The Horizons Village FireWise Chipping Day will be the week of July 18, 2016. Please have all your wood debris roadside by Sunday, July 17.
Be sure to read the latest FireWise Newsletter, which is chock-full of important fire prevention tips and reminders.
Thank you FireWise team!
A little late in coming, but none the less strongly from the heart of the Lower Commons and Firewise Committees!
Thank you all so very much for a fantastic turnout on our 2016 spring work day. We had at least 17 community members participate and the work that was done was substantial, creative and will go a long ways towards keeping our wonderful common lands accessible, beautiful and landscaped for all our benefit. Paths were de-stoned and cleared of overhanging briars. A large dead tree was removed as were many smaller trees in the fields to prepare for our three year cutting of the meadows. Some small invasive tree species were dug out to help diminish their spreading. All the benches were weatherproofed and placed back in their spots. Some productive wild cherry trees were saved from lots of smothering vines. An enormous amount of old wood debris was cleared from around our two big beautiful poplar trees. And to top our day off, we had a fabulous potluck at Ken and Alice’s house!
Please enjoy some pictures of our day and we look forward to doing this again down the road. There are still some ongoing tasks that we didn’t have time for at the workday, so if you have an hour or two to be in our lovely meadow and contribute on your own timing, contact Simona Aronow at saronow@verizon.net or Ken Wyner at ken@kenwyner.com.We can give you some choices from what is still needed, and go out there with you if you like.
Not only did we get an enormous amount of work done in a very short amount of time, but we worked together so well as neighbors and friends! It was a great way to celebrate each other and the ever-so-precious land we have!
Special thanks to Ken Wyner for the great pictures. If you’d like to see more, email Ken at ken@kenwyner.com.
Turkeys, deer, foxes, oh my!
Our neighbors Ben and Dima Holmes installed a game camera on their land. The camera has already captured some fantastic images of wildlife traversing Horizons Village.
Back by popular demand, here are three more photographs of the night sky above Horizons Village taken by resident Gary Strong.
The first image is the Horse Head Nebula and part of the Flame Nebula, which are located south and east, respectively, of the left-most star in Orion’s belt (Alnitak).
The second image is NGC 2403 galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis, about 8 million light years away. Light left this galaxy and headed toward us long before hominids populated Earth. This is probably the closest galaxy not in our Local Group.
The third image is NGC 891, an edge-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Andromeda, 30 million light years away.
Thanks Gary for providing these incredible images and descriptions. Keep up the great work!
Horse Head and Flame Nebulae
NGC 2403 Galaxy
NGC 891 Galaxy
**UPDATES BELOW**
We hope you can join us for the 2016 spring work day in Horizons Village! The Lower Commons Land Committee and FireWise Committee will host the event, which will help maintain the common land and walking trails.
Here are the details:
WHEN: Sunday, April 3, 10:00-12:30.
WHERE: Meet at the two large trees at the top of Cindy’s Meadow (Lower Commons).
WHAT TO BRING: Work gloves; insect spray; layered dressing, including long sleeves and good leg covering; sturdy shoes and a water bottle.
WHAT WE’LL BE DOING: Cutting and digging up small trees, vines, and thorn branches; mowing paths; weatherizing benches; cutting dead trees; moving dead tree limbs; and creating a chipping pile.
TOOLS WE NEED: Clippers (small, medium and large), one or two chainsaws, weed whackers, a wheelbarrow, and shovels.Please RSVP to Ken or Simona if you plan to bring a chainsaw, weed whacker, or wheelbarrow.
After our work, we’ll meet at Ken and Alice’s house at 1:00 (206 Old Turtle Place) for a delicious brunch and time to relax. Please bring a dish to share!
We hope to see you there!
Picture courtesy of Ken Wyner.
With spring upon us, our friends at the Center for Urban Habitats passed along a beautifully illustrated and informative fact sheet about one of our amphibious residents: the Spotted Salamander. These creatures thrive in the vernal pools and wetland areas of Horizons Village. Some grow to be more than nine inches long, and they’ve been known to hide as deep as seven feet underground! Click here to read the fact sheet.
Photo credit: By Camazine at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thanks Corey for passing this along!
To Gary Strong, a Horizons Village resident and amateur astrophotographer, the dark sky above Horizons Village is a gift. Horizons Village has policies that protect our community, but the one that he especially appreciates is the policy that reminds residents to be mindful of the lights they have on at night. Residents are encouraged to only use lights when we need them, and, if we want a security light on at night, we try to have ones that only shine downward. It is because of our community’s dark skies one can capture incredible images like this one of the nebula in Orion’s sword, which Gary took from his front yard.
According to the permit application, which was approved by the County, the resort will include
The HVPOA Board will be closely monitoring this project and working with the developers to ensure that any potential impacts to Horizon Village are addressed.
Image source: “Public Hearing for Four (4) Special Use Permits.” Memo from Tim Padalino to Nelson County Board of Supervisors, January 5, 2016.
Did anyone hear howling last night? We know the neighborhood is home to many different wildlife, and some residents are hearing from a new visitor: the Coywolf.
This hybrid is about 55 pounds heavier than pure coyotes, with longer legs, a larger jaw, smaller ears and a bushier tail. It is part wolf, part coyote and dog (large breeds like Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds).
Learn more about the Coywolf here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/?no-ist
Hat tip Karen and Gary.
**NOTE NEW MEETING DATE**
The next HVPOA Board meeting is scheduled for March 6, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at 637 Horizons Village Road (Tully’s house). An agenda will be provided to the membership prior to the meeting. All are welcome.
Questions? Contact the HVPOA Secretary at horizons.village@gmail.com.
Horizons Village 