TREES ARE TREASURES CONTEST WINNERS

By: Susan Guyaux, Master Gardener One of the things making

Arden on the Severn so pleasant is our magnificent trees. It is easy to notice the welcoming cool of our shady neighborhood on returning home after a hot day in Annapolis, Baltimore, or D.C. Our trees pro-vide energy-saving shade and peaceful retreats beneath their bountiful green canopies.

As a way to honor some of these “pillars of the community,” Arden Gardeners sponsored the First Annual Trees are Treasures Contest this spring. Happily, we had a number of Arden neighbors and homeowners nominating their favorite trees to be considered. A committee was formed to deter-mine categories, visit each noble nominee, and rank the trees ac-cording to uniform criteria. The following are the results of our first contest:

LARGE TREE WINNER – Southern Red Oak (Quercus falacata) owned by Cheryl Taylor at 608 To-pland Dr. Her tree measured 11.5 feet in circumference and towers 98 feet tall. A truly magnificent and impres-sive specimen!

Honorable Mention – Southern Red Oak (Q. fal-cata) owned by Eileen O’Brien at 620 Cedarwood Lane. The circumference of this horticulturist’s tree was 9’8” and it stands 85 feet high.

Volume 56, Issue 3 Page 1 May/June 2010

NATIVE TREE WINNER – Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra) owned by the Hupperts at 1017 Tudor Dr. The magnificent canopy of this Maryland native tree offers beauty that adds value to their home. The Huppert’s

tree boasts a circumference of 11 feet and a height of 72 feet. Honorable Mention – Boxelder (Acer negundo) submitted by Christine Wojciechowski at 983 Waterview Dr. This old tree is a species of maple with an 18-foot circumference and a height of 62 feet. Beautifully gnarled, this lovely specimen adds interest to the property.

EVERGREEN WINNER – Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) located at Beach 1 and owned by Arden Beaches Inc. This tree has a cir-cumference of 6’3” and is 70 feet high. (Arden Gardeners would like to install a new signpost for ABI use so this native conifer can be relieved of the signs currently attached to its trunk.) Pitch Pines

(Continued on page 14)

Missing American Flag If you happened to notice the absence of the American Flag attached to the sign at the ball fields, you are not alone. It was placed by a Section 2 family in honor of their son and all others who are currently serving our armed forces overseas. If you removed it, please return it.

NEWSBUOY 2

INSIDE THE NEWSBUOY A TO Z KIDS (NEW!) 8 ABI OFFICERS AND CONTACTS 2 ABI OPERATIONS UPDATE 5 ACA MEMBERSHIP FORM 4 ACA OPERATIONS UPDATE 3 ACA OFFICERS AND CONTACTS 2 ARDEN TREE CONTEST RESULTS 1 CALENDAR 21 CROSSWORD PUZZLE SOLUTION 9 FITNESS CORNER 6 FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK 11 GRASS-CYCLING 20 LETTER TO SECTION 5 20 MOSQUITO MYTHS DEBUNKED 18 NATIVE BEES ARE A GOOD THING 9 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH 16 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CONTACTS 2 NEWSBUOY STAFF/ADVERTISING 2 NEWSBUOY SUBSCRIPTIONS (CHANGE) 7 NEW PROPERTY OWNERS 15 REAL ESTATE CORNER 12 TECHIE DAN’S TECH TIME 22

ARDEN ON THE SEVERN NEWSBUOY Circulation 970 Households

Editor: Andrew Huppert (410) 923-1534 Advertising: Scott Stose (410) 729-2694 Production: Steve Salanik (410) 923-2517

ARDEN COMMUNIITY ASSOCIATION PO Box 241, Crownsville, MD 21032

President: Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047 Vice President: Patrick Guibao (410) 693-8664 Treasurer: Carol Ward (410) 923-3011 Secretary: Etta Bardelang (410) 923-2917 Section 1 Rep: Brenda Greer (410) 923-6743 Section 2 Rep: Susan Fenton (410) 697-3164 Section 3 Rep: Scott Stose (410) 729-2694 Section 4 Rep: Bill Harrington (410) 923-3343 Section 5 Rep: Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047

ARDEN GROUPS

SRA ACA Rep: Duane Wilding (410) 923-3074 Arden Gardeners: Susan Guyaux (410) 923-0874 Arden Security: Kim Cogar (410) 923-1007 Arden Volunteers: Barbara Peterson (301) 332-9517 GHCCA: Don Yeskey (410) 923-6215 Kids Club: Lisa Watts (301) 537-7195 Seniors Club: Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047 Sunshine Club: Jennifer Bevins (410) 923-6396 Town Hall Mgr: Steve Salanik (410) 923-2517

