Alec Garcia and 20 other freshmen stepped onto the baseball field at Grover Cleveland Charter High School in Reseda for the first time in June 2016. The grass was crunchy and yellow; the dirt, dangerous and unforgiving, chopped into uneven shards from the stampede of weekend soccer games.

But the freshman class was talented and the players were already anticipating a strong senior season, mentally circling March 2020.

9:16 AM, May. 09, 2020 An earlier version of this article said Erika Kerekes older son was valedictorian at his high school. He was salutatorian.

Since our freshman year, we were like, Man, when were seniors were going to be really good, Alec said.

Over the next four years, they played year-round and became family. Thanks to head coach Sid Lopez and a motivated group of parents, the quality of the field new sod, new bleachers, new clubhouse began to mirror that of the team. In two of the last three seasons, Cleveland advanced to the city semifinals. With 14 seniors this year, the Cavaliers had a realistic shot at the L.A. City Section title game, which was to be played at Dodger Stadium.

Alec, a three-year varsity player, had developed into one of the teams most reliable performers. He was a good student, with a 3.4 grade-point average in Clevelands demanding CORE magnet program, but he wasnt a slam-dunk prospect for a college scholarship. A strong spring could cement his future.

I dont want to say that I was riding on baseball for college, Alec said from his Encino home, but I put a lot of effort into [it], hoping that I could get a scholarship.

Column One

A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times.

After L.A. Unified schools shut down, Alec improvised to stay in shape. I was trying to be optimistic and have hope that we would get back into things even if we came back in mid- to late May, he said, because my whole life has been school and baseball, you know? And not having either of them. His voice trails off.

These 14 young men have worked so hard for four years to be where they are, and they were in a great position to compete, Lopez said.

It was something that was taken away from them.

The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted the foundations of daily life. For the high school and college classes of 2020 and their families the catastrophe has left a large, empty space where signature coming-of-age moments should be.

Graduation speeches and senior projects; interviews and internships; grad nights and proms and spring sports banquets all gone, replaced by the monotonous limbo of self-isolation and a spooky uncertainty: What now? What next? When?

Seniors everywhere have lost their bearings.

For years, focusing on academics gave San Pedro High School senior Skye Carbajal a sense of control and comfort. Her life outside school had been turbulent. She was put in the foster system and placed with her grandmother, Liz McConnachie, in ninth grade and the classroom became her sanctuary.

Skyes senior-year schedule started at 7 a.m. and included Advanced Placement classes, college courses, violin lessons and volunteer work through her local Boys and Girls Club. She earned the second-highest GPA in her class and in the fall will attend Pomona College on a full ride. In her graduation speech, she planned to thank her grandmother, who was going to record it and listen to it every morning.

Weston Kerekes, a senior at Santa Monica High School, practices on his bass at home. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his symphony orchestra will miss out on its planned European tour.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Weston Kerekes, a member of Santa Monica High Schools symphony orchestra, had been practicing the bass in preparation for a spring appearance at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin. The orchestra had been planning to perform Beethovens complete Fifth Symphony. Instead, Weston found himself sitting at home, teaching himself how to whittle and paint.

Though Weston, a leading contender for valedictorian, expressed a vague disappointment about not experiencing that kind of final kumbaya when were all getting together and being happy and whatever, he was calmly pragmatic about the sudden change in plans. In fact, hes quickly pivoted toward whats ahead: his freshman year at Yale.

My heads already there a little bit, so thats how Im dealing with not having all that finality.

Westons mother, Erika, had a different perspective and stands as a reminder that the sudden cancellation of senior-year rituals may hit parents harder than their children.

She lamented the lost rites, particularly because her older son a junior music major at Yale and former Santa Monica salutatorian got to have all of those experiences. It feels like theres just going to be a big hole in that photo album for Weston, she said.

Guadalupe Gomez is the mother of Culver City High School senior Diana Martinez, who turned a lifelong Lego fixation into an interest in engineering. Diana was scheduled to attend a robotics competition in Michigan at the end of April. It was canceled, as was the upcoming event she was most excited about her graduation ceremony

Dianas parents immigrated to the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico, and shes the first in the family to finish high school. We all worked very hard to get her where she is, said Gomez, speaking through an interpreter. And now this happens.

