Beechmere Diary

There has been NO rain since I planted the 400 tree seedlings. I am growing concerned. The seedlings seem to still be dormant, so I can’t tell yet if it is too dry for good survival.

The blue bells are not as dominant as in previous years, but still are very noticeable. I also saw larkspur, white, yellow, and purple violets, purple trillium, and twin leaf.

The yellow buckeye trees are in full leaf. Unfortunately, the autumn olive is also in full bloom, particularily in the old pasture.

I installed the re-cycled kitchen cabinets. I need to construct one more wall cabinet to fill an empty spot.

When I arrived on Friday, I was surprised to find the driveway was completely dry and even hard. Considering how wet this was last year, this was unexpected and helpful as the pickup was loaded with the recycled kitchen cabinets. I was able to drive right up to the cabin.

The major project for this trip was the planting of 400 seedlings including one hundred each of Cypress, Beech, Pin Oak, and Black Gum. The dry weather that caused the driveway to be drivable unfortunately made the soil in the planting areas to be dry and hard as well. The Pin Oaks were a real challenge as the nursery sent 2′ seedlings with roots that were often 18″ long. I had to make three or four adjacent holes with the planting bar for each seedlings. I am applying a deer repellant called Plantskyd this year in the hope that this will result in better survival of the seedlings. I will need to re-apply this in the fall. I also marked each seedling with a small flag to help locate the seedlings later on.

While I was planting the trees, I came across a gosling carcass. It seems the Canada geese nested at the pond again this year, but the gosling was killed. And I found a dead deer in the planting area that had not been there just hours before. I think this might have been hit on the highway and wandered into the pasture.

There were many wild flowers in bloom. Trillium, phlox, violets, blue bells, twin leaf, columbine were seen. The Pawpaw trees, Redbuds, and Dog Wood trees were all in bloom as well.

I decided to move one bed and the kerosene heater from the bunk house up to the cabin. So, first the first time, I slept in the new and still under construction. The additional space was good. I was not able to set out on the porch because this greatly troubled the Barn Swallow that nested under the porch overhang.

Sharp’s Fork water level is low for this time of year. I spent a few minutes wading and trying to find any mussels. I didn’t find any, but was intrigued by the many trails left by burrowing critters in the sandy creek bottom.

The pond water level is good and the Red Wing Black birds are staking their territories. The tiny tadpoles are back again this year.

ODNR has issued a letter stating that the permit application for Oxford Mining’s Joy Hollow mine has been placed on hold. Oxford has other applications in other areas that have higher priority.

While the S.O.R.E. members are pleased and relived, we realize that while our actions may have had a major impact, the closing of eight coal powered power plants may have been another factor.

Oxford Mining has recently laid off 115 employees at another mine.

In this meeting with ODNR Mining Division staff and with neighbors that surround the mining site, these are the thoughts that resonate for me.

For a mine like the Joy Hollow mine, permits are needed from ODNR, the EPA, the Army Core of Engineers, and from the County and State Highway departments.

It appears to me that each of these organizations proceeds more or less independently.

This could lead to situations where the mine permit is approved, but environmental, flooding, or transportation issues have not been resolved.

It is also seems evident that at no point is there any organization or process charged with weighing the benefits and costs to the community.

It seems to me that this disconnected process is one that should be challenged, but I don’t know how to best deal with it.

I was glad I came down for the meeting and it was good to see the neighbors who share concerns about the proposed strip mine. I was also impressed with the Division of Mines staff, but I fear nice people can make bad decisions.

I checked the cabin and camp site after the meeting. The pond drain was partially blocked. I cleared the cat tail debris. Obviously, I will need to further modify the drain or get rid of the cat tails.

On this visit, we checked the pond drain to make sure it was flowing and to see if there is any new muskrat activity. Last year, the drain plugged up over winter and this seem to have encouraged the critters to make burrows. At his point, there has not been any new burrowing and the newly extended pond drain seems to be working well.

The 2009 Sycamore planting seems to be doing well. Some of these are now about five feet high and are higher than the surrounding golden rod plants.

The driveway and near the cabin continue to be very wet and soft. There are a number of seeps where water come to the surface.

On this visit, I installed insulation and OSB panels in the kitchen area, ran the water supply and drainpipe for the sink, installed the countertop and sink.

The nights now are long and cold. While the days were in the mid sixties, the nights were in the low thirties. I used the kerosene heater several nights, but only to warm the shed enough to allow several hours of reading.

On Wednesday, over 130 people attended the ODNR “Informal Conference” about the proposed strip mine. About fifty people spoke (including me). All but four opposed the mine.

One of the major issues is the water quality of Sharp’s Fork. Ohio University experts tested the water at the headwaters and at our pasture. The results of these samples show the water quality to be very good and just short of exceptional. There were 21 varieties of fish in our location and fresh water clams.

On this visit, I installed an extension of the pond drainpipe to reduce the chance of it getting plugged up as it did last winter. This will also make it easier to locate the pipe if it does get plugged.

I used the garden tractor trailer to transport the table and chairs to the cabin. The driveway is STILL very soft because of the unusually heavy rains this year.

I gathered three buckets of walnuts and dumped these at the southwest corner of the pasture for the squirrels to plant.

We have many pawpaw groves, but I haven’t seen any fruit for many years. I went into the woods looking for fruiting pawpaws. I didn’t find any, but as there are many young trees, there must be a source of the seeds. I will have to look earlier next year.

On this visit, I completed the north side cabin soffit, installed a new gutter on the shed, installed four floor vents, and constructed side panels for the garden tractor cart.

The trees are starting to show autumn colors and the Yellow Buckeye have already dropped their leaves. I see that the sycamores planted in 2009 along the driveway are now above the Golden Rod. The red maples planted in 2010 in the same area are not yet easily seen. I do see some oaks, but not many.

After this visit, Chris and I finally have the cabin fully enclosed, except for some caulking.

The vine that worried me on the last visit is NOT kudzu. The ODNR Biologist suggests Tick-Trefoil, but it looks more like Hog Peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata) to me. When the seeds appear, we should be able to make a better determination. Whatever the vine is, it is still covering an area with spring wild flowers.

I constructed a trailer that can be pulled with the mower. This will help bring materials and supplies when the driveway is too wet. Unfortunately, the fuel pump on the mower quit, so replacing the pump will be needed on the next visit.

I signed a waver giving an individual from Ohio University access to test the water in Sharp’s Fork as part of the attempt to get ODNR to deny Oxford Mining’s strip mine application.

On this visit, I constructed a new base and shelves for the outhouse sink. The old plastic sink fell apart earlier this year.

I tried to work on the driveway repairing the ruts from earlier visits, but the horse flies and the warm weather quickly discouraged me.

There is a vine growing near the bunkhouse that might be kudzu. I have taken picture to send to the ODNR Biologist to identify. There have been several reportings of kudzu in the area.