ARDEN BEACHES, INCORPORATED PO Box 365, Crownsville, MD 21032

Chairman: Keith Slack (410) 923-3555 V. Chairman: Jason Bachman (410) 923-0819 Secretary: Susan Ellis (410) 923-0842 Treasurer: Catherine Foxwell (410) 697-3053 Sec. 1 Rep: Damon Cogar (410) 923-1007 Sec. 2 Rep: James Johnston (410) 320-6058 Sec. 3 Rep: Chris Waters (410) 562-6037 Sec. 4 Rep: Jim Mullins (410) 923-0115 Sec. 5 Rep: Matt Janssen (410) 923-6542 M.A.L.: Andrew Huppert (410) 923-1534 Beach Mgr: Kim Cogar (410) 923-1007 Reservations: Frank Murphy (410) 923-0836 ACA Rep: Laurie Kleponis (410) 923-6582 Registrar: abiregistration@yahoo.com

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Section Representatives

Sec. 1 Rep: Jim Rainwater (410) 987-9855 Sec. 2 Rep: Don Yeskey (410) 923-6215 Sec. 3 Rep: Ron Martin (410) 923-4131 Sec. 4 Rep: Carolyn Wallace (410) 923-0630 Sec. 5 Rep: Kendall Crisp (410) 923-1169 Program Manager Kim Cogar (410) 923-1007 Asst Mgr Sally Franklin (410) 923-3058

NEWSBUOY 3

ACA OPERATIONS UPDATE By: Alby Bacon, ACA President

By the time you read this, hopefully you will have

helped the Arden Beach Association clean up our beaches and filled your yards with posies from the Ar-den Gardeners Plant Sale.

Spring has sprung and with our kids out we need to watch our speed and watch out for them in the streets. Please drive carefully and keep your speed down.

Thanks to all of you who are recycling but PLEASE, PLEASE remember to take your trash and recycling bins back to the house after trash pick up. Windy weather puts your neglected bins back in the street which causes driving hazards. Returning them to where you store them also enhances the appearance of our neighborhood.

The last ACA meeting of the season will be May

19th at Town Hall at 7:00 PM. Please take note that the time changed as per the request of our residents. We'll resume in the fall in September. At this May meet-ing we will be discussing some Town Hall improve-ments and with any luck will have Jamie Benoit and James King with their reports on their activities with our county and state government.

The Senior Luncheon hosted by Ann and Walt Campbell, had fabulous crab casserole thanks to yours truly. Other delicious goodies showed up per usual. We seniors know how to cook! The May luncheon will be at Town Hall with fried chicken and all the fixings. If you're free, come join us. We'll be at the Beaches over the summer for cook outs.

Be safe over the Summer! Remember the Sun Screen and enjoy lovely Arden on the Severn.

Your ACA president, Alby Bacon

A Community Center

Requires Community Support Baldwin Hall provides a center for performing arts production and instruction, civic meetings, scout meetings, community events, and private functions, all in a beautiful, historic setting. We rely on private functions, membership donations, and community support to maintain this nearly 140-year-old local treasure. $________ Membership (Family-$30; Individual-$20) $________ Patron ($125.00) $________ Donation

$________ Total Enclosed (Check payable to Severn Cross Roads Foundation, Inc.) All gifts are tax deductible. Send dona-tions to Severn Cross Roads Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 223, Crownsville, MD 21032 Name:_____________________________________ Address:___________________________________ Telephone:_________________________________ I could serve on a committee____________

Thank you very much for your support.

NEWSBUOY 4

2010 Arden Civic Association Contribution

Check here to receive community updates from the ACA Board via your e-mail address Please check your category below and make checks payable to ACA:

Mail to ACA, P.O. Box 241, Crownsville, Maryland 21032

2010 Annual Contribution (per household) $ 10.00

Patron Level $ 20.00

Benefactor Level $ 50.00

Neighborhood Watch (Police Patrol Fund) $

TOTAL Enclosed: $

Name:

Address:

City: State:

Phone: E-mail:

Zip:

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NEWSBUOY 5

ABI OPERATIONS UPDATE By: Keith Slack, ABI Chairman

It looks like summer has arrived. It’s time to put

away the snow shovels and bring out the sand shovels. We had another successful beach cleanup on May

1st and I really appreciate the volunteers who showed up. It was a beautiful morning and afternoon. It got a little hot the more the day wore on but hey… it’s sum-mer time. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad sign but the beaches were in pretty good shape and it didn’t take as much work this year as previous years. The beaches, to me, look awesome! The section reps have really been taking pride in their sections, from what I’ve seen. Jim Mullins in section/beach 4 has done a LOT of work and it shows! If and when you see him please acknowl-edge your appreciation!

There have been some questions about the new/additional beach rental fee of $50 per party. I know this is new and a change to a lot of residents so I want to explain why there is an additional fee. This fee is to cover the additional wear and tear of our community property from people who live outside the community. This is a very minimal fee but can really help us main-tain and add additional amenities to the beaches.

Since the beaches are open, all stickers should be affixed on vehicles and trailers. If you don’t yet have your vehicle or trailer stickers, the form can be downloaded and printed out from the website, www.ardenonthesevern.com. Please make sure that you have your stickers affixed to your vehicles because we are checking and its less hassle/problems for every-

one. If you have an issue with stickers, please contact your section representative and he/she will assist.