Diana and her family arent just disappointed, theyre worried. Diana was accepted into the mechanical engineering program at San Jose State. But when the shutdown started, her father, Arturo Martinez, a chef, lost his job, and Gomezs hours as a housekeeper were severely cut.

Were stumped, Gomez said. What are we supposed to do now? We dont really have the funds.

Dylan Schifrin, center, with parents Lissa Kapstrom and Will Schifrin, was set to stage a senior capstone musical he had written and composed at Yale. That production and his graduation has been canceled.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

For high school seniors with college in their sights, the final events before graduation are supposed to be a reward for a 13-year grind. Theyre a reward for college seniors as well, but many of those students have been participating in another kind of ritual: the launch of their careers. Now, projects and plans have been thrown out the window, leaving soon-to-be graduates scrambling in place.

Dylan Schifrin, a music major at Yale, started writing and composing an original musical as a sophomore. He completed Y2K: A Survivalist Musical for his senior thesis in the fall and recruited close to 50 fellow students to volunteer as cast, crew and orchestra members in a production that was set to open on campus April 2 his 22nd birthday.

It was going to be my capstone experience, Schifrin said.

It also would have offered him an entree into the world of professional musical theater. Schifrin planned to invite industry contacts he knew, including Book of Mormon writer Robert Lopez, and recordings of the production would have provided samples to share with theaters in New York City, where he hoped to start a career.

The loss of both the production and graduation hit his parents particularly hard. Schifrin, an only child, has studied music since he was 4. His parents refinanced the mortgage on their Sherman Oaks home to help pay for his Ivy League education. Theyd booked their flights and hotel rooms for both events months ago.

It was heartbreaking for us, said Schifrins mother, Lissa Kapstrom. Its been a 22-year journey that weve been there for the whole time. This was supposed to be a culmination.

For Leticia Mejia, an immigrant from Honduras, her sons graduation would have looked different but been no less important.

Victor Rojas, who was born with brittle bone disease and has been in a wheelchair most of his life, started at Cal State Northridge in 2014. He almost came undone during his freshman year when his father, who had cancer, died of complications from a routine biopsy. Rojas was lost, attending classes but mentally checked out. I started partying; I started doing drugs, drinking, he said.

He was placed on academic probation and lost his financial aid but a family friend helped him get back on track. Rojas will complete his studies this month.

Mejia, who stopped her schooling after the sixth grade, had been planning to have a dress made in Honduras for the occasion. The family was going to celebrate at a restaurant, maybe Olive Garden, afterward.

Now the graduation has been postponed until at least late 2020. Mejia canceled the dress order. She still hopes to see Rojas graduate, though, and to enjoy a celebratory dinner even if its only at home.

He deserves it, she said.

Christine Tran, a first-generation college student at UCLA, was looking forward to a big graduation ceremony that would signal to her Vietnamese parents what she had achieved and let them know their sacrifices have mattered.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Christine Tran, a UCLA senior, was looking forward to graduation and certain traditions associated with it perhaps most significant, dipping her hand in the inverted fountain, a campus landmark. UCLA students are initiated at the fountain their freshman year and told not to touch it again before graduation, lest it add an extra quarter to their undergraduate careers.

But she also wanted to show her parents what she has accomplished and to let them know their sacrifices have mattered.

Seeing thousands of other students, Tran said, would signal something to them that this is a really big thing my daughter did, to graduate from here.

Her parents, who emigrated from Vietnam after the war, had been working as a carpenter and a seamstress in El Monte. Both of them lost their jobs after the pandemic started and the economy tanked. Now Tran, who works as a law clerk at UCLA, is the only income earner in her family of five. She had to double her weekly hours, from 10 to 20, and cut short work on her honors thesis about cultural perceptions around domestic violence.

Recently, Tran was offered a Fulbright fellowship to teach in Vietnam a dream job but now shes waiting to hear from a U.S.-based fellowship that would keep her closer to home.

Even if I do get these post-grad opportunities Ive been dreaming of, maybe I cant take them because I need to support my family first and it would feel selfish to just leave, she said.

The ending of the script we associate with hard work, personal sacrifices and fastidious planning has been rewritten.

Samir Al-Alami, a senior at UC Riverside, had already said his goodbyes to campus life. On March 6, the political science major got together with friends outside his apartment complex to play soccer and eat shish kebab. They were celebrating the end of winter quarter and bidding Al-Alami farewell before he headed to Washington, D.C., for the University of Californias UCDC program.

Hed carefully mapped out his undergraduate plans so he could spend his last quarter in Washington. He had an internship lined up with Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) and hoped to build connections that he could parlay into a job in public policy after graduating. And Al-Alami, the son of Palestinian immigrants, was looking forward to fasting for Ramadan with a new community of Muslims.

But the University of California canceled Al-Alamis program 13 days before it was scheduled to start. He lost his internship. His last hope, a fellowship that would assign him to a local government job in Riverside, has put the review of applications on hold.

I really truly dont know what Im going to do, he said. Every single one of the plans I made and all of the backups have failed.

Alec Garcia had hoped his last season at Cleveland Charter High School would help him earn a baseball scholarship. He now plans to play junior college ball to catch the eye of a Division 1 school.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Alec Garcia continues to be reminded that his senior year didnt end the way he had imagined. At the moment, he is thinking about enrolling at Glendale Community College and playing baseball there to get the attention of a Division 1 university.

A few weeks ago, he received word that the school yearbook wanted a baseball team photo. But instead of a group shot on the field, this year, each player had to be photographed alone, at home, in uniform. That was just another time where it hit me that its over, and there might not be another chance for us to take pictures of the team, he said. Its really weird.

As Alec posed against a wall in his living room, he considered his shoulder-length hair, which he believed was inexorably linked to his teams success.

His hair was everything, said his mother, Geraldina Garcia. Hed say, Im winning, and I cannot cut it.

But her son was no longer winning his games. He was disoriented about the abrupt end of high school and his baseball family. His whole world has been turned upside down, said his father, Salvador Garcia. I think it was less about not playing baseball and more about belonging to a team. Whatever might have happened, he still treasured being part of a team.

After a burst of anger during a family dinner, Salvador Garcia spoke to his son, hoping to make some sense of a world that has been upended.

Because of the outbreak, Salvador Garcia explained, nothing would be the same going forward even if Alec were allowed to finish his senior year. I dont know if it gave him solace or some kind of warmth knowing that the change was going to happen anyway, but right after we finished talking, he cut his hair. He said, Im pumped. For that moment, he was happy.

That was the biggest heart-to-heart I had with my dad, Alec said. I was just thinking about my hair, and honestly, I had it for other people. It was annoying to wash it, and it took forever to dry, but people remembered me for the hair. So I kept it. Now I was going to do what was best for me. So that night I was like, Im going to buzz my hair.

During the Cleveland baseball teams Zoom meeting the next day, much of the discussion revolved around Garcias shorn locks. Soon after, many of his teammates followed suit, shaving their heads in solidarity. For that moment, Salvador Garcia said, they were a team again.

See the rest here:
For the class of 2020, all those once-in-a-lifetime moments are gone - Los Angeles Times

When she was young, Sheila Aadland couldnt understand why her sister loved gardening so much. Picking up a shovel and getting her hands dirty were the last things Aadland wanted to do.

That changed when she became the mother of two active boys. Gardening became her at-home project while her sons were at play. The kids were outside on the swings, and I had something to do, she said.

That urge to do something culminated in the creation of a garden in a St. Bonifacius backyard that stops first-time visitors in their tracks. Stretching 200 feet along a hillside, the garden is a lush retreat, with a waterfall that tumbles under a bridge through the garden toward a little pond.

The garden is a passion and an anchor for a family that until 1998 was accustomed to moving every few years. Sheila, a physical trainer, and her husband, David, a social worker, had built and sold three houses before they moved to St. Bonifacius. Their practice was to live in a new home, do the finishing work and landscaping themselves and then sell and move on to the next project. Then, attracted by the rolling hills around St. Bonifacius, they found the site for their long-term dream home and garden.

