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The Lowdown
WSU Spokane County Extension Master Gardeners June 2019 The Lowdown
Inside this issue:
Foundation News 2
Garden Fair WrapUp 4
Bumble Bee Atlas 6
Self-study Quiz 8
Upcoming Events 10
Extension Information
Tim Kohlhauff 477-2172
Horticulture Program Coordinator
Anna Kestell 477-2195
Food Preservation/Safety
Jackie Sykes 477-2193
Clinic Coordinator
Master Gardener County Site
http://extension.wsu.edu/spokane/
master-gardener-program
Master Gardener Foundation of
Spokane County
http://www.mgfsc.org/
WSU Master Gardener Site
http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/
HortSense Fact Sheets
http://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/
Home/HortsenseHome.aspx
On Line Timelog Reporting:
http://ext.wsu.edu/Volunteers/
logon.aspx
What’s the buzz?
Pacific NW Bumble Bee Atlas project!
Information on pages 6 and 7!
The Lowdown Page 2
Foundation News By Cathi Lamoreux
“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.”
– L.M. Montgomery
Our most successful Garden Fair & Plant Sale has wrapped up, the Fall Banquet team is hard at work to bring you a fabulous Fall Banquet with Joe Lamp’l on October 10, and the 2020 Cabin Fever team has just met to get started on planning the next Cabin Fever.
The Foundation Board of Directors is taking a deep dive into how we describe ourselves to other com-munity organizations, coordinating the language that describes the duties of our board committees, researching investment opportunities, and preparing to recruit for new BOD members. We also have recently purchased aprons for the graduating interns and any other MG who graduated long before aprons were routinely given out. If you are a veteran MG and don’t own, but want to, an apron, please get in touch with Susan Pur-dom at [email protected] and she will make sure that you get one.
It will soon be time to consider joining the Foundation Board of Directors. The Nomination Committee forms this month and they will be looking for recruits to fill the three expiring terms. If you are con-tacted about joining the Board, please consider the request. If you are not contacted, but think you might like to join the Board, please get in touch with any current BOD member and let them know of your interest. The commitment is for a three-year term. There are ten monthly meetings per year (no meeting in August or December), partici-pating in at least two Foundation BOD committees that meet as needed to do much of the nitty-gritty work that the BOD is responsible for, and partici-pate in a yearly board strategic planning retreat. One way to find out exactly what we do is to attend a monthly meeting. All are welcome! We meet the second Monday of the month (this month the meeting is on June 10 at 10 a.m. at Extension, Classroom E).
The Foundation exists to support the MG Program primarily through fundraising efforts. A strong Foundation means a strong Program. That makes our work im-portant and fulfilling. We would be pleased if you say “yes!”
The Lowdown Page 3
We are so glad you are with us!
Hall Dee 6/2
Mueller Daniel 6/3
Fairfax Beth 6/5
Powers Vivian 6/5
Schmidt Eberhard 6/9
Yarbrough David 6/14
Adkins Karen 6/19
Swenson Margy 6/20
Feyk Karen 6/24
Croteau Julie 6/26
Franks Anne 6/26
The Lowdown Page 4
Garden Fair Wrap-Up
By Tim Steiss
This year’s Garden Fair was the best ever. I am not just saying that to make you feel good. At least
from my perspective, everything seemed to go much smoother in terms of set-up, during the event,
and wrap-up. This event is very much a group effort and we have some great volunteers who step up
to lead and get the work done. Most importantly, we give it our all in giving the public a great experi-
ence. It shows.
Income is still trickling in and we are awaiting some lingering bills (such as for copies at Extension).
However, I can say (conservatively) that the net revenue for Garden Fair 2019 was over $26,000. To
put that in perspective, last year’s net revenue was $21,835.
TAPS (Trees, Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs)
* Plant supply was low from Dig Gigs going into the fall, however TAPS had more plants than ev-
er due in part to:
a large donation of nursery plants in the fall
an experiment in annuals – Plugs were purchase and up-potted
* Customers seemed to like what was there, as the number of unsold plants at the end of the
sale was lower than previous years.
Veggies, Natives, Herbs, Berries, Pollinators, Grasses, Sensory Gardening, and Dahlias
All of our traditional booths did extremely well this year with little remaining inventory at the end of
the day. A great mix of experience, hard work, and a desire to please our guests, make each of these
better every year.
Recycled Garden Tools
The ‘new kid on the block’ did well this year and it looks like it will be sticking around for next year.
(continued on page 5)
The Lowdown Page 5
(continued from page 4)
Educational Booths, Clinic
Garden Fair is more than just a fundraiser and it is great that we continue to offer these purely educational
opportunities to our guests.
Cashiers
YAY!! We had more guests than ever before. YAY!! They bought more. Yikes!!! They all want to pay
seemingly at once. Each year we get better at handling them, but that mad rush in the first 1.5 hours is
challenging. Great planning, attitudes and perseverance paid off.