We have recently run into a situation where the War in the Middle East has an effect one of our board members. Section five representative, Matt Janssen, was not deployed in January but has been called up to active duty again and is due to be deployed to Iraq the first week in May for a six month tour of duty. Matt will truly be missed and we wish him a safe deployment and return. Matt has expressed interest in continuing his representation of section 5 upon his return. This leaves us a void for a section representative for section 5. If you are interested in getting involved in your com-munity, please let me know.

We have voted on officer’s duties and the contact information should be up-to-date. Please take note of these differences and the contact personnel. Don’t forget, our monthly meetings are the second Monday of every month. This is a great opportunity for all resi-dents to be kept up to speed on all ABI activities, have questions answered, and suggest other ideas for the community. By missing these meetings, you may be misinformed of activities and issues regarding ABI in-cluding the special tax district investigation. Come on…check it out.

Lastly, I wanted to remind everyone that the An-nual Bull Roast is schedule for June 26th at beach 4. This is a great party, great food, great drink, and a great way to meet new friends and neighbors. I hope to see everyone there and meet some of our new residents.

THANKS AGAIN to all of our volunteers!

NEWSBUOY 6

FITNESS CORNER By: Terri Arnold

ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Welcome to my corner. Warmer weather and longer days equal Spring – a wonderful time of year! The extra sunshine leaves us feeling rejuvenated and we become more active than usual. Oftentimes the season calls us toward the ritual of Spring cleaning. It can be as simple as cleaning out an overcrowded junk drawer or hall closet to taking on the huge task of cleaning the house from floor to ceiling. This brings back memories of my Mom with her head wrapped in a kerchief during this week-long Spring event. I’m sure this activity, although strenuous, gave her satisfaction in a job completed with rooms that sparkled in the bright sunlight.

Don’t worry the focus of this article is not on how or why to clean a closet, house or garage but more about the house we carry around with us on a daily basis – our being. An ancient proverb from India that

suggests, “We all have four rooms to our being: the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. We should visit each of our rooms at least once daily, even if it is just to air them out.” Here are a few suggestions for a different kind of Spring cleaning. Feel free to start in any room. Air out your Spiritual room by asking: What does my Spirit need? What gives me a passion for Life? What is my Truth? What are my values? Can I engage these energies for a full, active life?

Visit your Mental room and find out: What information do I need in order to reach my

goals? Can I set reasonable goals? Which strategies could help reach these goals? Which obstacles get in the way of reaching these

goals? Which obstacles can I eliminate myself? Which obstacles need input or support from outside?

Go into the Emotional room and look at: Can I balance heart and head? What makes me happy or sad, secure or insecure? Can I manage the emotions that lead me away from

my goals? Can I learn to laugh and love more? Can I use my emotions to reach some of my goals? Can I get support?

Open up the Physical room and inquire: How well do I care for my body now? Can I eat smartly? Can I exercise smartly? Can I manage my sleep? Can I manage stress? How can I adjust these to help better manage my

health? As you see only one room of our total being is

made of the physical. Is there a room that has been (Continued on page 20)

NEWSBUOY 7

NEWSBUOY SUBSCRIPTIONS By: Andrew W. Huppert, Editor

In the past, the NewsBuoy was always offered on

a printed subscription basis. I am happy to report that we are trying to go ‘green’ like everyone else, so in the future all subscription services will be sent via e-mail to those who would like an electronic copy.

Historically, the staff charged for this service due to the additional shipping costs, special packaging nec-essary (bulk mail allows us to eliminate a paper cover, but to ship them piece mail requires an oversized enve-lope), and simple hassle. Additionally, we are no longer going to charge for this service as it is as simple as attaching a document to an email and sending it out.

Please pass the word along! What this means is that you can receive the NewsBuoy while at college, deployed overseas, or simply continue to receive it if you must move out of Arden.

In the future, all issues will be available on the website. Please be patient, I’m working on it!

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NEWSBUOY 8

A TO Z KIDS By: Andrew W. Huppert

Stay-At-Home Superhero (Dad)

I’m going to take a crack at a new addition to the NewsBuoy and see how this works out. Welcome to the Kids Corner area! In this section I hope to provide something for the children of Arden each month. If you have some interesting content that could be added here, please feel free to send it by e-mail to an-drew.huppert@gmail.com. Ok, here we go:

BUBBLE PRINTS

Every child likes to finger paint, but here is a new

spin on the creative activity. Bubble painting is the act of using washable paint and a straw to create bubbles in a bowl. Then, using whatever canvas you choose, you touch your paper to the bubbles causing them to pop. The resulting artwork is unique every time you do it and is even easier than coloring pictures for grand-parents for those children who haven’t mastered their Crayons yet.

To get started, all you need is bubble solution (like what you would use to blow bubbles), washable paint,

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a bowl, a straw, a paper clip, and some paper. Meas-ure 2 parts bubble solution to 1 part paint. Stir them together with a spoon to make sure they are thoroughly mixed, then pour the mixture into a shallow bowl (i.e. a cereal bowl). You shouldn’t need more than 1/2 to 1 inch in the bottom of the bowl to successfully create the effect.