I never thought wed still be here after 21 years, Sheila said. But now I cant imagine leaving.

The St. Bonifacius lot was unusual from the start. Located on a cul-de-sac and naked of trees but covered in weeds, the property was shaped like a pie slice, narrow at the street and widening to a hilly backyard. David had always wanted a pond or water feature, his wife said, and this was the first lot where that made sense.

We took to it right away we loved how it banked up at the back, Sheila said.

Months of planning

The house was built in 1998. Sheila spent the next winter planning, studying books on garden design and plotting out where edging, the waterfall and decks at the back of the house would go. In the spring, even before sod was laid, the Aadlands hauled in 30 yards of wood mulch and spread it where the gardens would go.

Privet, lilacs, amur maples, arborvitae and other evergreens were planted to screen in the backyard and provide a background for the garden. I am the queen of screen! Sheila joked. As more homes were built around them, construction crews that unearthed boulders were happy to let her and the boys load their wheelbarrow and carry the rocks away.

Sheila used the rocks to edge the stream that tumbled down the hill and to add some hardscape to the new garden. When she planted, the plants were small so tiny that in the first year or two, some visitors burst out laughing when they saw a vast sea of mulch pocked by petite shrubs and perennials.

But Sheila had done her homework and knew how perennials multiplied and shrubs grew. The garden soon filled in.

Her plan was to create a garden that was balanced on either side of the stream, so that the plantings mirrored each other. Arborvitae, with their yearlong evergreen interest, provide background in some areas and accents in others. The bright green, fine-textured Holmstrup arborvitae is a screen, while two flashy Sunkist, with layered foliage that turns lemon and chartreuse, draw the eye on both sides of the garden. Smaller evergreens in different colors make the garden interesting even in winter. A favorite is the hardy and slow-growing birds nest spruce.

They are so beautiful with their horizontal branching, and I love the texture, Sheila said. The bunnies like to hang out there.

Tall plants like miscanthus grasses, hydrangeas, heliopsis and liatris are featured near the top of the slope, leading down to shorter perennials like sedums, coral bells and bergenia. Sheila said she adores a tough coral bells called Obsidian, with dark plum leaves that are almost black. The plants have thrived despite being near rock in full sun. But her favorite perennial in a garden that emphasizes texture and yearlong interest is bergenia, a decidedly unfashionable plant whose virtues many gardeners ignore. One of the common names for bergenia is pigsqueak, for the sound the leathery leaves make when rubbed together.

Sheila bought her first bergenia at a farmers market for $1.50. Now she has two masses of the perennial that are 3 or 4 feet across. The plants large, shiny green leaves and toughness delight her.

Theyre like an evergreen; as the snow is melting, theyre there, she said. Theyre such a great rock garden plant, just amazing. The leaves are chartreuse, sometimes with pink or purple. It looks like one big salad out there. And when the flowers come up, its like, whoa! What a surprise!

Pots of color

To ensure season-long color in the summer garden, Sheila puts pots of geraniums and coleus amid the evergreens and shrubs. I love the texture and color of coleus, she said. When the bunnies come and eat all the flowers, what can you do? I have a system; plants with texture and leaves are still there.

As the years have passed, nature has foiled her goal of having a garden that mirrors itself. Parts of the garden have grown shadier, and one side now flowers before the other. But Sheila said she appreciates that, because it extends the bloom time of perennials.

I think I love the garden because it evolves, it grows, and its renewal, she said. Its beauty and nature, and it provides habitat for birds and mice and squirrels and rabbits. Its life. Its where we raised our kids.

Both boys are adults now, and one grew up to be a professional organic gardener who has worked at farms around the world. A few years ago, the Aadlands converted one of their decks into a sunroom that overlooks the garden so it can be enjoyed year-round.

Sheila expects the garden to continue to be a focus as she and David, who built all the decks and patios and did much of the heavy work in the yard, approach retirement.

