Tuesday, June 22, 2010

SK Newsletter, June 22

Sustainable Kodiak Newsletter, June 22, 2010

Farmer’s Market News
To all of you who were at the Saturday "Townie Market", thank you for being there. It was a fun event, even though we did not get the crowd we had hoped for. It is early in the season, and again we have to educate people, not only that we are open, but also that we are in a new location. If any of you have ideas as to how we can get more local folks to attend, please let me know. It was good to have Marie Rice there with her rhubarb, to start our local produce season. By the next Saturday market, which is July 17, it is possible that we will have more growers out in front. That in itself will draw in more local people.
Both Jeff Barnhart and Brian Dixon took pictures of Marie. As the hope for BearTown is that it will be successful for all of you, I think it's important to put a focus on Brian's photography skills as well as on the rhubarb sellers. Therefore, will send that picture and information about Marie and the kids' part in BearTown to the newspaper tomorrow.
Remember, the next ship arrives Wednesday. Building opens for vendors at 7:00 a.m. Let's hope for a large crowd and good sales for everyone! Fran
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Latest from Rich Seifert:
This is the link to my lecture Video : Is Alaska Sustainable", from last week , June 16, given here at UAF. Haven't looked at it myself, so don't know its quality, but they've got it recorded.
In case you want to check it out… from Rich Seifert
http://echo.uaf.edu:8080/ess/echo/presentation/7071be90-6c9a-4ed2-a609-f83f22c48497
Also- Rich’s new Solar Design Manual –
“Really pleased with this discussion of my new solar design manual. Great interview.”
This is the site to see the video: http://www.alaska.edu/oit/cts/streaming/archive/2010/journalism/fairbanksfocus/

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Invasive Weed Report:
See attached Governor's proclamation!

Our summer youth crew has been busy surveying and removing weeds along our roads in Kodiak. They were very disappointed to see all the garbage dumped along the Monashka road, they found orange hawkweed growing from torn garbage bags and in waste piles in several of the dump areas. They visited Ahkiok last week and found NO orange hawkweed! Congratulations Akhiok! Next week they will be in Port Lions helping to assess the problem and talking to folks. They will be able to dig small infestations if they find any along the ATV trails but they will also be looking for other species such as yellow tansy.

Sara Persselin, our Invasive Plants Coordinator, has been playing weed games with kids in several summer camps and has plans to work with some Kodiak Master Gardeners next week. She is scheduled for a presentation at Fort Abercrombie on Saturday June 26, 6pm. Stop by and learn more about Kodiak Invasive Plants and what you can do to stop their spread.

Thanks for caring! – Blythe Brown

Hands Across the Sand? - From Switgard
Check this out. Do you think we would have some support for joining an action like this and do our own Hands-accross-the sand event in Kodiak? - Switgard
1Sky has joined with a nationwide effort to sponsor "Hands Across the Sand" on Saturday, June 26th, when groups of people will gather at beaches and communities throughout America at 11:00AM local time to send a message to the President and Congress: NO to drilling, and YES to a clean energy economy!
Visit our website to attend a "Hands Across the Sand" event in your area

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Want to recycle your old five gallon buckets? There’s no better way than by modifying them into “global buckets.” Check it out at www.globalbuckets.org.
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Swaps and Trades:
Your seeds email reminded me that I meant to ask you something: I don’t have much of a garden only a few planter boxes, but I am looking for a few plants that I would like to have:
2 tomatoes for my living room window (best are cherry or grape varieties)
3 or 4 dill plants for my planter outside (last year I had some great ones and they go so well with fish)
1 bushel of chives
Strawberry Fields doesn’t have these, I’ve been there three times to look. Do you know where I could get lucky? I don’t have plants to trade but maybe a piece of fish. – Switgard, switgard@gci.net

Kodiak as a Sustainable Community

Did you see the article on Kodiak as a sustainable community in the Alaska Airlines magazine? http://alaskaairlines.journalgraphicsdigital.com/current/

Starts on page 30

Very nice !