Before you start to blow bubbles, use the paperclip to punch a hole straight through the straw about 2 inches from the bottom end of the straw. This hole will prevent your child from sucking in on the straw and drawing paint up through the straw. Don’t forget this important step because it is the make it or break it step of the whole exercise!

Have your child blow bubbles into the mixture until the bubbles are at, or above, the top of the bowl’s edge. Show your child how to press the paper onto the top of the bubbles to make a print. If you want to experiment, feel free to re-create the solution with multiple colors in as many bowls. Your child will have a lot of fun blowing the bubbles, and you can spend some quality time ex-perimenting with whether bigger bubbles or smaller bubbles are their favorite. What looks better to them, multiple colors or single color prints? Which colors look better together, or even overlapped on top of one an-other? Let their imagination wander!

NEWSBUOY 9

NATIVE BEES ARE A GOOD THING By: Susan Guyaux, Master Gardener

By now, most of us are aware that the honey bee is

in serious trouble. The honey bee has historically been one of the main pollinators that farmers and back yard gardeners have depended on to ensure that we have lots of fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, due to infestations of mites and the recent Colony Collapse Disorder, honey bees are no longer able to meet the need of back yard gardeners and farmers. Honey bees and native American bees are particularly stressed due to the use of pesti-cides and the disappearance of habitat. In addi-tion, many bees are killed due to people misun-derstanding the difference between bees and wasps.

Honey bees are not native to this country, but were brought over with the European colonists and other immigrants as a source of honey but they soon became important as the primary polli-nator. With the disappearance of the honey bee, the native bees have returned to a place of impor-tance and are something that we should all be careful to protect.

Most of the native bees do not sting like the gener-ally mild mannered honey bee, nor do they live in colo-nies in hives like the honey bee. Most of them live in the ground, either as a solitary bee or as a group with each bee having its own tunnel into the ground where they raise their brood. If you notice that you have a number of ground dwelling bees, the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service recommends that you do not kill them as they are not only harmless but are critical to the sustainability of our food supply.

Many people are unaware of the difference between bees and wasps. Yellow Jackets are not bees but are a member of the wasp family and are notorious for their stinging ability. These are quite different from the peaceable ground dwelling native bees who have taken over the critical task of pollinating our vegetable plants and fruit trees. The famous bumble bee is an example of a non-stinging native bee that particularly likes to pollinate squash and cucumber plants. Many of the

other native bees look like small honey bees and can be seen working flowers, fruit trees and vegetable plants during the summer months.

If you have any questions about bees that are living in your yard, you may call Susan Guyaux at 410-923-0874 and she will be glad to visit your yard and advise you as to the best way to protect these important in-sects.

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NEWSBUOY 10

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NEWSBUOY 11

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK By: Andrew W. Huppert, Editor

Hecho in Mexico (Made in Mexico) isn't what

caught my attention, it was the lack of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in the list of ingredients. If you haven't heard the story, Costco is currently purchasing all of its bottled Coke from Mexico due to Coke America's unwillingness to offer them a lower price. There is an entire article in this purchasing saga, but for the purposes of this article, I wanted to focus on the ingredient HFCS to get you thinking. Ear-lier this year I got serious about what I was eating and really started paying attention to the amount of carbohydrates, high fructose corn syrup, and overall calories that were in my diet. The end result was star-tling to many who know me, but the evidence is an eye opener for all.

Many people were surprised after seeing me out-side for the first time in months since the weather turned warm. Between January 12, 2010 and April 12, 2010 I managed to lose 33 pounds (in 90 days). In 2008 I managed to drop about 20 pounds, but 2009 ended without any forward movement despite working out regularly on a weekly basis. In that time, the trainer I work with kept pushing me to get as serious about my nutritional habits as I was with my exercise rou-tine. Ultimately, I decided that 2010 would be the year I actually listened to the trainer and followed his advice.

Last month, as I edited the NewsBuoy, I couldn't help but chuckle as I read Terri Arnold's article. If you missed her March Fitness Corner, I highly recommend reading it as her nutrition advice ran almost 100% par-allel with the steps I took to lose the weight. Anyone can lose weight following a diet, but what happens when you come off the diet? To make a real change you have to change your habits, and this is where it gets hard. The first step I took was mapping out my caloric intake; with that exercise I realized just how much I was (over) eating. Simple changes allowed for a severe reduction in calories, while also offering a livable variety.

My first small step was to stop drinking soda Mon-day through Friday. You will be surprised at how diffi-cult it is as every store, restaurant, and refrigerator usually offers it at the top of the list. High Fructose

Corn Syrup (or corn sugar) is a main ingre-dient that, when I cut it out of my diet, eliminated about 10 pounds from my bulk in about 35 days back in 2008. Perhaps eliminating it can help you too. Another component to soda that we rarely think about is sodium. If you have been paying attention to the news lately you may have heard that even the federal government is thinking about getting into the regulation of sodium because Ameri-

cans take in more sodium that any other nation of peo-ple on the planet. I am not a doctor, but I do know that sodium causes your body more difficulty in calcium regulation within your bones; something to think about as we all get older!

