gardening/farming

Make the most of a soggy Saturday and learn to build a rain garden! A rain garden is a sunken garden bed that captures stormwater and allows it to soak back into the ground naturally. Part of a larger effort to reduce stormwater runoff and pollution from entering local waterways, this workshop provides step-by-step details on how to decide the best size & placement, which plants to choose, and how to build and maintain your new rain garden! Participants receive a FREE how-to manual, and where possible, take a field trip to a nearby rain garden. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. Register online at http://emswcd.org/workshops-and-events/upcoming-workshops/all-events/rai.... Information: 503-222-7645

Portland Fruit Tree Project presents ...

Young Fruit Trees & Berries: Selection, Planning, Planting & Care
Wednesday January 29th, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
NE Portland, Vernon neighborhood

February is one of the best months to plant fruit trees and berries.  Learn which types are the best to grow in the sun, shade, and containers.  Emphasis on: organic methods, easiest to grow, most productive varieties and techniques, sustainability.

In this informative workshop you will learn the basics of fruit tree and berry selection in order to choose an appropriate variety for your space. This fun workshop will be an opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the various factors one should consider when selecting a fruit tree or berry plant for a given site. Participants will also learn some basic steps for young (0-4 yrs) tree and berry care.

About the instructor:
Rick Swope has a BS from Cornell University and an MS from Oregon State in engineering.  He has been studying horticulture, researching, and growing fruit trees and berries for decades.  Rick was a Tree Care Team Leader in 2013, and has an ongoing interest in native edibles.  Currently, he is growing over 50 varieties of fruit.  His main focus is organically and sustainably maximizing the production of the highest quality and best tasting fruit in tight and marginal spaces.
 
Follow this link to register: http://civi.portlandfruit.org/civicrm/event/register?id=909&reset=1

The location address and other details will be provided after you register.

September 8, 2013 

12pm-4pm: Children's activities, Plankhouse tours, and displays highlighting other First Foods of the Columbia River will be available. 2pm: Historian Melissa Darby presents a talk on Wapato, and its use by Native People of the Columbia River and beyond. 

Historian and archeologist Melissa Darby will present "Wapato for the People" on September 8 at 2pm in the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. Darby will explore the use of wapato, Sagittaria latifolia ,  throughout the world using archeological evidence. The root of this important plant was a staple food of Native Americans who lived on the Lower Columbia and Fraser Rivers and it was a heavily traded commodity out to the coast and east to the mountains. This root has also been found in archeological sites in the Great Basin and in sites in Europe and it is now cultivated in Asia.  In addition to this presentation children's activities, and displays highlighting other First Foods of the Columbia River will be included from 12-4pm.  There is a $3.00 entrance fee per vehicle visiting the Refuge.  For more information contact Sarah Hill at

Sarah_Hill@fws.gov or call 360-887-4106 or visit www.ridgefieldfriends.org.

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse on the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge:  28908 N Main Ave; Ridgefield, WA 98642

This event is part of the Cathlapotle Plankhouse Second Sunday Series.  The Cathlapotle Plankhouse is a full- scale replica Chinookan Plankhouse located on the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge at 28908 N Main Ave., Ridgefield, WA.  It interprets the village of Cathlapotle that once existed on what is now Refuge property. Lewis and Clark mention Cathlapotle in their journals and noted that there were fourteen of these houses and 900 people living in the village at the time of their encounter in 1805.

** If you require wheelchair access, please make sure to call and arrange this ahead of time.**