March 14 is National Save a Spider Day, the perfect time to highlight the critical need to protect spiders, not fear them.
Dr. Paula E. Cushing, past president of both the American Arachnological Society and the International Society of Arachnology, has been joyfully studying spiders for decades. She says our fear of spiders is outsized: of the more than 53,000 species of spiders, approximately 100 species have venom that can badly hurt (or in rare cases, kill) humans.
Still, arachnophobia is often cited as the top phobia in the world. Dr. Cushing says learning about spiders and being exposed to them often greatly reduces people's fears.
Spiders are an important part of the ecosystem. They devour insects, including mosquitoes, and they also are food for birds, reptiles, small mammals, and other species. Habitat loss and pesticide use are among factors causing reductions in spider populations.
Dr. Cushing is senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in Colorado.
Special thanks to the museum and Dr. Cushing for providing photographs for use in this episode.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science https://www.dmns.org/
American Arachnological Society https://www.americanarachnology.org/home/
International Society of Arachnology https://arachnology.org/home
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Learn all about composting - whether you want to use a worm bin inside, or a larger bin outdoors - from Master Composter Sandra Blain-Snow, with the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management. Composting not only creates a rich, natural fertilizer for your garden, it saves critically important space in the landfill.
Blain-Snow talks about the best ingredients to add to your compost bin - fruit and vegetable scraps, newspaper, coffee grounds, leaves, and more - and what to leave out - including meat and dairy products. She also discusses the many joyful benefits of spending time in the garden.
The New Jersey Shore is known for its sandy soil, and adding compost greatly improves it. With support from the Board of Commissioners, the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management holds multiple composting workshops every year, where each participant receives a free composting bin. Also offered is a free, 15-hour Master Composter Training Program, that goes into greater detail about the process: https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/oc/solidwaste/frmMCP.aspx
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch "Still Time for Joy" as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

Do you know how maple syrup is made? Recently visitors to the New Jersey Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson Township, NJ, learned all about the fascinating process. At the Sugar Shack, Roger Smith, a seasonal naturalist at NJ FREC, talked about tapping sugar maples for sap, which is then boiled down on an evaporator.
Participants even sampled the pure, maple syrup on small pancakes, before embarking on an hour-long trek through the forest, to learn about wildlife, various tree species, and the importance of taking care of natural resources.
Visit the website of the New Jersey Forest Resource Education Center to find out about the many recreational opportunities and programs it offers: https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/conservation/forest-resource-education-center/
Sandra Levine Productions: https://sandralevine.com/

Watch "Still Time for Joy" as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd