I recently bought a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Since then, I’ve had many people ask me about my car – both how it works, and what the buying process was like. I can sum it up like this: My car “works” like a regular car except that it runs off of electricity in addition to gasoline, and in the end, I paid less than I would have for a comparable gas-powered vehicle, both in terms of purchase price and long-term operating cost.

Thanks to incentives from New York and the federal government, hybrid and full-electric vehicles are now within reach for most people in the new car market. New York State’s Drive Clean Rebate offers up to $2,000 as a point-of-sale rebate, which means the money goes directly to the dealer and is therefore deducted from your purchase price. The federal government offers tax credits of up to $7,500. The farther a car can go on an electric charge, the higher the rebate and tax credits. And there is a range of cars that qualify, from hatchbacks to SUVs, economy cars to luxury vehicles.

If you are a National Grid customer, you can take advantage of a program that gives electric vehicle owners a lower rate on electricity if they charge their cars during off-peak hours (most electric vehicles can be programmed to charge at a certain time). They estimate this could save an average user $175 in a year!

While there are full-electric vehicles out there that can now go more than 200 miles without needing a charge, there are lots of hybrids like mine that give you the security of a gas-powered backup. And the number of charging stations across New York and the US is growing daily, with phone apps that make it easy to find them. (One thing that has surprised me is how many places offer FREE charging!)

Once you are behind the wheel of your new car, be sure to drive it to Reinstein Woods and take advantage of our solar-powered car charging station. It’s free electricity, powered by the sun! Happy driving.

– Meaghan Boice-Green, Center Director, NYSDEC Reinstein Woods

More than 90 volunteers helped care for Reinstein Woods on the first Saturday in May as part of I Love My Park Day.

These volunteers:

• planted 50 trees,
• repaired 2 trails,
• collected more than 20 bags of garbage and invasive species,
• removed a “new” patch of invasives we found late last fall,
• disassembled a large survival shelter that was an attractive nuisance,
• protected a few dozen trees from beavers by repairing existing wire enclosures,
• spread woodchips on and improved the nature play area, and cleaned our outdoor turtle enclosure.

Friends of Reinstein Woods provided pizza lunch for all the participants.

We are grateful to groups from Geico, Fiserv, Excelsior Conservation Corps, Depew High School Leo Club, Boy Scout Troop 554,  and Cub Scout Packs 451 and 619 who helped alongside individual volunteers. We hope to see everyone again next year!

1) Champion Beech

The bad news: this year we have officially declared the Champion Beech Tree dead. The tree, located along Reinstein Woods’ Beech Tree Trail, was the largest forest-grown beech tree in New York State’s Big Tree Registry.  It had been in decline from natural causes for several years, and at more than 250 years old, it  lived a good lifespan for an American beech tree.

The good news: In September, Boy Scout Oren Forgette of Boy Scout Troop V completed his Eagle Scout project by building a deer exclosure near the champion beech. The exclosure is protecting several young beech and maple trees from being eaten by deer. Some of the young beech trees may be offspring of the Champion beech.

In other good news related to deer exclosures, a new wildflower was discovered at Reinstein Woods! Hiding in a deer exclosure in the sanctuary area of the preserve is tall rattlesnake root (Prenanthes altissima), a plant that is native to New York and is also called wild white lettuce. The particular deer exclosure it inhabits was also built several years ago by an Eagle Scout. This plant, photographed this summer while in bloom, becomes the 198th herbaceous plant species identified at Reinstein Woods!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Battle Against Invasive Plant Makes Progress

Friends of Reinstein had help this year as it completed its third year of controlling an invasive plant known as common reed, or Phragmites australis, that threatens habitats at Reinstein Woods.

In the spring, a crew from the Excelsior Conservation Corps planted trees and native wildflowers in areas of the sanctuary where common reed has been greatly reduced. During the summer, volunteers with the local Youth Build program and Curbell employees also helped by removing young stalks coming up in sites where the plant used to grow. Native wildflowers, including spotted Joe Pye weed, swamp milkweed, and beggar’s tick are starting to flourish at some of the sites. A donation from employees at Bond, Schoeneck and King helped supply some of the plants.

Next spring Reinstein Woods will be training volunteers to be part of a “Strike Force” that will monitor areas where common reed was removed and try to stop any reinfestation.

Snowshoeing in September…faux fly-fishing…pond critters… and exotic animals from the Buffalo Zoo. While these are some perennial Fall Festival favorites, we thought we’d share a little about new things at the 2017 Fall Festival, happening Saturday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Did you know Mrs. Julia Reinstein, Dr. Victor Reinstein’s second wife and a patron of Friends of Reinstein Woods, was the Cheektowaga Town historian for many years? We think Mrs. Reinstein would be excited that one of this year’s new exhibitors is Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village. Another new exhibitor is the US Department of Agriculture’s APHIS program, a group that works to protect the United States from illegal imports of exotic species.

Friends of Reinstein has invited the Yogurt Shack to provide a cool, sweet treat to top off your meal from Boy Scout Troop 500’s food stand. A portion of the Yogurt Shack proceeds will support Friends of Reinstein Woods.

This year’s festival theme is “The Great Outdoors,” and so we’ve added a Wildlife Spotter’s Challenge to the outdoor fun, along with Nature Play Stations for kids! Additional, we’ve invited some special guests to lead short hikes through Reinstein Woods (see the schedule of events).

If you like making things to take home, several exhibitors are offering crafts for kids this year, including Buffalo Audubon Society and Cheektowaga Youth & Recreation. That’s in addition to the nature craft-making sponsored by Reinstein Woods, including pine cone owls and wooly bears!

Like other years, there will be something for everyone, rain or shine. Click here for all the details, and we’ll see you on the 16th!

Summer is not officially over until the Autumn Equinox arrives at 4:02 p.m. on September 22. We know the days get shorter until the winter Solstice – but let’s not think about the “s” word and just enjoy the upcoming palette of color that nature so easily paints for us!

Reinstein Woods will certainly be a hot spot this fall as activities abound to get us outdoors. Our annual Fall Festival is by far our most attended event and has something for all ages to enjoy. I encourage you to attend – it truly showcases Reinstein Woods and all it has to offer.

Friends members can tour the Erie County Saw mill (who knew we had one!) on Saturday September 30. Also, remember that our annual Friends of Reinstein Woods membership meeting is Tuesday, October 17 where you can meet board members and socialize with other members. If you are wondering how the Friends group interacts with NYSDEC both financially and in its day to day operations, this meeting will most likely answer your questions. Buffalo Audubon’s Mark Carra will entertain as John J. Audubon. I encourage members to attend, and if you’re not a member, you can join that evening.

Lastly, our annual art, wine & cheese show Nature’s Gathering takes place Saturday, November 11 at Knights of Columbus on Union Road in Cheektowaga.

I would like to thank everyone for their generous contributions over the past year as the Friends closes its fiscal year in October. Whether you donated to an appeal, bought plants from the Native Plant Sale, or volunteered, you made a difference. I would also like to personally thank the board of directors, volunteers and community partners who attended meetings to begin the process of developing an updated strategic plan. This is an exciting process that will steer the future growth of Friends of Reinstein Woods. We will elaborate more on this plan at the annual membership meeting in October.

Hope to see you soon at the Woods!

Enjoy and Respect Nature,

Terry Boyle