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Bethany Sheffer, volunteer coordinator and naturalist at Sharon Audubon, gives a talk on supporting birds using native plants at the Amenia Free Library Saturday, April 26. The program was put on by the Amenia Garden Club and Conservation Advisory Council as part of Earth Day events.
AMENIA — Watching birds find nourishment in nature can be an enjoyable experience. Supporting them in that endeavor can be even more rewarding.
Those attending a talk at the Amenia Free Library on Saturday by Bethany Sheffer, volunteer coordinator and naturalist at Sharon Audubon, heard about the plants on which birds feast, and gently encouraged listeners to consider adding some to their property.
The program was sponsored by the Amenia Garden Club and the Conservation Advisory Council as part of Earth Day events.
“We do a lot of work with forest conservation at Audubon to improve the environment for the habitat of birds,” Sheffer said. “That provides a long impact of feeding birds throughout the year.”
Her talk was accompanied by a PowerPoint filled with images of colorful birds and their habitats. She listed the various types of offerings for birds, including those under the category of hard mast, such as nuts and seeds. When Sheffer asked what birds would benefit from those items, she was delighted to find the audience so knowledgeable. The answers were bluejays, wild turkeys and wood ducks, noting that such things as acorns and hazelnuts provide 80% of their winter diets.
Dry seeds, which are a bit softer and found on maples and birches, are attractive to cross beaks, chickadees and cardinals, while flowers, buds, pollen and nectar on sugar maples, dogwoods and oaks, provide sustenance for orioles and scarlet tanagers due to the insects that inhabit them.
Turning to soft mast, which are fruits and berries, Sheffer described the plants that contain them, such as black cherry for thrushes and robins, red cedar for ruby-crowned kinglets and American holly, for hermit thrushes, bluejays and chickadees. She shared that berries are not that nourishing for birds.
Properties containing wetlands are often a good source of food for birds. Dispelling the myths surrounding the Virginia creeper and poison ivy, Sheffer said they don’t strangle trees and bring them down. “If you don’t come in contact with them, leave them be to offer food for birds.” When she asked if anyone has Virginia creeper in their yards, she elicited a loud round of laughter. “Is there anyone who doesn’t?” asked one audience member.
Sheffer said trees and shrubs not only provide food for birds, but cover as well. She also broached the subject of insects, which help sustain the bird population. Passing on some statistics, she noted that 96% of birds feed insects to their young. She surprised the audience with the fact that nesting chickadees eat 390 to 570 caterpillars a day and over 9,000 until they fledge.
Sheffer recommended apps that might be of interest to gardeners, including PictureThis and iNaturalist.
AMENIA — Having agreed upon goals at previous meetings in January and February, the Economic Development Committee set about discussion of early steps toward making progress at its meeting on Monday, April 21.
Envisioning the town becoming a destination for visitors, committee chairman Ken Topolsky saw a need for coordination among other town committees sharing the same or similar goals. He described that coordination as key to progress.
“What can the town offer and where would the town put it,” was an early discussion question asked by Topolsky, adding that the committee is not ready for implementation of plans but rather to envision the type of thing that could be possible.
Goals identified at the previous meeting in early February included parking, a farmers’ market and a cell tower to expand phone service.
“We need to look at how to publicize features, particularly outdoor attractions,” Topolsky said.
Discussion turned to the work of the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee, summarized by that committee’s chairman, Bill Flood. He reported that a town-wide public input session is scheduled for Monday, June 9, at the Town Hall, coordinated by the Pace University Land Use Law Center’s collaborative consultants, Nexus Creative Design.
Town Board liaison Rosanna Hamm commented that the initial presentation by the consultants at a recent meeting of the Town Board demonstrated a good amount of energy toward completing the task.
Topolsky praised a recent meeting of town committee chairpersons who shared their views of town goals relative to the work of their committees. He noted that each committee seems to be focused on the same community issues, citing parking, housing and wastewater solutions.
The work of the Economic Development Committee, Topolsky said, might be to create a structure that will provide guidance to developers, helping them navigate through various community, county and state requirements.
