For forest owners interested in how to fell trees safely and efficiently. Details about how to maintain your chain saws' edges for productive work, where and how to notch a tree for directional felling, using wedges, and working safely alone. This class is very unique because it includes extensive hands-on practice cutting trees with your own equipment under the guidance of a professional logging instructor.
Participants must bring their own lunch, chain saw, and all available safety equipment — helmet, ear/eye protection, boots, gloves, and chaps. Entire class is outdoors, rain or shine.

Only 10 participants per class, so register early! Call (607) 535-7161 to register or for more information. Co-hosted by New York Forest Owners Association - Southern Finger Lakes Chapter and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Fee: $130 per person; $80 for NYFOA members.

An over abundance of flies will reduce milk production, decrease rate of gain and increase the risk of transmitting diseases such as pink eye and mastitis. Fly control begins in May, as it is important to reduce the parent population before they have the opportunity to reproduce.

To learn more about controlling flies and parasites, please attend a pasture walk Thursday, May 20, 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the farm of Bill and Joanne Casey on Berry Road, just off of Route 80, approximately 4 miles east of Tully (Route 81) or 3.4 miles west of Fabius (Route 91).

For more information contact Fay Benson (607-753-5213) CCE Cortland County or Bobbie Harrison (315-424-9485 x 226) CCE Onondaga Co. To pre-register, contact Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078.

This event is sponsored by Graze New York, a collaboration of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Soil Water Conservation Districts, NRCS and Congressman James Walsh.

The Northeast Natural History Conference will focus on the varied aspects of natural history, particularly biology, anthropology, and geology. This conference is unique because it addresses a broad scope of topics, appealing to researchers with many divergent interests.

The program includes a keynote speaker, workshops, paper and poster sessions, field trips, an illustrators gallery, book market and a banquet. A number of sessions will be open to contributed papers as well. The number of concurrent sessions will be minimized to reduce conflicts.

Attendance at the last conference in 2002 was just over 400 people, with 143 oral presentations and 79 poster presentations. We expect this year's Northeast Natural History Conference to be an even bigger event.

Clean Green Workshop
6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Rural Urban Center, Montour Falls.
Learn about proper storage and handling of household hazardous products, plus alternatives for use in your home. Take a homemade, non-toxic cleaning remedy home with you. Please register by calling (607) 535-7162.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension SCNY Agriculture Team announces a special twilight meeting for vegetable and produce growers interested in early and late season extension techniques. Owego grower Frank Wiles is using a combination of row covers, transplanting, and high tunnels to grow early season tomatoes, sweet corn, carrots, raspberries, and squash. This evening tour will give farmers the opportunity to see how these materials and structures are used and ask questions. This meeting is the first in a summer series of meetings and workshops called "Farm Innovations."

Location: 3965 Waverly Road - 1 mile west of Owego, NY on State Route RT 17C.
To Participate: Please pre-register by calling (607) 272-2292 so an adequate number of handouts are prepared.
Fee: No fee.
Questions: Please contact Monika Roth (607-272-2292) or Jim Ochterski (607-535-7161).

Amphibians and Reptiles 101 - Arnot Forest, Van Etten, NY
In this course you will be introduced to the unique biological characteristics and unusual life cycles of reptiles and amphibians. Learn about the habitats of these animals, the important roles they play in the ecosystems in which they live, and the reasons many of these animals are declining worldwide. This 2-hr workshop has both indoor and field components.
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Pre-registration Deadline: June 9
Cost: $15/person, $5/child with accompanying adult

Please refer registration and direct questions to:
Kristi Sullivan, Cornell Dept. of Natural Resources, 109 Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Telephone: 607-255-5508
Email: kls20@cornell.edu

NYSFDMA Bus Tour of Watkins Glen Region
9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Pre-tour dinner co-hosted by NYS Small Scale Food Processors
Registration costs for NYSFDMA members are only $50 per person for the tour and $15 per person for the pre-tour pig roast. Non-members, please add $10.
Special thanks to Stokes Seeds Inc., Putnam Plastics, and Harris Seed Company for sponsoring the 2004 NYSFDMA Summer Bus Tour and Sofco, Inc., the corporate sponsor of the NYSFDMA.