This is where we have our conversation, she said. It is the center of our lives.

Mary Jane Smetanka is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer, a Master Gardener and a Minnesota Tree Care Advisor.

View original post here:
Twin Cities garden is lush backyard oasis of 'beauty and nature' - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Tadhg MacCarthaigh 54%

Randal g 46%

KIERAN McCARTHY REPORTS

ON Sunday morning, only hours after the final whistle had sounded, Sean Collins was back out working on Tadhg MacCarthaighs field of dreams.

He wasnt resting on his laurels. The grass needed to be cut and Collins was up early to get the job done and dedication like this is one of the reasons why the clubs top-class sod at Aughaville was crowned Pitch Perfect champion last weekend.

Sean Collins has been a constant for the last 30 years, he has helped keep the pitch looking as good as it is, club chairman Kieran Daly said.

We have a lot of work done on the pitch over the years, the likes of Sean and all these fellas have kept it in good shape, so winning this is a great reward for them and all their hard work.

Out of 32 GAA clubs from both the Carbery and Beara divisions, only two were left standing in last Saturdays Pitch Perfect final Tadhg MacCarthaighs Aughaville and Randal gs impressive Ballinacarriga pitch.

This was always going to an epic decider to a competition (run on Twitter polls) that entertained for the past few weeks and we werent disappointed.

Both clubs impressed en route to the last four, and what was noticeable was Tadhg MacCarthaighs late surge in their quarter-final win against St Oliver Plunketts and also the semi-final against Bere Island. They were the comeback kings of Pitch Perfect so Randals would have known they needed to hold a healthy lead heading into the early hours.

Just after the halfway mark in the final, Randals were in command, leading 57% to 43%, but within hours it was level pegging, and all to play for as we headed in the business end and the final few hours of this battle.

After Randal g got Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae onside, Tadhg MacCarthaigh responded with an endorsement from Pope Francis (not the real Pope, granted), as both clubs pulled out all the stops to get the upper-hand.

By the end, and at the 2am cut-off point on Sunday morning, it was Tadhg MacCarthaigh that came out on top, winning 54% to 46% after an incredible 4,109 votes were cast.

The winning pitch at Aughaville had hit all the right notes to win this Pitch Perfect final that had a bit of everything.

It was the players that drove this on, in fairness to them, club chairman Kieran Daly explained.

The likes of Mark ODriscoll, even though he is in Australia, was on the case, Colm ODriscoll was on to some fella in South Africa there wasnt a country that wasnt touched over the last few weeks!

It was great to see some of our ex-players get on board too, fellas in New York and London, and the community response was brilliant as well.

Daly himself joined Twitter last week so he could vote in the competition, and he heard similar stories all over the parish, as they came together to get Tadhg MacCarthaigh over the line.

Even Sean Collins was set up with a Twitter account, Daly laughed, and the further we progressed in the competition, the more people got behind us.

Its great recognition for everyone who has helped keep the pitch in good shape. Two years ago when we had the drought, we watered the pitch every couple of nights there was Liam ODriscoll, Michel ODonovan, Eoin Murphy, different fellas with a tractor and water tank.

We only have the one pitch so we have to mind it. In fairness, any time we ask any locals to help out, they do.

And while Tadhg MacCarthaighs Aughaville sod got the thumbs up in Pitch Perfect, Kieran Daly was keen to point out that there are plenty of excellent pitches in West Cork.

Like every other club, we have some very good people and we are lucky to have them, Daly said.

A lot of clubs invest money in their pitches, clubs could be spending anywhere between 3,000 and 10,000 a year to keep their pitches in good shape. You have to spend that money to keep the surface good, especially in recent seasons with more traffic and matches on the pitch.

Of all the pitches in West Cork, theres one that stands out for Daly.

We played in Bantrys new pitch and I think that when players get the chance to play on it, and more people see how good it is, everyone will realise its a savage pitch.

But, for now, Tadhg MacCarthaighs Aughaville has been chosen as West Corks best GAA pitch after an exciting few weeks that saw over 27,500 votes cast and all the great pitches in Carbery and Beara rightly lauded.

