HME Community Newsletter May 2015 Letter from the President By Amy Altshul month. Dear neighbors, Spring is here! Please see a few reminders and information updates below to learn about what s going on in our neighborhood this HME ANNUAL DUES Many thanks to the many neighbors who paid your dues on time. Thank you, thank you!!! If you have not already done so, please drop off your check for our $700 annual dues fee to our treasurer, Jeff Wheeler at 1213 Candytuft. HME POOL OPENING. Our HME Pool will open in May. Please see the information provided by our pool chairperson, Dottie White, about the designated pool clean-up day. We need volunteers to help us get the pool ready to open on time. Dottie will be circulating the pool rules and additional information through emails as we get closer to the opening date. Please note rule changes and required permissions we need to have on file for children who meet the appropriate age requirements for being at the pool for periods of time without a grownup. We ask that you take these requirements VERY SERIOUSLY as we are fortunate to have great insurance for our pool, and if we lose it for any reason we may not be able to replace the coverage. CALLING ALL INTERESTED TENNIS COURT COMMITTEE CHAIRS! Many thanks to Dave Arnold for his many years of service as the tennis-courts chair. Dave has done a great job in this role over the past years, and it s now time for him to hand off this responsibility to someone new. If you have any interest or would be willing to serve in this role, please contact us. We need your help!! If you have any questions about what the role entails, please reach out to Dave and I m sure he would be willing to give you his insights. REMINDER TO UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION No further paper copies of neighborhood information If you have not yet updated your email contact information with us for inclusion on the password-protected registry on our www.hmewc.org website, please do so to ensure that you receive important neighborhood information (like voting links!). HME May 2015 Newsletter Page 1
ADDITIONAL INPUT If you have ideas about things you would like to see in the neighborhood, or things you think the HME board should address, please reach out to us to let us know. We look forward to your creative input and participation in our wonderful neighborhood. You can reach me anytime at amyaltshul@gmail.com or 267-251-1589. Social News By Bob Ardinger The summer pool party kick-off will be held on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend (May 23), with Sunday as a rain date. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided, with all the fixins. Just bring your beverages of choice and either a side or a dessert: Last name A through M, side dish Last name N though Z, dessert Grills will be turned on at 4:30 and will remain on until all are happy and well fed! Please bring your side dishes by 5:00 to share with the early diners. RSVP to rfa44@comcast.net for numbers of adults and children. Guests are $15.00. Stay tuned for more summer events at the pool (details to be finalized), like an Animal House theme (that s right, toga party) in July, with special emphasis on new neighbors. We will also have July 4 th and Labor Day blasts! HME Pool News By Dottie White I cannot believe it is less than 3 weeks until Memorial Day weekend and the pool opening. That means less than 1 week to pool clean-up day, Saturday, May 9, 8:30 AM to 12:00 noon (rain date May 16). Even though the winter was cold, the pool held up well, but there still are many things that need to be done before opening. Please copy the link to view the online signup sheet: www.signupgenius.com/ go/10c0f49a4ab28a31-hmepool1/. If the link does not work, please contact me (ditdot@yahoo.com or 610-296-2305) and I will provide the information. You do not need to sign up to help! Just show up between 8:30 and noon. Other Important News HOW TO PROTECT BACKYARD BIRDS FROM CATS By Julieta Calmon It is estimated that domestic cats, whether they are loose pets, feral cats, or strays, kill millions of wild birds each year. Fortunately, savvy backyard birders and pet owners can take easy steps to protect their birds without giving up their pets. Controlling Cat Behavior While some training methods may be effective, it is often easier to control a cat s behavior to minimize interaction with wild HME May 2015 Newsletter Page 2
birds and to prevent an overpopulation of feral cats that will prey on birds. If possible, keep pet cats indoors at all times. If they must go outdoors, do not leave them unsupervised, and do not allow them outside during early morning or other peak bird feeding times. Do not praise a cat that captures a bird. Keep cats claws trimmed to make it more difficult to climb trees or catch wild birds. Use collar bells to warn birds of a cat s approach. It is not 100% effective but can be useful. Do not feed feral cats. Using one or more of these methods to control the cats behavior can minimize the number of injured and killed birds. And as a reminder, spay or neuter pet cats. There are too many kittens already needing homes. toads and some frogs are crossing roads to get to wetlands to mate and lay eggs. In the neighborhood, specifically watch out on Tanglewood drive around the pool and also around the pond area. Some of those "leaves" you see in the road are precious animals trying to live their lives amongst human disturbance. Please be mindful. If you feel like it you could gently pick them up and help them across the road in the direction they are aiming. Or you could go out on rainy spring nights with raincoats and flashlights to slow cars and help the frogs across, at least during a few heavy traffic hours Unfortunately, this kind of amphibian mortality happens on many roads in the spring. Goshen Road is especially bad by the Willistown Conservation Trust's Rushton Woods Preserve. Adapted from an article written by Melissa Mayntz Frog Migration By Blake Goll Warm spring nights with rain in early spring are major amphibian migration nights. Many...and violators will be toad. Picture courtesy of Jack Rickenbach Amphibians are in a steep decline. Let's do what we can in this neighborhood on warm rainy spring nights. HME May 2015 Newsletter Page 3
Personal News MAY BIRTHDAYS Live Music by Not Quitting Our Day Jobs. Thursday, May 21, 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Reminder: Dorney Park Discount Tickets are available at the township building. For details of other activities, including upcoming household hazardous waste events and golf outings, visit www.eastgoshen.org. Other Local Events TYLER ARBORETUM Lauren Oliva 5/08/2005 Jake Arnold 5/11/2007 Philip Leander 5/12/2001 Michael Matje 5/22/1999 Nicole Ruggiero 5/24/1999 Carolyn Gatti 6/1/2003 Samantha Farnesi 6/4/2012 Please be sure the editors know your child s birthday so we can publish our congratulations! East Goshen News BULK PICK-UP Bulk pick-up will be on Friday, May 15. Yard waste pick up will be on Wednesdays May 13 and 27. EAST GOSHEN ACTIVITIES The East Goshen Farmers Market is less than two weeks away! Come out on Thursday, May 14, 3 to 7 PM, for the season opening. There will be bands, a moon bounce, and over 30 smiling vendors! National Public Gardens Day is a day set aside to celebrate the historic and beautiful public gardens throughout America. This day recognizes the important role our public gardens play in promoting gardening, environmental stewardship, and education in communities nationwide. Come enjoy Tyler s beautiful spring blooming plants and walk through their meadows and woodlands. No pre-registration required. Special craft stations for kids from 10 AM to noon. Visit Tyler Arboretum s website for a coupon for free admission on National Public Gardens Day: http://www.tylerarboretum.org/ calendar/2015-05/. Friday, May 8, 2015, 9 AM to 5 PM. HME May 2015 Newsletter Page 4
Also on the website is a calendar of numerous other May activities, including bird and wildflower walks, gardening advice, and twilight hikes. CHESTER COUNTY LIBRARY There is more at the library than books and story time, like movies, computer help, robotics, planning for seniors, and more, and most are free. Go to the library s home page (http://www.ccls.org) and click on Find an Event. WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY WCU offers summer camps for elementary, middle, and high school students. Visit http://www.lavnercampsandprograms.com/ west-chester-university-summer-camps/. Hershey s Mill Estates Community Newsletter Published 11 times a year by Margie Guyer 1560 Tanglewood mbguyer@verizon.net and Eileen Moran 1038 Hershey Mill Road eileenmo@comcast.net News Deadline News items must be submitted by the 25 th of each month. Please notify the editors of any events or activities you would like to see published. HME May 2015 Newsletter Page 5