In this Issue: Gearing Up for Scarecrow Fest; What Makes Joe Pye Weed Special; WLC Featured in Radio Kingston Interview; Bring Us Donated Items; and SUNday To Cap Off a Great Weekend

Workshops to Add to Festival Fun

4th annual Scarecrow Fest to Feature New Activities

"May my heart always be open to little birds who are the secrets of living."

- e.e. cummings

Join us Sept. 20 at the Comeau's Shakespeare Lawn for a day of free, ecology-focused workshops for all ages as we host our 4th annual Scarecrow Fest. The family-friendly festival runs from 1-4 p.m. with arts and crafts stations, exhibitors, food, and games all spread out across the lawn.

We're kicking things off with a hands-on Seed Ball Workshop, where you can learn about local pollinator plants while using native seeds from the Woodstock Pollinator Pathway and Hudson Valley Seed Company. These seeds have been carefully selected to cold stratify over winter, making fall the perfect time to scatter these bundles of biodiversity. Get your hands a little dirty, have some fun and take home a seed ball to support healthy ecosystems in your own yard. (Please only distribute seed balls on land where you have permission. Information about when to use the seed balls will be available at the workshop.)

Then stick around for more activities including "Bedrock Geology" with Dr. Robert Titus and "Tree Identification at the Comeau" with WLC’s own Melissa Peterson. Plus, there's live music by blues legend Elly Wininger.

From the Ground Up will be bringing its mobile kitchen to Woodstock to sell tasty plates of fresh-made selections. Exhibitors will be looking forward to chatting with you, and you can try your luck at winning one of the raffle items!

Scarecrow Fest is free, but we do ask for a $10 per adult donation to help defray the costs. Parking is free, and the workshops are free.

Mark your calendars now for Scarecrow Fest 2025. Please bring your reusable water bottle and either a blanket or lawn chairs if you'd like to relax on the lawn.

You are also encouraged to bring a white article of clothing to dye with artist Courtney Dudley. She will be working with participants to dye the first 50 items on a first-come, first-served basis. There's fun from one end of the lawn to the other awaiting you at Scarecrow Fest this year!

Native Plant Provides Late-Season Nectar

Joe Pye Weed is Popular with Native Pollinators

We may be in the waning days of summer, but it's the perfect time to see a very special plant start to show its colors. Native to wet meadows and streambanks across North America, Joe Pye Weed is beginning to bloom in the Woodstock area.

"Joe Pye weeds are scientifically known as the genus Eutrochium, which consists of five species, all native to North America," according to Cornell Cooperative Extension. It's a native wildflower with towering stems and fluffy pink-purple blossoms that provides essential late-season nectar for pollinators such as Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, bees and other beneficial insects. Its presence is also an indicator of healthy, undisturbed soil and well-functioning ecosystems. According to the Cornell website, "The ecosystem value of Joe Pye weed lies mainly in its nectar, which it can produce large amounts of, especially with adequate soil moisture."

The plant is named after Joseph Shauquethqueat, a Mohican healer and leader who lived in the late 1700s in what is now eastern New York and Massachusetts, not far from present-day Woodstock. Referred to as “Joe Pye” by English speakers, he was known for his extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and his efforts to foster understanding between Native communities and European settlers during a period of profound upheaval and displacement.

When you encounter Joe Pye Weed blooming along a stream or in a meadow, you're seeing more than just a beautiful wildflower. You're witnessing a living legacy of Indigenous ecological knowledge, cultural resilience and the ongoing role of native plants in supporting biodiversity.

This native wildflower is a perennial that typically blooms from late August to October. If you have a large number of Joe Pye Weed growing in your yard, you can separate the clumps for more plantings in the spring. Until then, enjoy the color and the visitors those blooms attract.

Local geologist and social media influencer Becky Nesel shared her love of rocks, environmental education and conservation on the Aug. 30 episode of "Nature Nuggets" on Radio Kingston.

Have you ever heard of geoconservation? If not, Becky can not only define it but also provide examples of why it matters. We were pleased she discussed it in relation to WLC's preserves. What a shout out to Snake Rocks and its unique geodiversity!

We hope you click here to listen to her full interview, where she explores aspects of climate change, species migration and ecological diversity.

Still Need Volunteers, Donations for Scarecrow Fest

Drop Off Donated Items at Our Office this Week

Thanks to those who have offered to volunteer at Scarecrow Fest. We still need a few more individuals to help us with a variety of activities including team members for the set-up crew, the tear-down crew and parking monitors. We have shifts starting at 11:45 a.m., while others end at 5 p.m. Volunteer shifts are 60-90 minutes to ensure there's time to enjoy the festival either before or after the shift. The festival itself is 1-4 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Comeau in the heart of Woodstock.

We also need donations. Do you have scarecrow essentials? How about kid-friendly craft supplies? We can help you clean out part of a closet, craft bin or kitchen drawer while saving us money and reducing consumption.

We are looking to reuse supplies whenever possible, so please let us know if you have the following materials to donate. We will be taking donations all week. There is a bin on the porch of our office, which is located at 74 Mill Hill Road, right across from Sunflower Market. We will be taking donations through Sept. 18.

• Straw hats: adults or kids
• Flannel shirts: adults or kids
• Paper plates: white only with no design
• Paint brushes: kid-friendly size for tempera paints
• Kids scissors with blunt ends
• Straw to decorate handmade hats
• Pieces of burlap

If you have any questions, please email us here. Thanks for helping us make Scarecrow Fest an eco-friendly event for the whole family!

Join us for our Scarecrow Fest Sept. 20 then join our friends at Third Act Woodstock for SUNday Sept. 21. The festivities for the Hudson Valley will be held in Albany at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center starting at noon. The event is free but registration is required, so click here to register.

SUNday is a national day to highlight the growing benefits of solar power. As the cheapest source of power currently available, it's imperative to continue to educate individuals, businesses, municipalities and governments about the benefits of renewable energy.



According to the website, the upstate New York event will feature panel discussions, an exhibit hall, a songfest and films. "Events in Upstate New York will bring together activists, businesses, workers, homeowners, renters, farmers, students and policymakers to demonstrate widespread support for the ongoing transition to renewable energy," the site explains. "Through arts and music, storytelling, teach-ins, and fun activities for all ages, Sun Day events will showcase New York’s affordable, reliable clean energy future as we leave behind the planet-crushing toxicity of fossil fuels." There will also be a radiant SUNday tapestry in the atrium of the convention center.

Laurie Feiber from Third Act Woodstock noted, "SUNday is the celebration of the power of people, culture and advocacy to celebrate renewable energy. It will specifically spotlight how solar and wind are the most affordable, most reliable sources of energy."

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