Carbohydrates are another item that we tend to over eat. If you remember the food pyramid that we all learned as kids, you may remember that grains (carbohydrates) were the largest portion of the grid. You should also know that the food pyramid was developed by a consumers cooperative in Denmark and later adopted/adapted by the Department of Agriculture. It is a fact that a diet too high in carbohydrates can upset the delicate balance of a body's blood sugar level, resulting in fluctuations in energy and mood that leave one feeling irritated and tired. There seems to be an abundance of carbohydrates available to us and it also appears that there is an obesity problem in the USA. Perhaps they might want to rethink that pyramid?

Heck… I could be completely crazy, but I am living proof that working against the accepted grain gets you the results most of our doctors are asking us to get. Since my 90-day push, I’ve lost another 7 pounds sim-ply having changed my bad habits and avoiding what I know caused the problem in the first place. If you are willing to take some advice from a formally FAT GUY, talk to Terri or someone else who does this for a liv-ing… listen to what they say… and do what they recom-mend. My procrastination cost me a full year!

NEWSBUOY 12

REAL ESTATE CORNER New Real Estate

Mortgage Rules And You Al Friedman, Long & Foster Realtor

As you can imagine, the banking crisis that

erupted about 18 months ago has had quite a ripple effect throughout the money lending industry. Due to the fact that the bursting of the housing bubble was also directly tied to that crisis, significant changes in mortgage lending rules have started to appear. The purpose of my article this month is to try to make you aware of some of the changes that are likely have the most impact on the average home buyers and sellers.

Since most mortgages today are FHA backed loans, let's start with a rule that just went into effect in April. We're talking about the Famous FHA M.I.P. (Mortgage Insurance Premium - which helps to protect the lender, when the home buyer has less than 20% equity accrued in the home). The old M.I.P. rate was 1.75% of the mortgage amount. That has now been increased by 1/2%, to 2.25% of the mortgage amount. This means the buyer has to come to the settlement table with more cash.

Let's discuss some of the changes occurring on the appraisal side. The appraisal industry has been especially susceptible to criticism. According to Jim Nixon, Senior Sales Manager at Capital Mortgage Fi-nance, new rules have been designed to decrease the likelihood of appraisers being influenced by other peo-ple. The structure is now set up where appraisers' names are placed in a pool, under the auspices of the AMC (Appraisal Management Company). As lenders need appraisals, they are assigned, at random, by the AMC. Lenders are no longer allowed to have direct

contact with individual appraisers. The cost of an ap-praisal in a real estate transaction has also increased by approximately $150.00. The appraisal process has also changed. Appraisers previously looked at the most recent 6 months worth of sold "comparables". They now only review the most recent 3 months. They are also placing more weight on cur-rent active listings, factoring them into their value analy-sis much more than before, along with the sold "comparables". These new rules fall under the "Home

Valuation Code of Conduct". Mr. Nixon summarizes some of the additional rule changes, as follows: MDIA (Mortgage Disclosure Infor-mation Act). New 3 day rule re-quires that lender estimates given to a buyer must be more accu-rate. If the estimate is off by 1/8th or more, a new disclosure must be issued, with a 3 day waiting period,

before settlement can occur. RESPA - 2010 (Real Estate Settlement Proce-

dures Act). Requires a minimum of 7 days after con-tract ratification before a home sale can go to settle-ment. This group of rules also stipulates a zero toler-ance for lenders estimates on transfer taxes and origi-nation fees, resulting in fines to the lender, if they are not accurate. All other estimates must be accurate within 10%

Jim Nixon also points out that "Good Faith Esti-mates" will no longer show a breakdown of money re-quired by the buyer to close. Be sure to ask your lender to give you something in writing, showing that information.

Mr. Nixon adds that there are more new rules coming down the pike. I will continue to update you in future articles. Check this and additional real estate matters at my website - www.alchefsellshomes.com.

NEWSBUOY 13

NEWSBUOY 14

grow well in our sandy, acid soils. DECIDUOUS WINNER - Bigleaf Magnolia

(Magnolia macrophylla) owned by the Ergos on Sevarden Lane. The enormous bright-green leaves of this native tree grow more than two feet long! In June, the fragrant flowers reach the size of a bushel basket according to Don Ergo. The Ergo property has two Bigleafs, and the largest measures 3’3” in circumfer-ence and stretches 50 feet high.

UNDERSTORY SPECIES WINNER – American Holly (Ilex opaca) owned by Barbara & Terry Phillips at 953 Sevarden Lane. This picturesque tree is shaped beautifully with a 6-foot circumference and an impres-sive height of 48 feet. Bluebirds, robins, thrushes, and many other songbirds relish American Holly fruits. The evergreen boughs offer shelter to protect wildlife year-round.

ORNAMENTAL WINNER – Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) owned by the Mastins at 630 Ever-green Rd. This mature specimen has good form with

an attractive, spreading canopy that has been well-maintained over the years. It offers a gorgeous wel-come to Section 5 with showy April blooms and festive red wine fall color. More than 40 bird species eat the fruit and buds of Flowering Dogwoods.

