8
in other words
march21
2013
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Become a Weather Watcher
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University Extension
Service - Columbia County
Be a Weather Watcher – Participate in
CoCoRaHS
CoCoRaHS is an acronym for
the Community Collaborative Rain,
Hail and Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is
a unique, non-profit, community-based
network of volunteers who measure
precipitation in their own backyards.
There are volunteers in every state
who collect and report data, providing
scientists with important data that
supplements that which comes from
existing weather stations.
As we all know, rainfall patterns
can be quite variable. It may rain hard
at one location and be completely dry
only a few miles away. With more data
coming from many locations, scientists
can develop better precipitation maps
and over the long term, better forecasts.
In Oregon, CoCoRaHS is
coordinated by the Oregon Climate
Service which is housed in Corvallis at
OSU. According to the Oregon Climate
Service, more CoCoRaHS volunteers
are needed in rural areas, especially in
areas with elevation changes. Currently
there are only a few active stations
in Columbia County. We have had a
rain gauge set up at our office since
last December and it has been fun and
educational. Our record rainfall since
then has been 1.52 inches on December
20th!
It is easy to participate in
CoCoRaHS. All that is needed is a rain
gauge (you must purchase and use the
CoCoRaHS-approved gauge), a place
to set it up, a willingness to check your
gauge daily (or as frequently as possible),
and a computer to log in and record your
data.
OSU Extension encourages our
volunteers in rural Columbia County –
Master Gardeners, Master Woodland
Managers, and 4-H clubs – to get
involved in CoCoRaHS. This April, we
will be putting on several sessions where
you can purchase the rain gauge, learn
how to set it up and read it, and how to
record your data with CoCoRaHS. The
cost of the gauge is $26; because we
are able to order them in bulk, this is
about 25% cheaper than if you were to
purchase one on your own. To register
for one of the following sessions, please
call Vicki at the Extension office, 503-
397-3462.
Monday, April 8th, 10 am – noon
St. Helens (Columbia County Extension
Office)
Wednesday, April 10th, 10 am – noon
Vernonia (Community Learning Center,
939 Bridge St.)
Thursday, April 11th, 10 am – noon
Clatskanie (Clatskanie PUD, 495 E.
Columbia River Hwy)
To learn more about CoCoRaHS,
Columbia Humane Society
Featured Pet
Blue is an approx. 1 year
old neutered male cat.
"Blue”
He was brought to the
shelter by the City of St.
Helen's Animal Control
and had been spray
painted blue, hence his
name. We don't know
just what Blue has been
through but have to
assume it was not good.
He is rather shy and will
need an adopter who is
willing to give him the time to adjust to his new surroundings. Blue's adoption fee
of $90 includes his neuter, leukemia testing, all vaccines, de-wormer/flea
treatment, an ID microchip and a free vet check. Stop by the shelter today and
check out Blue...he deserves a second chance and a great life!
2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens, O: 97051
Phone: 503-397-4353
E-mail: info@columbiahumane.org
Web: www.columbiahumane.org
go to the website www.cocorahs.org.
Dogwood Anthracnose
Dogwood anthracnose is a
springtime disease. The fungus spreads
in warm and wet weather after the
dogwood leaves have emerged. Infected
leaves get brown splotches along the
edges and wood infections can girdle
small twigs. A sure sign that your had the
disease last year are leaves that are still
hanging on. Our three successive wet
springs have made the problem worse.
One
disease
management
approach is to improve air circulation.
Pruning out some of the twiggy growth
common to dogwoods. In addition, it
might be possible to remove other plants
or plant limbs in the area that reduce air
flow.
Fungicides have had limited
effect on this disease. The best options
appear to be Daconil or copper sprays.
These could be applied now and later as
the leaves grow in the spring.
Perhaps the best answer is to
plant some of the resistant dogwood
varieties like Cornus kousa cultivars.
Is it really called popweed?
The star winter annual weed
in landscape beds is a little plant in
the mustard family. Seed germinates
throughout the winter and into spring.
It forms a rosette of basal leaves and
then pushes up a seed stalk with small
white flowers. The flowers mature into
small seed pods that explode when they
are ripe, shooting seed a considerable
distance.
The plant is more properly
known as Little Bitter Cress or in
Vernonia
Veterinary Clinic
Small and Large Animals
Now Open
Mon, Wed & Saturday
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Call for Appointments
(503) 429-1612
Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470
700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR
FOR TOWING EMERGENCIES
IN AND AROUND THE
VERNONIA AREA
START RIGHT. START HERE. SM
Polife and County personnel are required
to use a rotation of available providers,
UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY ASK
for a servife by name.
REQUEST TOWING SERVICE FROM
Weed books you should know
The following are good weed
books for this area:
Northwest Weeds by Ronald
J. Taylor (nice color pictures and good
coverage)
Plants of the Pacific Northwest
Coast by Jim Pojar & Andy MacKinnon
(covers both native plants and many
weeds – very useful).
Weeds of the West by Western
States Extension Weed Specialists
(available from our office – great pictures
but covers a lot of geography and weeds
we don’t have).
Gilkey’s Weeds of the Pacific
Northwest by La Rea Dennis (great
coverage and excellent line drawings
and now sadly out of print).
The Extension Service offers its
programs and materials equally to all
people.
Free Newsletter
The Oregon State University
Extension office in Columbia County
publishes a monthly newsletter on
gardening and farming topics (called
County Living) written/edited by yours
truly. All you need to do is ask for it and
it will be mailed to you. Call 503 397-
3462 to be put on the list. Alternatively,
you can find it on the web at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
columbia/ and click on newsletters.
Contact Information for the Extension
Office
Oregon State University Extension
Service – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway (across
from the Legacy clinic)
St. Helens, OR 97051
503 397-3462
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
Terry’s
Gym
Time to get your MOWERS tuned up
Oil Change • Sharpen Blades
Filters • Cables • Pull Ropes
We pick up & deliver!
Family owned & operated for over 40 years
834 Bridge St., Vernonia (503) 429-6364
Shop Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 - 6:00
scientific terms, Cardamine oligosperma
(also hirsuta).
There is no easy way to control
it. Since it is an annual plant, the only
hope lies in preventing seed from landing
on the soil or preventing the seed from
growing the following winter. Hand-
pulling the plants when they are small
before they go to seed is the best control.
Some people mulch in the fall and feel
that this reduces seed germination. While
I haven’t seen data on this particular
plant, the mustard family is well known
for seed that can lie dormant in the soil
for years.
JOIN
THE TEAM!
503-901-1705
16720 Noakes Rd. Vernonia