Lets hope its not the only West Cork final we have this year.

Subscribe to the Southern Star'sYouTube channel, like us onFacebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all the latest news and sport from West Cork.

Originally posted here:
Tadhg MacCarthaigh's field of dreams hits all the right notes to win Pitch Perfect - Southern Star Newspaper

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA TV) - Despite more people staying home, plumbing issues can still happen.

The general manager of Loyal Plumbing, Jason White, says business has been about the same during the pandemic, and they're staying pretty busy.

According to White, they've seen more sewer lines getting clogged or broken, and the reason could be people are using their bathrooms and plumbing more often.

Now when workers do go into homes, they're taking extra precautions.

And due to social distancing, the staff started a program called "plumber in a pocket."

If someone doesn't feel comfortable having a tech in their home, they can set up a meeting through zoom, and a tech can walk them through the steps to diagnose problems and try to fix it.

"So that's had some good traction and good results. And it's kind of cost savings for people with the economy and stuff and some people wondering how they will get stuffed fixed. So it's been nice for them to have that," says White.

White says they do about two zoom calls a week and says most people don't want to mess with the plumbing themselves.

Read the original:
Staff at Loyal Plumbing continue to get the job done during the pandemic - Kotatv

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Low Density Plumber Tape Market to Slip Due to Delays in Production Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak - Cole of Duty

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Global Plumbing Fitting Market by Companies:

The company profile section of the report offers great insights such as market revenue and market share of global Plumbing Fitting market. Key companies listed in the report are:

Regional and Country-level AnalysisThe report offers an exhaustive geographical analysis of the global Plumbing Fitting market, covering important regions, viz, North America, Europe, China, Japan and Australia. It also covers key countries (regions), viz, U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.The report includes country-wise and region-wise market size for the period 2015-2026. It also includes market size and forecast by each application segment in terms of volume for the period 2015-2026.Competition AnalysisIn the competitive analysis section of the report, leading as well as prominent players of the global Plumbing Fitting market are broadly studied on the basis of key factors. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on sales by the player for the period 2015-2020. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on price and revenue (global level) by player for the period 2015-2020.On the whole, the report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Plumbing Fitting market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Plumbing Fitting market.The following manufacturers are covered in this report:ViegaVictaulicMeide GroupAnvil InternationalAliaxisLESSOSaint-GobainAllied GroupJM EagleRWCMcWaneGF Piping SystemsHitachiMueller IndustriesJFE Pipe FittingCharlotte PipeUponorPennsylvania MachinePipelifeAquathermPlumbing Fitting Breakdown Data by TypeMetal Pipe FittingsPlastic Pipe FittingsPlumbing Fitting Breakdown Data by ApplicationResidential FittingWater SupplySewage SystemsOil and GasHVACManufacturingAgricultural ApplicationsOthers

Global Plumbing Fitting Market by Geography:

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Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers in Plumbing Fitting Market Report:

Chapter 1: Methodology & Scope of Plumbing Fitting Market

Chapter 2: Executive Summary of Plumbing Fitting Market

Chapter 3: Plumbing Fitting Industry Insights

Chapter 4: Plumbing Fitting Market, By Region

Chapter 5: Company Profile

And Continue

Original post:
Plumbing Fitting Market to be Moderately Disrupted by Covid-19 Outbreak, Owing to Abc Issues - Jewish Life News

An urgent motion for a moratorium on land clearing on the NSW South Coast is before Shoalhaven City Council as a property developer prepares to raze a local forest.

Manyana residents have been protesting project developer Ozy Homes clearing the forest to make way for nearly 180 housing lots, given so much local bushland has recently burned.

The urgency motion mayor Amanda Findley put to council - which requires a report - was passed 12 votes to one.

If the report is supported at next Tuesday's council meeting urgent representations will be put before Planning Minister Rob Stokes.

Ms Findley says clearing of the forest must be halted because the trees offer a refuge for animals who lost other crucial habitats during the summer's unprecedented bushfires.

"There are animals living in there now that have nowhere else to go because the local forest is so badly burned," Ms Findley told AAP.

