Sign ups for the project take place from March 1st to the end of February and the actual observations occur from November through early April. Birdwatchers are instructed to count the types and number of birds in an area at a certain point in time. This approach keeps participants from counting a bird multiple times and allows for flexibility in scheduling.

Those who take part in the count receive some great tools and information. The package sent to participants includes a tally sheet, a publication on feeding birds, a calendar, a poster to aid in identifying birds, and instructions on all of the above. The annual fee is $15 which covers most of the expense of the operation, and includes a newsletter subscription.

Information gathered by Project FeederWatch appears in science journals and is studied by scientists and bird enthusiasts throughout the country. Those who participate are contributing to valuable research and the conservation of bird species. They also gain a better understanding of local birds that frequent the neighborhood.

FeederWatch is definitely an equal opportunity event. Participants come from every background and walk of life: Retired persons, youth organizations, nature centers, birdwatching clubs, kids, school classes, and individuals. Learning opportunities abound for both groups and families. The bottom line is that anyone who admires birds is welcome to join.

Participants are free to choose how much time they invest. Organizers of the project provide many options for when and how long to count birds. As the main approach is to provide numbers for a set span of time, those with busy schedules and small amounts of recreational time can still provide meaningful results.

The location for counting can vary though it must be consistent. An area with a bird feeder or birdhouse can be ideal, though any bird-friendly part of the yard will suffice. If one enjoys watching birds, they will certainly know where to find them. The FeederWatch materials provide good guidance on picking a location and other aspects of the count.

Project FeederWatch is a win-win for those with a love of birdwatching. One can admire these beautiful creatures while providing a meaningful contribution to their well-being. The birding tools provided are also worth the effort.

Follow this link to treat your neighborhood birds to a bird feeder or birdhouse. To study more about Project FeederWatch, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

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Clearing the vegetable bed of insects: Old leaves on the soil surface provide a nice hiding place for insects, such as squash bugs, grasshoppers, and aphids. Taking all old leaves and plant debris off of your garden is the best way to prevent insects from overwintering in your garden. If you clear out old leaves and stems and compost them, insects have nowhere to hide.

Clearing your garden of disease: Collecting and throwing away diseased plants in the landfill will help keep diseases from reestablishing themselves next season. Leaf and vegetable litter provides a place for other problems to reside also, such as tomato wilt. Many gardeners had difficulty with tomato blight, or wilt this past year. Most spores from the tomato wilt can be thrown away with the plants and fruit. Clear off ALL diseased plants AND fruit for best disease prevention for next year’s garden. Keep in mind to plant resistant hybrids for your next season to ensure a good tomato harvest.

Preparing your garden bed: Next, spread one to two inches of well-decomposed compost on the surface of your garden bed and turn into the soil well. Organisms in the soil will have time over the winter to decompose this material and distribute nutrients to the soil for next year’s vegetables.

You can plant some early spring vegetables for early harvest in the spring after preparing your soil bed. These seeds will not germinate until soil temperatures warm enough for them to grow. Sowing spinach seeds, and planting your first couple rows of peas will allow for the earliest harvest. Garlic should be planted in the late fall, also, and should be planted in a drier bed than your peas and spinach.

No one ever said gardening is easy, but spending a little time preparing your garden beds this fall can help you reap big rewards with next year’s garden!

Betsy Woodworth gives help on gardening and on greenhouse advice.

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You should be prepared to survive for a minimum of three days without things, such as heat, water, food, electricity, housing and communication services. If you have the space to prepare for a longer period of time, that is even better.

The first thing you need to do with your family is establish two locations where you can meet in case of a natural disaster. You’ll need to have one close by and the other one a distance away from your house in case there is no possibility of getting back to your home. It is vital that you be able to find one another in case of an emergency.

The main things you need to consider in your survival plans are water, heat, sanitation, food, health, physical protection and safety and a way to communicate with others. You need to know how you will meet each of those needs in a major emergency. Let’s start making your plans, and once you get the idea, you can finish the rest with your family.

Water is the most important thing you will need, because you can’t live long without it. Every person will need a minimum of one gallon per day. Save empty plastic soda bottles, and fill them with water. Store them in an easily accessible place.

Stock up on disposable cups, plates and silverware in order to cut back on your water use. You will need water to bathe with. When an emergency hits, try to fill up the sinks and bath tubs with water.

