Getting Rid of the Spotted Lanternfly

Eandree/iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)

Looks like the lanterflies do have some local predators, and the number one threat to these pests is birds! Eagle-eyed birders helped scientists discover that chickens, Northern Cardinals, Gray Catibrds, Blue Jays, and Tufted Titmice all enjoyed crunching on these invasive bugs. Researchers created two batches of lanterfly-suet and discovered that birds have a preference, though. They don't like lanternflies that have fed on non-native plants--specifically the tree-of-heaven. Read more here.

Saving the Environment, One Newsletter at a Time

Every month, members of CVAS receive a newsletter in the mail. Did you know that a third of our yearly budget goes to creating and mailing this newsletter? You can save us money, as well as help the environment, by choosing the online option. You will get the same newsletter and the same information, but in electronic form. If you are interested in this option, please go to the bottom of our membership page and sign up. Thanks so much for your help!

When Should You Plant Native Plants? Right now!

As the weather cools, seasoned gardeners are already headed over to their local nurseries to stock up on plants for next spring. Now is the best time to plant native plants! They'll need less water to get going, and nothing beats a cool breeze when you're doing lots of yard work. Click here to read about five native plants you'll want to introduce to your yard today.

Chemung Valley Audubon Society invites you outdoors! With many residents feeling a get-out-of-the-house eagerness after enduring months of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CVAS urges you to consider the benefits of taking a hike. Over the past several years the local Audubon chapter has developed two properties in Steuben County (Northrup Hill & Gleason), as well as a trail at Mark Twain State Park in Chemung County, where you can enjoy outdoor experiences while still following social distancing guidelines.

Hiking and wildlife watching are good for our bodies and our sense of well-being. CVAS invites people to use the trails and to enjoy the beauty and spectacle of wild nature in the Southern Tier. “Birding is an inexpensive, healthful, always entertaining outdoor activity that heightens one’s awareness and understanding of the environment and can be done anytime, anywhere,” noted Bill Ostrander. A lifelong birder and Chemung County resident, Ostrander leads Audubon walks that help people learn about and enjoy our area’s birds.

Northrup Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary is a 24-acre preserve on Learn Road in the Town of Rathbone, Steuben County. The sanctuary’s wildlife habitats including grasslands, early-successional hardwoods, and a white pine–hemlock–hardwood forest that slopes downhill to a wetland. At an elevation of 1,700 feet, the property commands stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The land was given to CVAS as a gift from the Northrup family to be used as a nature preserve. The Northrup Hill Schoolhouse, a structure on the National Register of Historic Places, sits adjacent to the preserve.

The Gleason Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary covers 35-acres on Kelly Hill Road in the Steuben County Town of Caton. It is predominately forested, with a system of trails that passes through groves of hemlocks, pines, and northern hardwoods. A pond and small intermittent streams enhance the sanctuary’s value to plants and animals. The property was acquired with a bequest from the estate of long-time CVAS members Herbert and Virginia Gleason.

Driving directions and information about the trails are on our Northrup, Gleason, and Mark Twain State Park pages. Our trails and activities are open to all regardless of their age, race, religion, ability or gender identity.