Champion Tree 2016 is here! Do you know of any big, beautiful, or historically significant trees in Alamance County? The Champion Tree of Alamance County program is based on the NC Forest Service’s Champion Big Tree Program. Every two years, Alamance Parks works with Elon students to collect nominations for eligible Champion Trees in Alamance County. The program celebrates and recognizes Alamance County’s most significant trees.
Local citizens can nominate important trees in three categories: Champion Tree, Historic Tree, or Landmark Tree.
-The Champion Tree category recognizes the largest tree of any eligible species. Tree size is measured using a formula that takes into account circumference, height and crown spread. Trees that meet the criteria for the North Carolina Champion Big Tree Program will be submitted for state level recognition.
-The Historic Tree category is for trees that are at least fifty years old, with a verifiable story of historical significance. There are no species restrictions for this category.
–Landmark Trees include individual trees or groupings of trees that hold special value for a community or group. There are no species restrictions for this category.
Nominations for Champion Trees will be accepted from now through November 4th. Nominations can be submitted online at www.championtreeac.com, where you can also find details about the program, a list of eligible species, identification guides, and a list of past and current champions.
The program will culminate in a “Measuring Day” celebration scheduled for November 5th. Measuring Day will be a chance for families and individuals to learn how to properly measure a tree and try their skills on actual trees. If you are interested in joining us for Measuring Day, please indicate your interest when you submit a nomination or contact us at (336) 229-2380 or acchampiontree@gmail.com.
Did you know? Each year, Cedarock Park’s Historical Farm hosts the annual Farm-to-Table Program, presented by the Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Committee. This program is an opportunity for area 4th-graders to learn about agriculture in Alamance County at no charge to the students. 4th-graders from all over Alamance County come to Cedarock Park for two days to learn about how food is grown and produced on a farm and ultimately brought to the family dining table. Students see farm animals, fruits, vegetables, and other plants, as well as farming equipment. They have the opportunity to hear from presenters that work in the industry as they rotate through nine different stations representing various areas of agriculture including dairy, poultry, farm technology, beekeeping, forestry products, beef cattle, field crops, soil and water conservation, and plant science.
Approximately 800 students attend the event each year, which is held in September. After learning about area agriculture, they have the opportunity to enjoy a picnic lunch in the park. You can visit the Chamber of Commerce’s website and check out the Farm-to-Table Flyer for more information.
Programs that help children understand where food comes from are increasingly important in our current world of grocery stores, processed foods, and less time spent outdoors. Programs like Farm-to-Table help kids appreciate the importance of agriculture and make the connection between agriculture and the meals they eat. Visiting farmers’ markets, starting your own backyard garden, involving kids in meal preparation, and teaching them to read food labels are all great ways to help children understand where food comes from. Understanding the origins of food items is also a great first step in teaching good nutrition.
Have you wondered about the new Alamance Parks logo? Why the fox, and what’s that in its mouth?
The new Alamance Parks logo was chosen to reflect unique elements of our parks system and community. We wanted to update the logo to a clean, modern design in line with current graphic trends to help make our park system more visible, but that also incorporated elements reflective of our community and area.
We chose the fox because it’s a unique animal that, while rarely seen, is still abundant in our area amongst our natural places. The leaf in its mouth belongs to the Tulip Poplar tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)– an interesting tree also very common in our area with highly recognizable and attractive leaves. In the badge version of the logo, the “NC” with the star was chosen to reflect the “NC” and star from the North Carolina State Flag. In the leaf icon version, the “AP” stands for Alamance Parks with the star element to reflect North Carolina. We selected these three different designs so that we would have logos that work for any purpose, be it a small square icon on a web tab, or a large badge on a festival sign.
You may also have noticed in the newsletter that there’s a unique logo for each branch of what we do. The Outdoors fox sports a backpack to reflect outdoor recreation activities available at our parks and hiking trails. The Community fox is shown with kits, to represent the families we serve through our Community Recreation Centers and Special Populations Programs. The Athletics fox sports a ball cap to represent our athletic offerings.