Committee member Damian Gutierrez agreed that it is best if multiple committees work as a group and approach the Town Board with resulting thoughts.
“We don’t need to restrict ourselves,” Gutierrez said, however, cautioning against an anticipatory approach that would be overly deferential to other committees.
Seeking consistency of structure, committee member Tom Buttacavoli said that once there is a vision, then the lines of communication among committees would activate.
Gutierrez suggested that the Town Board should create clear guidelines for each involved town committee to define or clarify the scope of responsibility for each. He also saw value in inviting local business leaders to Economic Development Committee meetings to hear from them about their experience and current challenges needing attention.
Some of the local volunteers who planted a native tree on Arbor Day, Friday, April 25, gathered around the tree for a photo to mark the occasion. Left to right are Ana Hajdak, Maryanne Pitts, Christy Gast, Leo Blackman, Ken Monteiro, and Vicky Doyle.
WASSAIC — Local tree enthusiasts assembled in Wassaic village center to plant a young tree at the entrance to the rail trail in observance of Arbor Day.
The event on Friday, April 25 was co-sponsored by the Amenia Conservation Advisory Council and the Amenia Town Enhancement Committee.
Volunteers were attracted to help with the project led by Maryanne Pitts, CAC member. Some set to work to accomplish the task, others advised, and still others photographed the progress.
Bringing a wheelbarrow to the session was Wassaic resident Edwin Erreyes who saw the group of volunteers and wanted to help.
The new tree, a bur oak donated by the Amenia Garden Club, replaced a non-native dogwood that had failed to thrive at the location.
Garden Club president Ken Monteiro noted that the bur oak, native to eastern North America, produces acorns, each sporting a tiny burr.
“Oaks are a key help to native species, including their tendency to host insect larvae that feed birds,” Pitts said before the work began. “Birds need to feed their young the caterpillars because very young birds do not eat seeds,” she added. “They need protein.”
Pitts said that the interval between the egg and the fledgling is only two weeks in duration.
“So, it is critical that they have native trees and shrubs available to them,” Pitts said, adding that she is a supporter of the Homegrown National Park program.
“The gardens of today are the natural world,” Pitts commented. “Everything else is choked with invasives.”
As Pitts is working toward earning a designation of being a “Tree City,” she said that 2025 is the first step in what will be an annual event.
“We’ll do it every year,” she said.
Nancy (Case) Brenner
CANAAN — Nancy (Case) Brenner, 81, of Canaan, passed away peacefully in her sleep at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, following a long illness on Good Friday, April 18, 2025.
Nancy was born on April 10, 1944, to the late Ray Sargeant Case Sr. and Beatrice Southey Case. She was the second youngest of five children, predeceased by her three brothers, Ray S. Case Jr., David E. Case and Douglas C. Case, and her sister Linda (Case) Olson. She grew up in New Hartford and Winsted, where she graduated from Northwestern Regional 7 High School.
Nancy is predeceased by her husband and the love of her life, Thomas E. Brenner. Often nicknamed “the love birds,” they were true soulmates and shared many wonderful years together filled with love, laughter, travel and family. Nancy is also survived by 11 nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly — Lori, Richard, Kathleen, Kevin, Debbie, Karen, Carrie, Jennifer, Tom, Scott and Kimberlee. She was a special aunt leaving behind so many happy and joyful memories. She never missed attending her nieces’ and nephews’ special events.
Nancy worked for over 20 years at Raynard and Pierce in Canaan. There she made many friendships and brightened the day of everyone who went through the door greeted by her smile and jovial spirit. Nancy was a loving wife, daughter, aunt and friend and will be missed by all who’s lives she touched.
A graveside service will be held at Collinsville Cemetery on Huckleberry Hill Road in Canton on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 11 a.m. followed by a reception at 5 Cherry Brook Road, Canton. Memorial donations may be made in Nancy’s name to the Berkshire Humane Society, 214 Barker Road, Pittsfield, MA 012011, where Nancy adopted her loving cat and faithful companion, Dusty.
