The Marion SWCD holds a variety of annual events including a native plant sale and annual meeting. These events are a great way to learn more about the District, educate yourself on conservation issues, and meet the staff of the District. All events are open to the public.
District Events
Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Marion SWCD's Annual Native Plant Sale. This was the District's 10th Plant Sale and it went off with a bang. We saw almost twice as many visitors than last year, which lets us know that more and more people are doing their part to plant native plants that enhance the local ecology. The District would like to thank Bauman Farms for allowing the District to hold this event at such an amazing place. The District would also like to thank Champoeg Nursery, Minto Island Growers, Sevenoaks Native Nursery, Oak Point Nursery, and Heritage Seedlings Inc for providing the native plants and seed for the sale. Once again thank you to everyone who helped make this years Native Plant Sale a great success! The District is going to leave the Sale's documents up as a resource to plan for next year and to use when shopping for plants. Check back in 2013!
Kendy Radasky will be talking about Permaculture; a practical and creative design process enabling humans to interact in a regenerative way with our natural surroundings as we create integrated systems of food production, housing, technology, and human communities. This talk will introduce you to the ethics and principles of permaculture through a mixture of presentation and discussion. Our goal is for you to finish with a desire to learn more about how to apply permaculture to your everyday life.
Elizabeth Miller and Chris Jenkins from Minto Island Growers will be discussing easy low cost techniques for willow and other native plant propagation and planting. They will also speak about using native plants in the farm and gardenscape to attract beneficial insects and wildlife. Questions on annual vegetable growing and organic blueberry production are also welcome.
This years garden workshop was a success! There were 33 people in attendance from all over the county that were excited about the topics, with some leaving with Willow or Dogwood starts. Stay tuned for next years Garden Workshop.
Marion SWCD will hold its 10th Annual Elementary School Poster Contest in 2012! The contest is one of many programs the District uses to take conservation education to school children grades 1 − 5. Teachers can register their classes in late January ⁄ early February. The District provides all necessary learning materials, and aids. We make it fun with kid friendly activity sheets and also supply the paper! We only require the teachers to devote a short period of study to the Poster Contest's select theme/subject − which changes each year. Some of the past year themes were: Water is Life!, Dig It! Secrets of the Soil!, and Forests For People! More Than You can Imagine!. Any participating student will tell you the program is Fun! The teachers will attest the program was Educational! And best of all, there are prizes to be won! Please keep posted to this website for information about the next contest!
Oregon Envirothon is a hands-on environmental problem−solving competition for high school−age students in the United States and Canada. Participating teams complete training and testing in five natural resource categories; aquatic ecology, soils/land use, forestry, wildlife, and one current environmental issue. The teams consist of three to five high school−aged students. Combining in-class curriculum and hands−on field experiences, the Oregon Envirothon program is an excellent way to supplement environmental education inside and outside the traditional classroom. Envirothon stimulates, reinforces and enhances students' interest in the environment and allows them the opportunity to get "up-close and personal" with each state's natural resources. Led by a volunteer advisor, teams usually meet from late autumn until spring. Teams collaborate to develop their knowledge of ecology and natural resource management and to practice their environmental problem-solving skills in preparation for the competition.
This year's annual meeting was a great success due to the support from the public and local producers. To celebrate the Marion SWCD's 40th year of doing conservation work in the county, we had a taste of Marion County buffet, promoting the local foods and goods being produced in the county. To learn about the activities of the District during the 2011 year, check out this years Annual Report. Stay tuned for information on the District's 2012 Annual Meeting.