An adult or teenager can live without food for three days, but it would be extremely difficult for a small child. Psychologically food provides us with the security and comfort we need in a time of extreme stress. Put dried food, jerky, granola bars, prepackaged staples and canned goods in totes, and store them nearby. Your supply kit will also need to have Clorox, matches and a can opener.

Now it’s time to think about the health needs you would face. A first aid kit should include things to clean and treat burns and wounds, bandages of different sizes, antibiotic cream and any medicine that is regularly taken by family members.

If the electricity is out, you will not be able to use your credit card in the stores, and most likely, the stores wouldn’t be able to open their cash registers to give you change. Keep a good supply of small bills and coins, with some larger bills in case of necessity.

Continue to work with the ideas in the disaster survival guidance information. Develop the other areas, and make sure you have everything ready. In case of a major disaster you will be relieved to know that your family is prepared.

If you haven’t prepared your family’s disaster preparations ready to put into action, you need disaster survival guidance, before disaster strikes. Don’t wait until it’s too late to figure out what to do. Learn about what you need to do in advance to be ready for anything!

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In addition to these general tips, you will want to do some research on the types of preparation you need to make for the disasters that are most likely to strike near your home.

You will want to provide a way for your family to have safe drinking water and food. In addition you will need to have contact with the outside world. You will need plenty of clothing and bedding. You will also need access to a basic first aid kit.

If you are likely to lose water in the emergency, fill clean plastic bottles with water. In addition, if time permits, clean your bathtub and fill with clean water. You can purchase bladder bags that are designed to fit into your bathtub and store up to 100 gallons of clean water for drinking and cooking. This is enough water for a family of four for five days, if you work hard to conserve your water. Water used for hand washing or dish washing should be saved for flushing toilets if necessary.

Your food kit for the disaster needs to consist of food that will keep without refrigeration and does not necessarily have to be cooked. While you may have ability to cook food, you may also lose that ability. Do not forget that many gas grills have a side burner that may allow you to cook. In addition if you have camping equipment, it can often be used for cooking.

If you do not have power, cordless phones will not work, however corded phones may still be able to operate off the power provided in land lines. If the land lines are not operating, your cell phone may work as long as it is charged. You may be able to charge your cell phone in your car or use an emergency cell phone charging kit if you have one.

Battery operated flashlights and radios can help you to see in the dark and hear directions from emergency personnel. You will want to have extra batteries available. Consider purchasing a rechargeable flashlight radio combination that has a hand crank charger. Many of these chargers can also be used to charge your cell phone. Do not forget the radio in your vehicle if you have no other option. If you have gasoline available start the vehicle on occasion and allow it to idle to keep the battery charged.

In the event of an evacuation, take extra clothing for each member of the family. You may also want to grab sleeping bags as you may be away from your home overnight. The change of clothing may allow you to hand wash what you are wearing if there is water available at the evacuation shelter.

If you haven’t planned for what you will need to have need to do in a disaster, you really ought to. Read these disaster survival tips and be ready for whatever comes your way.

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1. In any disaster food is a priority. If you are trapped or cut off from transport links then you may not receive adequate food until a rescue can be organized. You should store a number of tinned foods that are high in protein and do not require much, or any, cooking. It may also help to add to your survival kit a collection of high calorie food bars, obviously these need to have a long shelf life.

2. You cannot survive without a supply of clean water. It is important to have some purification tablets and also a number of airtight containers in which you can collect rain or stream water.

3. It can be very useful to have a whistle. This can be used if you are trapped inside a building to draw attention to yourself. It can also be used to signal to others if you become lost outdoors.

4. In any disaster it is likely that the power will be lost. At night you will need some form of lighting. You should keep a torch, batteries, and at least a dozen candles in any survival kit.

5. If you find yourself trapped in an enclosed space for a length of time then sanitation is important to keep good health. You should add a number of cleaning products and seal-able bags to you emergency kit.

6. A first aid kit is an essential part of surviving any disaster situation. This is because people may need medical attention. Such a kit needs to include bandages, antiseptic, antibiotics, painkillers, iodine, and sometimes prescription medicines like insulin.

7. A radio can be very useful in any emergency survival situation. It can bring you important news from the outside world that will help to maintain a good spirit. Also it can be used as a form of entertainment.

8. If you live in a cold region then it is useful to have at least two emergency blankets stored with your survival kit. These can help to keep any individual warm in an emergency situation.