Bill Eger, 60, has lived in the area for 35 years and recently helped fight fires that blazed through Conjola National Park.

He said it was hard to think he risked his life alongside emergency services and other members from the local community to save land that would potentially be destroyed by a developer.

"After putting our lives on the line, to save these pockets of ground, to have it then taken out by Ozy Homes ... what's the point," Mr Eger told AAP.

"What are we doing here, why are risking our lives to save these endangered species and little critters, if they're going to be bulldozed a few months later."

Mr Eger is particularly worried about the greater glider possums which had their habitat decimated by the Currowan fire.

"It took 22 years for the gliders to come back to the Conjola National Park, they were making a comeback until the Currowan fire wiped out nearly everything in that park," he said.

Ozy Homes was forced to delay bulldozing about 20 hectares of the Manyana forest following the bushfires for three months and set up fauna boxes to re-home native animals.

"The attempts to try and transfer animals from homes in thriving bushland to burned-out bushland is a ludicrous proposition at this point in time," Ms Findley said.

The council is asking Mr Stokes to halt logging until there is a better understanding of the ecological impacts of the fires in the area.

Protesting residents continued to observe COVID-19 social distancing rules on Wednesday morning by running, cycling and doing yoga in case they needed to physically block workers from entering the site.

Manyana Matters spokeswoman Jorj Lowrey said she understood Ozy Homes was to start clearing land on Wednesday and was pleased those plans had been delayed.

Following yesterday's gathering of more than 100 people, Manyana Matters spokesman Peter Winkler said residents would remain on-site throughout the week.

"The local community will remain vigilant and will launch into action if required," Mr Winkler told AAP.

Comment was sought from Ozy Homes and Mr Stokes.

Go here to read the rest:
Urgent call to halt land clearing in NSW - Yahoo News Australia

Demonstrators were forced to use exercise as a means of protest amid the COVID-19 pandemic on May 4, when New South Wales South Coast residents campaigned against the clearing of forest that had been spared from the catastrophic 2019-2020 bushfires.

Developer Ozy Homes planned to develop a 20-hectare area at Manyana after receiving approval for the project in 2008, according to reports.

However, locals were concerned that the development land had become a last refuge for local wildlife that had lost its habitat during the bushfires.

Social distancing regulations in place across New South Wales to stem the spread of coronavirus had effectively banned mass protests, forcing the demonstrators to use exercise such as yoga and walking as a reason to attend the site.

An estimated 312 homes were destroyed and 500,000 hectares were burnt in the surrounding area by the 74-day Currowan fire in late 2019 and early 2020. The blaze threatened homes and forced resident to evacuate to beaches in the area on New Years Eve.

Record bushfires gripped much of New South Wales in late 2019 and early 2020, with over 11,400 bush and grass fires burning 5.5 million hectares, the equivalent of 6.2 percent of the state of New South Wales. Fires burned across the state for 240 consecutive days between July 2019 and March 2020. Credit: Manyana Matters via Storyful

See the original post here:
Demonstrators Exercise in Protest Against Land Clearing on South Coast During COVID-19 Restrictions - Yahoo News UK

One of the most beneficial trees for wildlife is the oak tree. Oaks offer food, shelter, cover and nesting sites for a number of animals. The branches, nooks, crannies and hollow areas in oak trees afford protection from the elements, a place to rest, escape predators and nesting areas to raise the young.

Many animals feed on the small twigs, buds, shoots and leaves of oaks as well. Oak trees attract hundreds of insects and invertebrates that feed on their foliage. These insects attract insectivorous birds, reptiles, frogs and mammals, developing a very dynamic food web within the forest. Because oak trees attract such a wide variety of insects they are considered to be one of the most important trees for woodland inhabiting birds. Oak trees also produce acorns, which are a very important winter food for deer, fox, bear, squirrels, turkey, wood duck and many birds. Animal populations tend to increase or decrease based on yearly acorn production, a testament to the importance of oak trees. As oaks mature, they typically produce more acorns and develop a large hollow area, which further enhances their value for wildlife.

