TCD's 2021 Annual Report is Here!
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Each year TCD looks back at how we made progress on our Strategic Plan. Check out our 2021 Annual Report to see some highlights and success stories of projects and programs from last year. This magazine-style report is a fun way to get caught up on all the exciting work we're doing!
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Thurston Conservation District is looking for an experienced self-starter who is a dynamic, energetic, highly organized creative thinker with an interest in natural resources conservation and supporting local agriculture to join our team as a Natural Resource Specialist.
This position works directly with community members to help them meet their land-based goals in a non-regulatory and voluntary environment. This position works with farmers, landowners, and residents in Thurston County to assist with the planning and development of conservation plans for their properties and operations. A primary focus will be small farm planning and technical education. Additional experience in water quality monitoring, stream habitat restoration, forage and pasture renovation, and soil health is desired. This position coordinates and implements other field projects supported by the Conservation Program Manager.
The first application review date is August 1, 2022.
See the full position description and application instructions on our website.
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Conservation Starters: Engaging Local Youth
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This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by Stephanie Bishop and Sam Nadell, TCD's youth education staff. During this episode, we learn about the history of our k-12 program South Sound GREEN and how it has evolved and grown over the last 30 years to meet the growing need for hands-on science education in Thurston County. We also discuss the challenges our staff faced and the solutions they found to continue providing education to students during the pandemic. Tune in to this conversation to learn more about TCD's programs geared towards youth, teens, and young adults. If you are a Thurston County parent, teacher, or student this is the episode for you!
You can find this episode and others on all major streaming platforms.
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Stay up to date on our search for the future Conservation Education Center site here.
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News from South Sound GREEN
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Stephanie kicks off the 2022 Summer Institute for Teachers!
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Another school year is in the books, and I think most teachers and students would agree that this was one of the more unique ones! From school-based water quality field days, to virtual salmon spawning field trips, to our packed spring nearshore field trip schedule, this year had everything. We are so grateful to have such amazing local teachers to work with, who have dealt with more than ever this year to help us implement our programs whether they were virtual, school-based, or field-based. We are eagerly looking forward to next year, when even more of our students and teachers should be able to join us for field experiences!
The end of June saw one of our favorite annual activities – the Summer Institute for Teachers. This year’s theme was Drought and Wildfires, highlighting some of the heightened issues we’ve been facing both locally and nationally. Thirty teachers from South Sound GREEN, the Nisqually River Education Project, and the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium came out to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge for three days of amazing tribal speakers, research experts, hands-on activities, and lots of fun! We even had the incredible opportunity to explore the expansive South Sound prairies on Joint Base Lewis-McChord and learn about prairie management practices from on-base environmental technicians. Overall, the event was a great success, and thank you again to everybody who helped to make the event possible!
Stay tuned for information about the 2022-2023 school year soon!
If you are interested in volunteering for any of South Sound GREEN’s programs or want to learn how to get your own school or class involved, contact Sam Nadell, snadell@thurstoncd.com or (360)754-2588 ext.102
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From Our Community
A snapshot of other great events, programs, and services available from throughout our community.
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Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future
American Farmland Trust
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July 12th, 11:00 am
Online Webinar
Register here.
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America’s farm and ranch lands are rapidly disappearing, threatening our rural communities and agricultural economy, jeopardizing future food security, and increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events. Washington faces a choice: let poorly planned development of this vulnerable resource continue or work to safeguard more farmland through better land-use planning and additional farmland protection tools. Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future, a new report from American Farmland Trust, maps three alternative futures out to the year 2040 in Washington. Join AFT’s National Agricultural Land Network Director and guests to explore highlights of our findings and what they mean for the future of agriculture in Washington. Learn more here.
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Tilth Alliance Farm Walk
Kirsop Farm
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Monday, July 18th 12:00 am - 4:00 pm
Kirsop Farm Rochester, WA
Learn more and register here.
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Join Tilth Alliance for an in-person Farm Walk at Kirsop Farm to hear from Genine and Colin about the evolution of their Certified Organic farm over the years!
They grow produce and raise livestock on 60 acres of land at the Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy in Rochester, WA, and sell through farmers markets, their CSA and online store. They left the Tumwater land they farmed for 20 years back in 2013 to be the anchor farmers in a project that preserves 150 acres of beautiful agricultural land and river habitat. We’ll get a chance to observe and hear about the changes they have made to scale up and increase diversity and sustainability.
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Dirt Talk: Agritourism
WSU Extension Regional Small Farms Program
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July 26th, 2022, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Online Zoom Event – Registration Required
Learn more and register here.
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Join WSU Extension for their next Dirt Talk Farmer-to-Farmer networking and learning event. Trevor Lane, agritourism specialist, will be sharing his knowledge and expertise working with farmers looking to implement agritourism as part of their farm business. Trevor will be giving a general overview of the current state of agritourism in Washington, including the economic impacts and common barriers for farmers. Discussion topics will also include risk & liability, biosecurity, and resources for farmers.
Though this event is from an agritourism point of view, information presented may be of interest to farmers not doing agritourism activities, specifically topics of risk, liability and biosecurity on the farm.
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SW WA Family Forest Field Day
WSU Extension
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Saturday, August 13th
9:30pm - 3:30pm with a break for lunch
L & H Tree Farm in Winlock, WA
Learn more and register here.
Questions? Contact Patrick Shults:
patrick.shults@wsu.edu
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This event features a rotation of forestry classes taught by experts from around the Pacific Northwest, including forest health, thinning, non-timber forest products, wildlife habitat, and more. It's also a great opportunity to network with other landowners and connect with foresters and other professionals that can assist you on your property.
Pre-registration is required. Cost is $30 for an individual or $40 for a family of two or more. Register before August 5th and save $10!
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Conservation News
Interesting news, articles, and studies on conservation issues from around the world.
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Honey bees are famous, but native bees are powerful pollinators
By Oklahoma State University Extension
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"“Commercial bees that are worth millions of dollars were dying off, and that jumped the public’s awareness of bees in general,” said Andrine Shufran, an Oklahoma State University Extension specialist in entomology and plant pathology and director of the OSU Insect Adventure. “We’re trying to take advantage of that kind of excitement in bees and insects.”" Read more here.
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The quest to keep carbon in North Carolina’s wetlands
By Brady Dennis for The Washington Post
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"GREAT DISMAL SWAMP NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE — George Washington himself aspired to drain this sprawling wetland that straddles the border of North Carolina and Virginia — one in a long line of investors eager to carve out farmland, harvest stands of Atlantic white cedar and make something useful out of what many once saw as a “miserable morass” of swamp." Read more here.
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Heat is a pollen killer, and that’s a problem for the future of agriculture
By Carolyn Beans for PBS News Hour
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"Last June, Aaron Flansburg felt the temperature spike and knew what that meant for his canola crop. A fifth-generation grower in Washington state, Flansburg times his canola planting to bloom in the cool weeks of early summer. But last year, his fields were hit with 108-degree Fahrenheit heat just as flowers opened." Read more here.
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