Oh dear … yes … September is school again, even for adults. But hey, there are some great opportunities to gain new knowledge and skills and be able to use them on projects and activities out in our NaturalSkagit. She will appreciate your efforts. Now is the time to start seeking out a class or program and give it a good effort this year!
The Padilla Bay Estuarine Research Reserve and the Skagit Conservation District hold their Stream Team training Sept 10, 11, and 13 (See calendar below for details.) You will learn about our local watershed, the current water quality issues, and how to sample and test water for a variety of conditions such as temperature, turbidity, and fecal-coliform contamination. After this classroom and field learning you will join a small team and be assigned a stretch of water to monitor and test once a month. Sites range from Padilla Bay on the West well up into the Nookachamps, Samish and mid-Skagit basins. Typically about 45 citizens are on the teams in any year … some are working into their 11th year of “field-mice” or “lab-rats!”
Good fun and camaraderie and a great contribution to our NaturalSkagit.
The Watershed Masters training will be coming later in September and then training for Master Gardeners, Beach Watchers, Stream Stewards, Backyard Habitats, and Recycler/Composters over the next months. … and other topics I have forgotten or am not yet aware of! Most of these classes provide extensive learning and require giving back hours of volunteer time … good places to Dig In and make a difference. We’ll try to keep you posted on upcoming ones right here.
If you just want to get out and work in the field in the Fall a bit, be sure to check in on the Skagit Land Trust (http://www.skagitlandtrust.org) or the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (http://www.skagitfisheries.org) web sites for work parties. These typically take a few hours on a Saturday and let you do as much or as little as you can – you will get the instruction you need for the chores at hand. Always a good time and good company.
As a tid-bit … the parking lot out at the Casino near Anacortes at the twin bridges is still not paved with the pervious asphalt. Asphalt is in short supply! Not sure when it will happen, but will try to let you know ahead of time. If not, we’ll all go out later and pour water on it and watch it go right through! (See post of July 16, “Why Gosh, Seems like it was just there yesterday …”
The Local-Organization-You-Might-Want-To-Be-Involved-With this week is the Skagitonians To Preserve Farmland http://www.Skagitonians.org
This local, non-profit, membership-driven outfit (SPF) was founded in 1989 and lots of you sport the bumper sticker …”Pavement is Forever”. There are over 600 members, a 17 member Board of Directors, and a small staff. The fundamental mission is to ensure the economic viability of Skagit County agriculture and its required infrastructure through farmland protection, advocacy, research, education and public awareness. SPF also promotes consumer demand for Skagit Valley products.
Besides the bumper sticker, other widely visible programs include the nifty crop-identity signs along the fields, the InFARMation Radio broadcast you can tune into along I-5 and surrounding areas, and the recent several-month photographic display at the Skagit Historical Museum – the beautiful “Harvesting the Light.”
Farmland Protection and Environmental Stewardship are also significant strategies of the SPF and sometimes result in a hearty tug-of-war! Successes have often required significant collaboration, negotiation, education, and civic-mindedness. Many of you have probably already participated in some of these.
The best way to get involved is to spend some time on the website and get a good understanding of this group. Then join up with a monetary donation and also by paying attention to issues that arise in our NaturalSkagit that affect farmland and farming – take the time to understand all sides and make your opinions heard. Help where you can.
There is also a volunteer opportunity – the Crop Sign program wants to be expanded and needs folks to pitch in and help with that, maybe help get some signs installed over in the Samish River fields too. Give them a call at 360 336 3974 and offer to help – a great way to Dig In!
Here are some near-term activities to consider:
Sat. Sept. 6 Skagit River Family Fest Noon – 6:00pm Howard Miller Steelhead Park, Rockport http://www.skagitfisheries.org/famfest.pdf for more details.
Wed., Thurs., Sat. Sept. 10, 11, 13 Skagit Stream Team Training 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Wed. & Thurs., 9:00am – 3:00 pm Sat. Padilla Bay Reserve facility on Bayview-Edison Rd. to register
Thur. Sept. 11 Small Forest Stewardship Workshop 6:00pm – 9:00pm Concrete High School Commons Free, but register by Sept. 10 or call 360 336-0172 Refreshments!!!
Sat. Sept. 13 Finney Creek Watershed Tour 10:00am – 4:00pm Register by Sept. 10 to reserve a seat in the van and for meet-up location. Dress for the weather and for wading! or call 360 336-0172 Snacks!!!
Sat., Sun. Sept. 13/14 Sourdough Speaker Series – Saul Weisberg and Peter Jackson North Cascades Institute Learning Center at Diablo Lake $95 Call 360 856 5700 ext. 209 to register
Many similar events and activities and opportunities are posted on the GoSkagit Event Calendar. Check it often!
(This blog is a service of the Skagit Conservation Education Alliance (SCEA) http://www.skagitwater.org Your comments will be helpful. New ideas to consider, and changes we should make are especially welcome. Corrections and further enlightenment will help as well. You can email to . Thank you.)
