​Environmental Educator is one of Michael Caduto’s many impressive credentials. Michael travels around the world educating people about important topics such as riparian buffer zones which was the topic on a blustery afternoon in May in Eastman.  Michael led a group of 25 intrepid folks on a walk along the riparian buffer zone located between South Cove Beach and East Lake Beach.  Michael pointed out that the gusty winds clearly showed the areas where the water was slapping onto the shore resulting in lots of organic matter compared to the clear water beside areas with trees, shrubs, and plants. Algae bloom is one of the potential results of organic matter and nutrients entering the water. Plants are needed to slow down the rain so it safely seeps into the ground.  An added benefit is that the roots absorb pollutants. 
 
The good news is that the solutions are right next to the problems. Michael encouraged us to "look around and see what is growing successfully." He gave an example of a nearby willow tree and suggested that hundreds of little willow branches could be stuck in the ground, many of which would grow. He recommended that invasive species gradually be replaced with native plants like serviceberry, yellow birch, hobblebush, and dewberry.
 
One of the worst erosion areas on the walk was at the entranceway to the lake trail at the East Lake Beach end.  Michael suggested that this would be a good spot to create a rain garden and protect it with a walkway. Michael said that the Natural Resource Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture offers grants for projects such as that.
 
To learn more about Michael Caduto and his important work visit his website at www.p-e-a-c-e.net     

Moth Balls? ​Yes. Just as there is a Christmas Bird Count and a Fourth of July Butterfly Count, there is a Moth Week where families, communities, and science centers hold Evening and Midnight Moth Balls where white sheets are spread out and lights kept on to attract moths and make them easier to see and photograph. Some use incandescent and UV (Black) Party lights, and some even sport a professional’s Mercury Vapor light, but you don’t need one. 
 
To get involved, leave all your outdoor lights on (normally a no-no) until bedtime to see what is in your neighborhood (from July 22nd to 30th). Take phone photos, identify them with iNaturalist, and SHARE them with iNaturalist so that they can be counted. And if you didn’t SHARE your Pollinator Week discoveries with iNaturalist, you can do it now. Your GPS will identify the place and time of your photo. They will still count.
 
For more information, check out https://nationalmothweek.org/
 
And don’t forget that New Hampshire’s First Annual Butterfly Monitoring Project using 
iNaturalist goes right through the fall.
 
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nh-butterfly-monitoring-network