SHERMAN ROAD PRESERVE UPDATES

NEW RESIDENTS - Sherman Road Preserve has thousands of new residents! A local father/son beekeeping team recently moved two honeybee hives to the preserve. Did you know that honeybees pollinate 80% of our flowering crops, which constitute one-third of everything we eat? In the past decade Colony Collapse Disorder has greatly diminished honeybee populations. You can help improve honeybee survival by avoiding applying pesticides during mid-day hours when honeybees are most likely to be out foraging for nectar and pollen, and by planting pollinator-friendly plants like red clover, foxglove, bee balm, and other native flowering plants. Learn more at www.ars.usda.gov.

STREAM RESTORATION - Near the eastern edge of the preserve is a channelized headwater stream of the Chagrin River. GMLC would like to see this stream and its riparian zone restored to a more natural state; we’re working with Chagrin River Watershed Partners (CRWP) in this effort. In June CRWP applied for a $50k grant from the U.S. Forest Service on our behalf. If we are awarded the grant, CRWP will lead the project. Invasive species will be removed and native trees, bushes, and shrubs will be planted along the banks. The Senior Watershed Manager at CRWP, Christina Znidarsic, will be the guest speaker at this year’s Annual Dinner and Member Meeting in September. Learn more about CRWP at their website, www.crwp.org.