Fan of the new logo or just want to show support for your park system? We have bumper stickers and camo Tshirts featuring these designs. If you’re interested in purchasing one, please call (336) 229-2410 or email recinfo@alamance-nc.com. Bumper stickers are $1 and shirts are $15.
If you’ve spent much time at Cedarock Park, you’ve probably noticed the abundance of Bluebirds and maybe the nest boxes scattered around the park. Over the next few newsletters we’re going to feature a plant or animal that you can see at our parks and share a little information about them- the beautiful bluebirds of Cedarock Park seemed an appropriate place to start! The nest boxes around the park are part of a dedicated bluebird breeding program which is monitored yearly to keep tabs on the population.
When you visit, the Bluebird you’re seeing is the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis). There are also Western and Mountain Bluebirds, but they do not occur in North Carolina. The Eastern Bluebird, a member of the Thrush family (Turdidae), is easy to identify and is present year-round in our area. The males have bright blue backs and rosy/beige chests, while the females are duller in color. They have large eyes, plump bodies, and a short, straight beak. They sit alert on fence posts, power lines, and similar perches, from which they hunt their food- mostly bugs. In the fall and winter they will also eat berries. The Mountain Bluebird differs from its Eastern and Western counterparts in that it lacks the rosy chest and is instead shades of blue and gray all over.
Bluebirds like to live in habitats called “edges”- that is, open areas that also have a treeline. Suburban parks, golf courses, roadside fields, and similar places provide just the right place to live. They nest in provided boxes or in tree cavities, often in abandoned woodpecker holes. The bluebird song, which you can hear several samples of here, is low-pitched and made up of several notes. Next time you’re in the park, stop to listen and see if you can hear it! Another member of the thrush family that we have at our parks is the Wood Thrush, which you’ve likely heard if you’ve ever hiked the trails. They have a notably musical, flute-like song that is very distinctive and quite different than the bluebird’s more warbling, harsher notes.
Bluebirds photographed at the Cedarock Historical Farm.
Quick Facts
-You can attract bluebirds to your home and garden by building a bluebird nest box if you have open spaces with a treeline. Instructions for building your own nest box can be found here. Make sure to attach a guard to deter predators. You might have noticed the metal cylinders underneath the boxes in the park- these are predator guards that help keep out snakes and the like. This black rat snake, no doubt hoping for an egg breakfast, was pulled out of a cylinder by one of our staff members.
Black rat snake removed from the nest box guard under a bluebird box.
-To attract Bluebirds to your bird feeder, you will need to provide mealworms, as they are mostly insectivorous and won’t take seed. It can be difficult to attract them to feeders, so don’t despair if it doesn’t work well.
-Bluebird populations declined and were in danger in the early 1900s due to competition from invasive species and habitat loss. But, thanks to the dedicated efforts of bluebird trails and nest box campaigns that began in the 1960s, bluebird populations have recovered and they are no longer considered a species of concern.
-Bluebirds can spot the insects they eat from a height of 60+ feet! They favor caterpillars, spiders, crickets, and other bugs. They will suddenly drop from their perch to snatch their prey off the ground.
-A female Bluebird can lay 1-3 clutches of eggs per breeding season. Babies from the later clutches may stay with mom and dad throughout the winter. Bluebird eggs are light blue, just like a robin’s egg.
More Info
If you’d like to learn more about Bluebirds, or any other bird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website is a fantastic resource. There are also great smartphone apps for bird identification. For a review of the various apps available, check out this article from audobon.org. These are a great supplement or replacement for paper field guides and some apps even have song recognition features. There are also excellent field guides for identifying birds, including publications from National Geographic, the Audobon Society, and the Sibley Guide to Birds. You can find these guides, ranging from laminated pamphlets to full books, at bookstores, museums, online, or at your local library. If you’re really interested in learning more about birds, the only other bird watching tools you might want are a decent pair of binoculars and a journal to record your observations in.
Champion Tree 2016 is here! Do you know of any big, beautiful, or historically significant trees in Alamance County? The Champion Tree of Alamance County program is based on the NC Forest Service’s Champion Big Tree Program. Every two years, Alamance Parks works with Elon students to collect nominations for eligible Champion Trees in Alamance County. The program celebrates and recognizes Alamance County’s most significant trees.
