ONHS has northern monkshood inspection and seed collecting trips planned this month for two different populations. A few young plants that were propagated and planted at one of the sites in June, and it is hoped that they will survive and eventually set seed. ONHS is obtaining a lot of outside input and advice on restoration/replanting from other professionals before expanding the work. The NY Natural Heritage Program referred a photographer to ONHS who wants to photograph the monkshood, and will make the photographs available to ONHS. Bonnie reported that her PhD molecular genetics work on northern monkshood is making progress.

No update

ONHS has been expanding the hemlock woolly adelgid survey sites this year; using maps to visit new hemlock stands throughout the Esopus watershed. They may or may not revisit the same roadside locations as in previous years, as time permits. Virtually all of the hemlocks in the Peekamoose Valley along the road are dead or dying. They will survey hemlock stands on the upper slopes of the valley to see if the adelgid has spread to the higher elevations and locations away from the road. In general, the adelgid is not being found in many locations this year (perhaps a result of the longer winter we had). The U.S. Forest Service invited ONHS to submit an article on the adelgid monitoring for their adelgid newsletter.

The Biodiversity Research Institute notified ONHS that the 2004 project for collecting moths across the Southern Tier region of New York will not be funded, but they were invited to apply again for 2005. This year ONHS is collecting moths in the Catskills under a BRI grant.

The Heinz Center in Washington D.C. ultimately decided that they were not yet ready to engage in regional Ecosystem Indicators initiatives, which the Catskill Institute for the Environment had proposed to take on for the Catskills.

Alan White, director of the new Catskills office of The Nature Conservancy, gave an update on the progress of TNC's work in the Catskills since their office opened in April. TNC has shifted from a species-driven approach to conservation to a systems-driven approach. Their priorities in the Catskills stem from a two-year assessment process involving many regional stakeholders, including ONHS, and include protection of unfragmented forests, river systems and diadramous fish populations, wetlands, rare and endangered plants, and timber rattlesnake habitat.

Frances and Diane mentioned that they are doing a butterfly talk on August 16th for the John Burroughs Natural History Society. Aaron and Chris announced an upcoming Catskill Center hike to Vroman's Nose in Schoharie County, led by Catskills Geologist Robert Titus; on August 23rd.

Julianne Lutz-Newton from the Woodchuck Lodge Inc. board of directors invited ONHS to participate in this year's Woodchuck Lodge Days, September 5-6, and Dr. Adams will be leading a hike on that Saturday with the theme of "Biodiversity and the Changing Landscape".

Steve Parisio, Mike Kudish, Jamie McGinnis, and Dr. Adams were conducting a botany survey at Beech Mountain/Hodge Pond when they saw what appeared to be dwarf mistletoe in a hemlock tree. This is a parasite common to spruce trees and on hemlocks out west, and it can cause severe damage. If this spread in the east it could be yet another assault on the health of our hemlocks.