Congratulations to all of the winners and honor-able mentions for taking good care of their attractive trees. These living treasures beautify our community, provide wildlife with food and shelter, help keep the Severn River healthy, and increase our property values.

Take a stroll and visit some great trees. Keep your eye out for some we haven’t mentioned that you see as extra special. In 2011, be sure to submit your favorite tree to Arden Gardeners and learn how it com-pares in size and beauty to other community trees. Or plant a sapling this fall and raise a winner! We look forward to discovering more Arden Trees that are Treasures every year.

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

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NEWSBUOY 15

We apologize to anyone listed in error or left out. This information is from the Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation. Please notify us of the error

and we will print any reported corrections in the next NewsBuoy.

Section 1 Laura A. McDuffie

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NEWSBUOY 16

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH By: Kim Cogar, Program Chair

Summer’s upon us now and we need to be reminded

of a few ‘easy’ preventative tips to help protect your property and keep your families safe. With the arrival of warm weather, we have had a few problems already this spring with theft from vehicles. In all cases that we have been made aware of, the vehicles that have been violated where items were stolen were NOT LOCKED. Please LOCK YOUR VEHICLES and DO NOT leave valuables in your vehicles (locked or otherwise), espe-cially in sight of potential wrong-doers. Removing temptation reduces opportunity. For more information on home security tips, visit this website: http://www.homesecurityinformation.com. Remember that COMMON SENSE and AWARENESS is key to not becoming a victim of crime.

We Ardenites take our safety and sanctuary of com-munity seriously. A program’s success depends highly upon the volunteer base on which it is built. Because program volunteers and police cannot be everywhere all the time, it is imperative that ALL members of the community become involved in keeping an extra eye out and reporting suspicious activity. Taking safety precautions, using common sense, and coming to-gether as a team IS the success of our program.

Please take a minute to thank your team of volun-teers and extra police patrol. Without their assistance our program would not exist. We greatly appreciate the contributions we have received through the ACA mem-bership this year to replenish our security fund. To those of you who have contributed and who are consid-ering a contribution, thank you for your support. It is important that we secure the additional uniformed patrol that brings much needed visibility and assurance to our streets. We count on your continued contributions to enable us to provide this extra patrol. If you’d like to contribute, please make your checks payable to ACA and write “NW Security Fund” in the memo, and send it to P.O. Box 241, Crownsville, MD 21032. Again, your support is greatly appreciated.

As we’ve discussed before, if you have installed home security DVR cameras, please provide that infor-

mation to us for our unpublished inventory so that we can network to help prevent crime and possibly catch criminal activity. This information will ONLY be ac-cessed by the program manager and the police, if needed. These cameras are valuable tools we would like to take complete advantage of them. If you need assistance with the installation of this equipment, please contact ardenneighborhoodwatch@verizon.net. We have a technical specialist who has volunteered to assist. We would like to thank those of you who have already provided camera information for this program.

If you would like to volunteer to help out with the Neighborhood Watch program and/or have your e-mail added to our communication network, please e-mail ardenneighborhoodwatch@verizon.net. Being part of this program is extremely rewarding and is a great way to get to know your neighbors and your community better. Remember, the best way to report an incident or suspicious activity is by calling 911 for police assis-tance. DON’T HESITATE TO DO SO!

Wishing everyone a safe summer.

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(410) 923-2200 Manager: Donna Walsh, AVP

NEWSBUOY 17

Please join me in thanking Tom Michaels, the owner of The UPS Store in Odenton. In my effort to make the NewsBuoy better, I discovered Tom and his store. This discovery led to a busi-ness relationship that will allow The NewsBuoy to reduce its printing overhead costs, increase our capacity to six issues a year, and to offer Tom and his store some of our business! If you haven’t visited his store, please consider doing so for any shipping, packing, and/or printing needs!

NEWSBUOY 18

MOSQUITO MYTHS DEBUNKED By: MD Dept of Agriculture (adapted)

There are many stories circulating about mosqui-

toes, what will control them, what repels them and which are the biters. This adapted article is from the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s biannual newslet-ter on the local Maryland mosquito population.

The bat myth started with a study that counted the number of mosquitoes eaten by bats in a closed room with only mosquitoes present. The bats ate about 10 per minute, which was extrapolated out to 600 per hour. While bats will feed on many different insects, they do not seem to prefer mosquitoes and will often go after larger prey such as beetles or moths. Other studies analyzing stomach contents of bats show that less than one percent of their diet is mosquitoes.

Purple martins eat a large variety of flying insects but are not overly fond of mosquitoes. A seven-year study conducted by the Purple Martin Conservation Association did not find a single sample (out of 500) containing any mosquitoes.

Purple martins actively feed during the day and most mosquitoes are active at dusk or after dark. Even though Asian tiger mosquitoes are active during the daytime, martins still preferentially feed on much larger insects.

