Earth Day Essay Contest

Cascadia Conservation District is pleased to announce our 6th annual Earth Day Essay Contest! 

The essay contest is open to students who live or attend school in Chelan or Douglas counties and who are in grades 6th-8th.

This year, the essay question is: 

Describe an experience you have had in nature, and how you connected with that experience personally. How does that make you want to be more environmentally responsible?

As students begin to think about this question, please encourage them to consider their connection to nature and their local environment. This activity is meant to encourage stewardship and integrate creative thought and writing with science.

The top three essays will get hand painted field journals created by local artist Heather A. Wallis Murphy and a student membership to the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center!

Here are the particulars:

•The essays should be 500 words or less, size 12 Times New Roman font, and double-spaced.

• Typed essays are preferred, but hand written essays will be accepted provided they are legible.

• Word count should be included in the bottom, right corner of the essay.

• Essays must be turned in with completed entry form that can be found here.

• Essays are due Friday April 7th, 2017. Essays postmarked April 8th or later will be disqualified.

• Winners will be announced on our website and notified by Saturday, April 22nd.

Submissions should be mailed or turned in to:

Cascadia Conservation District

14 N Mission St.

Wenatchee, WA 98801

~ Ava

Native Planting 101 Recap

Last Saturday, February 11th, Cascadia Conservation District, with the help of AmeriCorps member Ava, hosted a Native Planting 101 workshop. 

AmeriCorps member Ava introducing speakers.

Connie Mehmel's Presentation 

It was a 4 ½ hour workshop with four presentations covering pollinator gardening, yardscaping, restoration, and weed management.

We had 46 adults attend, in addition to two volunteers and four speakers. 

Our 2017 Native Plant Sale is still accepting orders through March 1st!

All 11 species are still available. 

Download an order form HERE!

You can access some of the information presented on our website at http://cascadiacd.org/native-planting-101-workshop_335.html

If you missed this year’s workshop, look for next year’s workshop info in Cascadia’s winter newsletter.

Ted Alway's Presentation 

Listed below are some wonderful resources to get you started on planning your natural yardscape:

Native Plants

• Washington Native Plant Society www.wnps.org
• WTU Herbarium Image Collection: Plants and Lichens of Washington         www.biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php
• USDA-NRCS Plants Database  www.plants.usda.gov/java
• Chalker-Scott, Linda. Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens: Good Science- Practical Application. GFG Publishing, 2009.
• Fitzgerald, Tonie, Eve Carroll and Michael Terrell. Landscaping with Native Plants in the Inland Northwest. Publication MISC 0267.  WSU        Cooperative Extension, and US. Dept. of Agriculture, 2000.
• Kruckeberg, Arthur R. Gardening With Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1996.
• Link, Russell. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1999.
• Tallamy, Douglas W.  Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Timber Press, 2007.
• Taylor, Ronald J. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1992.

Weeds

• Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board     www.nwcb.wa.gov
• Chelan County Noxious Weed Control Board   www.co.chelan.wa.us/noxious-weed
• Washington Invasive Species Council                                                                                          www.invasivespecies.wa.gov 
• Burrill, Larry C., Steven A. Dewey, David W. Cudney, and B. E. Nelson. Weeds of the West. Western Society of Weed Science, 1999.

Yardscaping

• WSU Gardening in Washington www.gardening.wsu.edu
• Plant Native How To Naturescape Guide www.plantnative.com/how_intro.htm
• Weston, Shann. Naturescaping: A Landscaping Partnership with Nature. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2001.

Pollinator Gardening

• The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation www.xerces.org
• Puget Sound Beekeepers Association www.pugetsoundbees.org
• Natural Resources Conservation Service Insects and Pollinators          www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/pollinate
• National Wildlife Federation “Garden for Wildlife” www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife.aspx
• Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides                                                                                                  www.pesticide.org/pests_and_alternatives
• Pollinator Partnership Ecoregional Planting Guides    www.pollinator.org/guides
• US Forest Service Gardening for Pollinators                  www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/gardening.shtml
• The Xerces Society. Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies. Storey Publishing, 2011. 

~ Ava