Oak trees tend to be longer lived, slower growing trees that develop best in full sunlight to moderate shade. Acorns may be able to germinate and develop a small tree in dense shade, but the oak tree will cease growing in shady conditions, waiting until it can exploit a gap in the canopy and continue its development. In this holding pattern, the small oak trees are vulnerable to deer browse or they may eventually succumb to lack of sunlight. Trees such as red maple, black gum, hickory, beech, sugar, maple, black birch and hemlock can develop much better in the shade, and they will overtake the young oaks underneath a dense canopy.

Many of the oak forests we now have are a result of former land clearing and logging practices that created conditions beneficial to oak germination and growth. In the past, large forest fires were also much more common throughout our region, giving rise to more oak regeneration. The thick bark oak tree is more resistant to forest fires and more likely to continue growing when the thinner barked maple, beech, birch or white pine tree may succumb following a forest fire. Oak and oak-pine forests are considered to be fire-dependent communities by ecologists.

Many of our present oak forests contain trees in their golden years, and the understory is full of shade-tolerant maple, birch, gum and beech trees. In ecological terms, an oak forest is considered to be intermediate, while a beech birch maple forest is considered to be a climax forest community. This means that in the absence of disturbances as the older oaks succumb to old age, the forest composition will change and the forest will contain more maple, birch, beech and gum, and less oaks. And, the prevailing trend seen throughout the east is that oak numbers are indeed declining. Along with changes brought about by forest succession, factors such as gypsy moth mortality, oak decline and other diseases, feeding activity of white tail deer, logging operations that remove oak and little else, forest fragmentation and invasive plants that overrun the forest thereby suppressing most native plants are all contributing to the decline of oak trees.

To understand how intricately nature interacts, it has been shown that a reduction in the amount of oak trees is impacting numerous forest interior bird species, including the wood thrush and wood pewee. Many of these species are displaying sustained population declines of 3 to 4 percent per year. Other factors contributing to this decline include loss of habitat from forest fragmentation, increased mortality, nest parasitism, overabundance of deer, cell towers, wind turbines and acid rain.

Recognizing that the gradual loss of oak canopy may impact future wildlife populations, plant diversity, and the forest products industry, many foresters, wildlife managers and forest ecologists, etc., are attempting to encourage the retention of oak forests or the establishment and development of oak tree regeneration where it is suitable.

In the fall of 2019, a prescribed burn was conducted at the Pine Swamp area on the Frederick City watershed. The purpose of this controlled burn was to encourage pitch pine, shortleaf pine and oak development by controlling the thin barked maple, beech and birch trees that had colonized the site while reducing fire danger by eliminating some of the downed fuels that were scattered around the site. The burn was deemed a success. Preliminary evidence suggests that numerous young pine and oak trees are developing in the area that was burned in 2017. Besides these silvicultural practices to encourage oak regeneration, landowners can plant oak seedlings and protect their oak trees from destructive insects like gypsy moth to help maintain this majestic tree on our landscape.

More:
Nature Notes: The importance of oak trees | Travel And Outdoors - Frederick News Post

Ever since COVID-19 lockdowns put a stop to tourism, wildlife has been thriving in the heart of the Maya Biosphere, Guatemala, a UNESCO recognised reserve.

The reserve covers a fifth of the country, with El Mirador National Park at its heart. With ancient Mayan cities, tropical forests and wildlife, this territory has been the centre of conservation efforts and initiatives to make sustainable tourism the countrys biggest source of income.

El Mirador has been under constant threat from land clearing projects for cattle ranches, as well as narcotrafficking and wildlife poaching. But major efforts have been made to protect the park through ecotourism, with job opportunities in hospitality for local residents who might otherwise have made a living through hunting or logging.

While the current travel restrictions mean a lack of tourism draws resources away from these projects, animals are being seen more frequently, including large mammals like cats, jaguars, and pumas.

"What the coronavirus leaves me with, is that we really do affect the animals. We do affect the forest," says Gabriel Urruela, photographer and park ranger at El Mirador National Park.

Original post:
Wildlife is roaming the Mayan forests | Living - Euronews