray Goldenrod
Aster
Blazing Gray-Feather
Lemon Balm

SOME Milkweed was harvested but most was green ~ Monarch Butterflies need this!

            Why? 

• Milkweed contains a chemical called cardenolides – a form of a steroid that is a cardiac arrester (stops the heart).  (Different species of Milkweed have different concentrations)  When a Monarch caterpillar eats the leaves from the Milkweed it ingests the cardenolides that makes them toxic to many vertebrate predators.  For example if a bird ate a Monarch butterfly of caterpillar it would throw up. (Birds know this)  Research has found that Monarchs have high levels of this steroid from having eaten Milkweed so they are much less susceptible to being predated by birds and mice!  Great way to keep the ‘bad guys’ away eh?…We will keep collecting it!

Please write your representatives and tell them you do not approve of past mistakes and want clean water for our future and would support efforts with your kind volunteer time.     

      Please email  Abigail Frost or call (260) 417-2500 if you have any questions or comments.

Please join Save Maumee on Earth Day to celebrate the cleansing of the riverbanks and and rally the community’s awareness about our 3 River’s condition in Fort Wayne. Educational information will be available.