While people find it comforting to hear a bug zap-per’s noise, they mostly kill moths and beetles. They also kill a number of species of beneficial insects, but less than seven percent of their kill is mosquitoes.

Citrosa plants are scented geraniums engineered to add citronella oil. To be effective, the leaves would have to be crushed continuously. Because of this, they will not help repel mosquitoes from your yard.

The Listerine and Lemon Joy ‘remedies’ have been debunked by Snopes.com. While liquid soap on a puddle of water might drown any mosquito which lands there, biting mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale and body warmth and would not be distracted by a dish of water and soap. Mosquitoes looking for water to lay eggs might be repelled by the presence of soap & seek another water source nearby.

Listerine is not an insecticide nor a repellant. It will

not hang in the air and kill mosquitoes as they fly through it, as an insecticide labeled for small flying insects would, and it will not reduce the mosquito popu-lation in your yard.

The best way to help control mosquitoes in your neighborhood is to check weekly to ensure that you do not have any standing water on your property, including water in containers.

Repellants—Which is Best?

Repeated studies have shown that DEET is the

only repellant which consistently blocks mosquitoes from biting over extended time periods.

There are two new repellants on the market, picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus.

These two have been shown to repel mosquitoes, but neither one lasts as long as DEET so they cannot provide the same level of protection.

In keeping with the story above, there are several household items which, rumor has it, can be used to repel mosquitoes. Dryer sheets, Vaporub and even banana peels have been touted as repellants. None have been proven in studies to have any repellant prop-erties.

Why Do Mosquitoes Bite?

Only female mosquitoes bite! The reason is sim-

ple—they need the protein in blood to develop their eggs. Once they’ve taken a full blood meal, they try to find either stagnant water or dry ground that has been flooded (and will be again) to lay their eggs. Different species have different egg-laying habits.

The eggs laid on the water surface will hatch within a day or so into very tiny larvae. Eggs laid on dry ground will wait for rains. When that site floods, the eggs hatch into larvae and continue their development.

Larvae go through 4 instars, or sizes, as they eat, molt and grow. Once they’ve completed that 4th instar, they molt into the pupal stage (the equivalent of a co-coon in moths but much more active). They are only pupae for a day or two, and then emerge as adult mos-quitoes to start the cycle all over again!

NEWSBUOY 19

NEWSBUOY 20

neglected over time? The more rooms explored the more joyful, productive energy gathered to meet any goal – weight management, fitness, or otherwise. When we coordinate the needs and resources of all our rooms we are often empowered to discover a break-through for real, life-long change.

If you would like to know more on the above infor-mation or would like to learn more strategies to meet your fitness goals I’m available to help. Feel free to contact me at (410) 923-2082 or at email me at she-ba51@comcast.net

(FITNESS CORNER Continued from page 6)

GRASS-CYCLING By: AA County Waste Management

This Spring and Summer, remember these Grass-

cycling tips: Mow you lawn high (above 3 inches) and remem-

ber to leave the grass clippings on your lawn. Lawns tend to stay greener and healthier when clippings are left on the lawn to act as a natural fertilizer.

Mowing higher helps the lawn crowd out weeds, and results in more grass blades showing, more upright growth, better shade tolerance and deeper roots. Ulti-mately, you will spend a lot less time maintaining your lawn then by cutting it shorter.

Grass clippings are 75-85% water. Leaving the grass behind allows the reuse of water and the reduc-tion of operating time on your well pump.

Grass clippings return valuable nutrients to the soil and can generate up to 50% of your lawn’s fertilizer needs.

Grass-cycling reduces the amount or organic ma-terial you dispose of, which helps the environment by reducing the need to haul it and saves budgeted money. Ultimately, increases to your tax bill are af-fected by the reduction.

About 29% of residential yard waste can be com-posted—grass clippings, leaves, brush, and other mate-rial from the yard, as well as most food scraps. Free compost bins are available to county residents at our facilities; limit one per household.

LETTER TO SECTION 5 By: A Section 5 Resident

Over the years around 8:00 AM during the school

year I have had to deal with parents departing from Indian Creek School after dropping their kids off. A lot of the time these parents just seem to pull out in front of me and other residents without even paying attention to oncoming traffic.

On March 17th 2010 I finally had enough and con-tacted Indian Creek School Administration about this issue and thus far they have been very receptive of my complaint. After I contacted them I drove through their parking lot and upon using the exit I found that with their trees and fence, visibility down Evergreen Rd. to oncoming traffic was virtually non-existent; I reported this finding back to the school administration and they are now looking into it. This is the response I received from the school administration:

Thank you for this information. I have contacted our Physical Plant and a number of administrators about the issue. We have also sent a notification to parents asking that they make sure to come to a com-plete stop before exiting. We have additionally included this information in our newsletter and posted this infor-mation on our in-school website as well.

In discussing the situation with various individuals, several people have expressed a concern about the speed of people coming from Arden. Is there a way that you could let people from Arden know we are work-ing on the situation and remind them to watch the speed as well? If that's possible, we would greatly appreciate it. We will continue to work on the situation from our end, and hopefully our collaborative efforts will resolve the problem.