For nformation or registration, call NYSFDMA at 315-475-1101 or e-mail at diane99@dreamscape.com. Registration for the tour includes lunch, wine sampling and organic goat cheese sampling. Registration for the pre-tour pork roast includes the dinner, sampling of foods from the NY Small Scale Food Processors Association and the evening discussions led by Jim Ochterski of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County.

The tour begins on July 13th promptly at 9am and concludes on or about 5pm. Follow Route 409 west from the village of Watkins Glen. Turn right onto County Line Road for 2 miles onto Ellison Rd to Reisinger’s Apple Country. The pre-tour pork roast begins at 5pm, but come and enjoy a day with your family at the Glen before joining the rest of the group at 5pm. Watkins Glen State Park is on Route 14 north of the village of Watkins Glen.
1. The tour begins at 9am at Reisinger’s Apple Country in Watkins Glen, NY.
2. From there the tour proceeds to Tickle Hill Winery in Hector, NY. Tickle Hill, run by Tim and Valerie Rosbaugh, is a small family operation. Their wines are all made from native grapes.
3. West Haven Farm, operated by John & Jennifer Bokaer-Smith, is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm. They are a 10 acre certified organic farm with mixed vegetables, fruits and fresh cut flowers.
4. Lively Run Goat Farm in Interlaken, NY. Lively Run Goat Dairy is home to about 100 goats, including Alpine, Nubian, Saanen, and South African Boer Breeds, as well as cross breeds.
5. Hazlitt 1852 Winery in Hector, NY. Hazlitt 1852 Winery offers a large assortment of wines in a rustic tasting room overflowing with antique tools, Indian artifacts and memorabilia of days gone by.
6. Skyland Farms Craft Gallery & Café in Hector, NY. Skyland Farms features beautiful displays, lighting, music, a goat walk, 200 local artists, gardens, cut your own bouquets, café, a two story tree in the café and great atmosphere.

The Pre-Tour Pork Roast will be hosted by NYSFDMA, co-hosted by the NYSSFPA and sponsored by Stokes Seeds Inc., Putnam Plastics, and Harris Seed Company. We’ll dine on Tom and Gloria Giles’ Maple Valley Farms roasted pork, samplings of New York State foods sponsored by the NY Small Scale Food Processors Association, and the flavorful food of Debra Whiting, chef of Red Newt Cellars Bisto and President of the Fingerlakes Culinary Bounty, including a special dessert of mixed berry cobbler!

Objective
This meeting is intended to provide land managers and researchers with state
of the art information on ruffed grouse ecology and management in the
Central and Southern Appalachians. The research and management information
comes from the recently completed Appalachian Cooperative Grouse Research
Project. The study investigated aspects of the life history, ecology, and
management of ruffed grouse over 6 years in 8 states.

Date and Location
The meeting will be held at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC)
in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on August 25 and 26, 2004. Directions to
the meeting can be found at http://www.training.fws.gov.

Lodging and Meals
Lodging and meals for the workshop are available at the NCTC. The cost for
lodging (8/25) and meals (dinner 8/25, breakfast 8/26, lunch 8/26) at NCTC
is $115. Separate meals may be purchased at the NCTC Cafeteria. Call
877-706-6282 to reserve a room. Reservations must be made before June 15,
2004. Other lodging and meal accommodations are available locally in the
Shepherdstown area.

Questions
Contact Gary Norman for additional information at normang@dgif.state.va.us

Other conference highlights include the presentation of the Madden Award to
an outstanding sustainable farmer and a meeting of the Northeast Sustainable
Agriculture Working Group. The keynote speaker will be Russ Libby of the
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; the closing speaker will be
Bill McKibben, author and scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College.

To see a conference schedule, go to www.uvm.edu/~nesare and follow the
"Northeast SARE conference" link. Registration materials and a detailed
conference schedule will be available in mid-spring.