A Sense of Place By: Layne Weber

How was my county settled?  My town (Adamstown) was founded by William Addams on July 4, William Addams founded Adamsburry, that was what it was called at that time, on a former native American village.  s/adamstown_boro/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=507174

What town, borough, or village do you reside in?  My mailing address is Reinholds but we actually live closer to Adamstown.

Three things I like about my area.  I like that there are a lot of farms.  I like that we have a lot of wild life.  I like that it is open, for the most part.

Three things I dislike in my area.  I don’t like that farmland is being developed.  I don’t like how much litter can be found along the roads.  I Don’t like how it is becoming more crowded.

Weather patterns  July and September on average get the most precipitation  January and February get the least precipitation on average  January and February on average are the coldest months  July and August are the hottest months on average  Highest recorded temperature was 102 degrees in 1988  Lowest temperature was -16 degrees recorded in 1994 

What watershed do you live in?  I live in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. It feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

Two human practices that help the water in my watershed.  Recycling plastic bags helps the watershed. When people recycle plastic bags it is less likely that animals will die because of them.  Trying to reduce the amount of harmful nutrient that enters the Chesapeake bay by properly spreading manure.

Two practices that hurt the water in my watershed.  All the excess fertilizer from yards and fields produce a lot of runoff that pollutes the Chesapeake Bay.  Washing your car in your driveway is harmful to your watershed. When you wash your car you wash exhaust residue, motor oil, and other toxic substances into your watershed

◦5 Common Native plants to the area  Oak Trees  Dandelions  Maple Trees  Crab grass  Buttercups

Three common Birds  Turtle doves  Robins  Mocking birds

Three common mammals  Whitetail deer  Squirrel  Raccoon

Energy Sources  Fossil-fuels  Nuclear energy  Wind power, solar power, and biogas from decomposing trash in landfills 

Environmental Problem  Harmful runoff from fertilizer and nutrient from manure spread on fields harms our local streams and rivers and eventually the Chesapeake Bay.

Two interesting facts about the environment.  It is interesting how what we do and what farmers do drastically effects the Chesapeake Bay.  It is interesting how everything in the environment depends on each other to live and function

Were does the water in our home come from?  We have a well on our property that we get our water from.

What does your household do with trash?  We burn everything that is burnable and we also have a small dumpster for the non burnable things.

Is there recycling in your home? If so explain how and if you have it picked up or dropped off where does it go after that?  Yes we have recycling. We recycle plastics and metals. We have our recycling picked up every Thursday morning by Reams Disposal. It is delivered to drop- off locations then to processors for sorting into their various components and to remove contaminants. After sorting, the various materials are compacted or baled and transported to a market to be used as raw material for manufacturing other products. 

Where does your sewage go? Make sure you include how it gets processed and what happens to it after.  We have our own septic tank that we have emptied by Nolt’s Septic Service. It is then taken to a treatment plant were the solids in the wastewater is removed and changed by decomposition to a relatively stable organic solid. The wastewater is then disposed of by dilution or subsurface disposal. 

What are 3 of the habitats around the outside of your home? Describe them and any role that you or your family plays in those habitats  The woods begin our house, it has a stream going through it and brush. We play a role in that habitat because we cut firewood and hunt in it.  Our hay field it is open and full of grass. We play a role in that habitat when we cut hay off of it.  Our backyard it has two Shagbark hickory trees and a little bit of woods. We play a role in that habitat when we let our dog out back there, when we mow, and when we clean up the hickory nuts.

Name your top 5 foods, then you have to research where in the world these foods come from.  One of my favorite foods is fresh fruit that is locally grown around here.  I like hamburger and other cuts of beef. The beef we eat comes from the cattle in our pasture.  Turkey Hill Ice-cream, Turkey Hill Ice-cream is made in Lancaster County  Johnsonville sausage, Johnsonville sausage are made in Johnsonville Wisconsin there headquarters are in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.  Pepperidge Farms bread and pastries, The closest Pepperidge Farm factory is in Denver PA, but they also have many factories across the U.S.