Fifty Shades of Green

[caption id="attachment_34152" align="alignright" width="300"] Glenn Jochum[/caption] “ I’m sure this is a yellow-bellied sapsucker. What else could it be? It’s got a yellow belly and it was sucking sap.” Thankfully, bird identification methods these days are more sophisticated than this method employed by nature-challenged sewer worker Ed Norton on the popular sitcom “The Honeymooners.” In fact, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, begun in 1900 by ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, which

[caption id="attachment_39904" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A storm brews over the Kujawski potato farm[/caption] Rambling Through Riverhead's Newest Preserve by Glenn Jochum “When you think of all of the things that could have happened here and didn’t, it’s amazing.” That was naturalist John Turner talking to a group of roughly 30 hikers who responded to an invitation to tour a new 225-acre state park, the Hallock State Park Preserve, in late September.

[caption id="attachment_34152" align="alignright" width="150"] Glenn Jochum[/caption] It’s official: I’m a bird nerd. On a Saturday in late July I joined nine of my colleagues in becoming a Vird Ambassador as part of a new National Audubon Society (NAS) initiative to teach bird lovers to better advocate for these creatures. Kelly Knutson, NAS New York Field Organizer, NYS Headquarters, Troy, New York, presented our certifications. First, a little history. The National

[caption id="attachment_38313" align="alignnone" width="600"] Dendroctonus frontalis, a.k.a. the Southern Pine Beetle[/caption] [caption id="attachment_34152" align="alignright" width="150"] Glenn Jochum[/caption] We are here today to speak with one of earth’s oldest inhabitants, learn about its habits, habitat and maybe uncover some secrets that will help us co-exist with this often grossly misunderstood member of the Animal Kingdom, the Order known as Coleoptera. Here to represent that order is Dendroctonus frontalis, the southern pine

[caption id="attachment_34152" align="alignright" width="300"] Glenn Jochum[/caption] There are many benefits that come from living on the Main Road — snow removal, public water and accessibility to goods and services all spring to mind. But the amount of litter that manages to find its way to the lawns and driveways of houses fronting main thoroughfares is not one of them. If our outer world is a reflection of our inner world,

[caption id="attachment_34986" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The Boy Scout Soil & Water Conservation Badge[/caption] Fifty Shades of Green Conservation Badge Still Has a Lot of Merit by Glenn Jochum [caption id="attachment_34152" align="alignright" width="300"] Glenn Jochum[/caption] There it is, my old green uniform, still sitting in my closet, with the only badge I earned as a Boy Scout, the Conservation Badge. It’s proof that I cared about the environment way back before I

[caption id="attachment_34152" align="alignright" width="300"] Glenn Jochum[/caption] Every April, I am forced to wonder how “green” I am. As a committee member for Stony Brook University’s weeklong environmentally friendly event called Earthstock, I am supposed to be a shining example of all things green.  But for me, it’s a little like Lent, a short break from my usually not-so-eco-conscious habits. I thought I “got religion” when I saw Hugh Downs emcee