I would like to invite you to close your eyes and imagine a room filled with people who are excited to learn about regional programs that can increase knowledge and implementation of conservation on the land. Now, open your senses to the smell the fresh coffee brewing and the sweet hint of cinnamon from the warm, freshly baked apple cider donuts, compliments of EZ Orchards. Finally, feel the energy in the room fill with hope and enthusiasm for the guest speaker brought to you by the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District. This dream was made possible by the original First Friday programs in 2018.
We have shifted our methods from cozy coffee and yummy donuts at the office to convenient home- brewed coffee and house slippers in your location of choice. First Fridays have become a mainstay in our adult learner programs, and we feel the safest choice is to continue to offer this program online as we enter fall/winter 2021/2022.
We hope you can join us online for any or all the programs listed below. We truly miss seeing you, shaking your hand, and hosting you with hot coffee and warm donuts, but we know this is best for our community, so until we meet again, we will see you on the screen.
The First Friday monthly lineup for 2021/2022:
- October 1: Programs & Partnerships in Marion County for Small Farms. Program, Hayley White, OSU Extension Small Farms Program. Our target audience will be growers and farmers looking to learn more about resources, OSU Extension programming/projects, and educational events focused on small farms.
- November 5: ODA Ag Channel Maintenance Details, speaker to be announced. Our target audience will be farmers and producers.
- December 3: Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), speaker Drew Donahue, Multi-County Riparian Technician. Our target audience will be farmers and producers.
- January 7: Climate and How to Plant for the Future, speaker Weston Miller, Oregon State University Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture. Our target audience will be urban growers and folks with home-landscape interest.
- February 4: Winter Twig ID, speaker Amy Bartow, NRCS Plant Materials Center. Our target audience is anyone looking to learn more about how to identify native deciduous trees in winter.
- March 4: Marion County Recycling/Composting Reduce and Reuse, speaker Dakota Tangredi, Reduction Coordinator. Our target audience is any Marion County resident who is interested in reducing the waste stream through consumer reduction, reuse, and finally recycling.
- April 1: Invasive Plant Species ID with Jenny Meisel, MSWCD Native & Invasive Plant Specialist. Our target audience is Marion County residents who would like to learn how to identify invasive plant species on their property to better manage their land.
To sign up, simply click the Eventbrite link. There is no charge for registration; select a specific date, then click the green “register” button.