It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out why our county is called Rockland; scratch the surface and you hit the rock of the Palisades. It is no surprise, then, to find stone walls throughout our hamlet lining the roads, buttressing residents’ terraces, delineating garden beds, and outlining old fields abandoned to the forest. They are so much a part of our landscape they scarcely attract notice.

On Sunday, October 25, at one of the Palisades Free Library's Sunday Symposia, Bill Ryan gave us fascinating glimpses of the floor of the Hudson River. Bill, a Doherty Senior Scholar and Adjunct Professor Emeritus at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the findings of a recent project intended to increase our understanding of the Hudson habitat. Originating with the Riverkeeper, the project was funded by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

(Click to enlarge)

The summer has been so wet, it has hardly seemed like a season. Was there ever any sun? My garden burst open in the early days of spring and spent itself by mid-summer. Now it is behaving as though winter is near. I can’t help but wonder if this year it will be severe. Let me consult with a woolly bear.

(Click to enlarge)

This is prime tick season, and ticks transmit some nasty diseases (see http://www3.niaid.nih. gov/topics/tickborne/, http://www.aldf.com/lyme. shtml). Many of these diseases are found in Palisades and have already afflicted your neighbors.

Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory has teamed up with Riverkeeper, an environmental organization that monitors and maintains the Hudson River ecosystem, on a program entitled, “Swimmable River,” to monitor the water quality of the Hudson River. Palisades resident Carol Knudson who has been working with LDEO scientists Greg O’Mullan and Andy Juhl on the project this past year gives us an update on the program.

Where to take a bunch of party jaded 10-year old boys to celebrate my son’s birthday? I wondered… Sports Center, Laser Tag, Gymnastics…been there, done that. Then it occurred to me, the perfect antidote to the planned party circuit might be to get back to basics and do something retro, unstructured, and off the beaten path. A party with plenty of time doing what kids love best - exploring and getting dirty. But what?

It’s that time of year again to bring in my rosemary. I am tempted to leave it out in the garden where it is flourishing and, with global warming, I wonder if this is the year it can finally stay out. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts a severe winter yet I find wooly bears prognosticating a mild one. The fact is, I am an amateur and, with experts in our hamlet, I thought it better to find out from them how to nurture one’s tender plants through the cold months.

Like many people today, we worry about the future of the environment and would like to reduce our carbon imprint as much as possible. In 2003 we bought a Honda Civic Hybrid. Because it gets almost 44 miles to the gallon, we feel that it was a good investment. We also investigated solar electric panels, which we learned about from Tom O’Reilly, who advertises in 10964 as a solar consultant.

Everyone is probably already familiar with the route through Tallman Park to get to Piermont and the swimming pool—just use the parking area opposite the 9W golf range development and follow the gravel path. However, there are also great views of the river from the top of the cliffs south of Lamont, and a beautiful trail threads through the woods along the river at the cliffs’ base.

From Alice and Sam Gerard’s picture window that looks out over an expanse of the Hudson, birds of prey are frequently spotted skimming across the river’s surface then soaring heavenward with their treasured catch. “We’ve seen considerably more eagles lately,” Alice commented one recent morning.

In three decades of living by the Tappan Zee Bridge we never owned property of any size. Thus becoming fairly recent newcomers to Oak Tree Road has held great delight for me and my husband, because of all the wild animals its looming trees and large yards support.

The first wild turkey which planted itself in the middle of our backyard and stayed for about an hour brought whoops of amazement from the family. But the first three deer, remotely seen grazing by a little stream at the back of the property, created instant and avid deer watchers.

Palisades Library Plant Sale

Saturday, May 13 at the Palisades Community Center (675 Oak Tree Road, between Rt. 9W and Rt. 340)
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This annual event features fun, food and plants.