There is no posted speed limit coming out of Sec-tion 5 on Evergreen Rd. other then the warning speed limit around the turn. I suggested to the school that they have the county look into the no posted speed limit issue. For the next issue of the News Buoy, can you include an article about this geared towards residents of Section 5? I figure if the school does their part and the residents are aware of the issue, maybe we can avoid serious traffic incidents.

NEWSBUOY 21

Please save your aluminum can pull tops for the Ronald McDonald House! Call Bill Harrington on (410) 923-3343.

Please notify the NewsBuoy Editor if you have any events that you would like included in the next issue.

4 Independence Day

9 Senior’s Lunch 11:30 am

Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047

12 ABI Meeting, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Keith Slack (410) 923-3555

14 GHCCA, Baldwin School

7:30 pm

Don Yeskey (410) 923-6215

20 Severn River Association, Calvary UMC 301 Rowe Blvd Annapolis, MD

7:00 pm

SRA Phone # (443) 569-3556

27 Gardner’s Club, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Susan Guyaux (410) 923-0874

9 GHCCA, Baldwin School

7:30 pm

11 Senior’s Lunch 11:30 am

Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047

12 ABI Meeting, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Keith Slack (410) 923-3555

14 ABI Meeting, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Keith Slack (410) 923-3555

14

15 Severn River Association, Calvary UMC 301 Rowe Blvd Annapolis, MD

7:00 pm

Susan Guyaux (410) 923-0874

Flag Day

SRA Phone # (443) 569-3556

20 Father’s Day

22 Gardner’s Club, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Don Yeskey (410) 923-6215

1 AG Plant Sale 9:00a - 2:00p

Susan Guyaux (410) 923-0874

2

9 Mother’s Day

10 ABI Meeting, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Keith Slack (410) 923-3555

12 GHCCA, Baldwin School

7:30 pm

Don Yeskey (410) 923-6215

14 Senior’s Lunch 11:30 am

Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047

18 Severn River Association, Calvary UMC 301 Rowe Blvd Annapolis, MD

7:00 pm

SRA Phone # (443) 569-3556

19 ACA Meeting, Town Hall

7:00 pm

31 Memorial Day

AG Plant Sale - RAIN DATE

25 Gardner’s Club, Town Hall

7:00 pm

Susan Guyaux (410) 923-0874

Alby Bacon (410) 923-0047

NEWSBUOY 22

TECHIE DAN’S TECH TIME A Sweet Tweet (Part 1)

By: Daniel Friedman, Tech Guy This week I wanted to talk about Twitter and its

uses. Twitter is a great social site, and offers many ways to use it. Let me explain some of its features.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is one of the ‘social’ sites where you can

receive personal messages in 140 characters or less, communicating with other people. You can also help other people spread their messages. Twitter can also be used as a news feed. You pick your friends on Twit-ter. These people, groups, and/or corporations become your followers. If they decide to ‘follow’ you, you can reply to their messages. Companies use it for advertis-ing, updating followers on what they're doing, and offer-ing free giveaways. If you're into the celebrity scene, you could follow your favorites. If something important happened (for example, an earthquake happened somewhere in the world), you can type a message and type "Please RT (ReTweet) this". What does RT mean?

RT and how to use it!

‘RT’ means ReTweet. ReTweet is when you re-

post a message for someone else to view. The more people use "Retweet", the more the message gets out. A lot of businesses and music artists use it for free things, coupons, contest/giveaways, and such. When you ‘RT’ a message, your friends see it and they're more likely to ‘RT’. When you ‘RT’ something, only your followers see it; therefore, if you want someone to ‘RT’ a message, you may want to post a message, off and on, throughout the day without spamming. Lets look at an example: Say I want to sell a product. My message might be something like "Try our new frying pan. It’s tougher

cast iron. Buy one, get one half off, when you ‘RT’ this message". Someone can then ‘RT’ this message, and get a great deal. When ‘RTing’ your message, make sure not to "spam" (continually posting the same mes-sage over and over). If you spam, people are likely to ‘unfolllow’ you. You can also use something called a ‘hashtag’ to help spread your message.

What’s a Hashtag and how do I use it?

A hashtag is a

priority designation, signified by the # sign. Let's use the previous message as an example. "Try our new frying pan. It’s tougher cast iron. Buy one get one half off when you RT this message". A good hashtag for this would be ‘#Deal’. If enough people RT this message, it will become what's known as a "Trending Topic". At right you can see what Trending Topics look like:

If you like, you can set it up to have "Trending Topics" established for a specific local area. When the

"hashtag" is on the "Trending Topics", its more likely that someone will click on it. That ends this edition of Techie Dan's Tech Time. Next edition will have more info on Twitter and how you can use it. If you have any questions or com-ments, please feel free to send me an e m a i l a t Dan.Friedman.87@gmail.com. I am very interested in addressing some questions in upcoming articles, so send them my way.

NEWSBUOY 23

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THE NEWSBUOY Your Community Newsletter P.O. Box 241, Crownsville, MD 21032 Published by the Arden Community Association

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