9. It is essential that if you are alone you stay awake for as long as you can, by falling asleep you will lessen your chances of surviving and also you may miss any rescuers that come by. If there is a group of you, then one member needs to always be awake.

10. At all times you should try to remain calm and rational. Many people lose their lives by letting their best judgement escape them during a disaster. You need to prioritize what are the most important factors for your well being and survival.

When disaster strikes, it can be difficult to gather your thoughts. If you keep this disaster survival advice on paper, you will be ready to face any challenge. Be sure you know what to do!

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Even if you live in Tornado Alley, on the Atlantic coast and worry about hurricanes or live on a fault line and earthquakes are your concern, the information below can give you the tools you need. You will the same basic items no matter where you live.

When disaster strikes, the main thing is protecting you and your family from the elements and having enough water. It is a good idea to always have some sort of tent you can camp in if need be, and have enough bottled water to drink. At the very least, you need to determine if your house is safe to be in, and if so, clean any glass up so you don’t run the risk of cutting yourself.

The other major thing is food. Having a week’s worth of canned goods and can opener that’s easily accessible can ease that worry. You also need to have some actual cash on hand that you can use. There will be the risk that the stores near you are not open for business, and if they are, cold hard cash can get you the items you need with no feat that they won’t take a check or have capabilities to run your credit card.

You should have a battery operated radio and batteries to run them. If they issue emergency notices you will be able to hear them. Keeping your cell phone handy is also good, since many people still can use it even if no other technology is working. You need to also have a flashlight, not just for safety, but it can be used as a signal if they are looking for people.

You should also plan on having a first aid kit. You don’t need to have to be an expensive one, a bottle of alcohol and bandages will suffice. Menstrual pads can be used as well, since they are sterile and can staunch the flow of blood, retain more fluids, and are much cheaper then gauze pads. Include your medication you take, since it can be some time before you can get a prescription refilled, and have some over the counter medication as well. Remember to occasionally rotate these out so that if you need them they haven’t expired.

Pets should also be taken care of, and including their needs in your cache of supplies should be done. Having a leash, a copy of their health care and inoculations and including them in your food and water supply is part of responsible pet ownership.

This disaster survival information can save your life and make living through the ordeal easier. Preparing for it can give you peace of mind if it happens. By making a survival kit today, you can ensure that you have everything if you ever need it.

You can’t anticipate when a disaster will occur. To be ready whatever fate throws you, you should have a basic tool kit. Find disaster survival information that will help you ready yourself whatever fate throws you!

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Most state governments will have a well rehearsed disaster management plan. But in a severe situation the emergency teams may not be able to reach you. If you are prepared for any eventuality then should a disaster happen you can at least have a better chance of coping and protecting your family. You can start immediately by putting together a disaster plan for your household.

1. Be informed of what potential disasters can happen in your locality. This information can be given by your nearest emergency management office. They should be able to tell you about any natural hazards such as flooding and earthquakes, and also they can inform you about any hazardous materials that may be transported regularly in your region. If need be they can even tell you about potential terrorist acts and how to respond correctly.

2. If you have concerns about the welfare of your children if a disaster were to strike, then you can talk to their school authorities about what disaster plan they have in place. This also can be spoken about with your employer.

3. Discuss with the members of your household what needs to be done in the event of certain disasters. This should include deciding on an evacuation route and plan.

4. Plan with your family how you will keep in contact if you got separated in a disaster. You should try to choose two meeting points, one in your neighborhood and the other out of town in case you are evacuated.

5. Choose a relative or friend from outside your area who all the family members can contact in emergency if the phone lines are still working.

6. It can help to visualize two escape routes from every room in your house, make sure everybody agrees that these are the quickest and safest routes.

7. Compile a list of phone numbers for an emergency and keep it in a secure place. Your children need to know who to contact or go to if for some reason you cannot make it back home.

8. Every adult living in your home should be aware of how and when to turn off the gas, water, and electricity. It is often the situation that even the home owner does not know where the main switches and stops are.

9. In any form of disaster there are going to be people who get hurt. For this reason it is very wise to undertake a brief first aid course. These are organised most weeks in towns up and down the country.

10. A first aid kit is vital in any disaster situation. It needs to be kept somewhere accessible to all your family. It should contain anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-septic cream, iodine, painkillers, water purification tablets, antibiotics, and bandages.

Disaster can strike at any time. Once it happens, it’s too late to come up with a plan. Make sure that your family has disaster survival info so that they can survive anything that comes their way.

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