Vendors
There was a good selection of vendors at the event and most of
them did extremely well.
Behind the scenes
Parking, greeting, decorating, marketing, printing, labels, box sourcing, plant daycare, etc. – There are so
many people that step up before, during, and after the event, wherever a need arises. What a team!
Final notes
The last push to sell plants from Garden Fair will be on June 15. There is a community yard sale in my
neighborhood on Corbin Park. I will be offering plants (and some things from the back of my closet). A few
people will be dropping off plants to include in that sale. Feel free to drop off plants before hand or hang
out during the sale (416 W. Park Pl).
Thank you to all those who volunteered for this event. Thank you to all the leads, who are always so
organized and manage their areas so well.
Thank you to Tim K., Jackie, Anna, and all the Extension staff who help us and put up with us taking over
the joint.
Thank you to Sue Allert who will be working with me on Garden Fair 2020.
There are always opportunities for improvement, but that just means that we can make Garden Fair 2020
even better.
Mark your calendars now for next year’s Garden Fair: April 25, 2020
The Lowdown Page 6
Bumble Bee Atlas Training
Rich Hatfield from Xerces Society (our 2017 Fall Banquet speaker) brought his road show to Spokane on Saturday, May 18. There were 70 people in the room; a mix of Master Gardeners and interested public. Rich repre-
sented the partners in the Pacific NW Bumble Bee Atlas project to track and conserve the bumble bees of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The goal of the project is to gain a better understanding of the distribution of bumble bees throughout the region to more effectively en-act conservation measures that will benefit these important native pollinators.
The three-state region is divided up into grids to ensure a broad distribution of sampling in all of the unique habitats of the region. The project will help the researchers gain a better understanding of where bumble bees are thriving in the Pacific Northwest and glean information about what habitat features are contributing to productive bumble bee communities.
To do so, citizen scientists are being recruited and trained to go out into the field and collect data. Bumble bees are essential pollinators in our natural landscapes, as well as in gardens and on farms. Idaho, Oregon, and Washington are home to nearly 30 species of bumble bees, and several of them face an uncertain future. The western bumble bee has declined dramatically - especially in the western portion of its range, and species like Morrison’s bumble bee and the Suckley cuckoo bumble bee are in decline.
There are two ways that you can get involved. At a very basic level you can submit observations of bumble bees to BumbleBeeWatch.org. You can share observations from your backyard, where you work, or on your travels around the region.
For those of us interested in getting more involved, we attended an all-day training that included education about bumble bees and their habitat, how to identify a species, how to record our sightings, and a hands-on experience in sampling that involved trapping, chilling, photographing, recording, and then releasing the bee. If you were unable to attend the training, but would like to join in a formal survey, you can find information about watching the training modules on line at www.pnwbumblebeeatlas.org. If you want to join in a survey this summer, this training is required. It does count for continuing education.
(continued on page 7)
The Lowdown Page 7
(continued from page 6)
There will probably be several groups of MGs going out into the field this summer to conduct the surveys. The minimum requirement is that at least two locations within a grid cell must be visited. It is likely about a 4-hour commitment each visit. It doesn’t take long to capture the bees, but the recording and photo-graphing done to scientific standards will take a while!
If you are a MG who attended the training and intend to conduct field surveys this summer, please let Cathi Lamoreux, [email protected] know so that we can keep track of our efforts. We can also share your information about where and when you are going out in Happy Monday if you are willing to include additional MGs on your team.
Rich Hatfield caught our attention for the Pacific NW Bumble Bee Atlas project!
The Lowdown Page 8
JUNE 2019 QUIZ
1. What are the people in the front page photo doing?
2. Where can you see Joe Lamp’l on October 10 this year?
3. Who do you contact if you do not have your own MG apron?
4. What is the duration of a Master Gardener Foundation Board of Directors position?
5. Name one way you can find out exactly what a MGFSC BOD member does.
6. What will you say when you are asked to run for a MGFSC BOD position?
7. Does any MG have an Independence Day birthday?
8. Was the April Garden Fair & Plant Sale financially successful?
9. What is the most recent profit number from Garden Fair?
10. Will the ‘new kid on the block’ Recycled Garden Tools return to Garden Fair in 2020?
11. Besides fundraising, what does Garden Fair offer the public who attend?
12. When is the last push to sell Garden Fair plants this year?
13. Who is hosting the above event, where is it, and what is that event?
14. Who will be assisting Tim Steiss running Garden Fair 2020?
15. What is the exact date for Garden Fair and Plant Sale 2020?
16. Who led the Pacific NW Bumble Bee Atlas project training on
May 18, 2019?
17. What is the purpose of the above named project?
18. Who are being recruited and trained to go out into the field to
collect bumble bee data?
19. If you missed the training, how can you become a part of this
project?
20. Does the completion of the training for the project count to-
ward continuing education?
The Lowdown Page 9
May 2019 Quiz Answers
1. Jennifer Marquis
2. Volunteer Development
3. Support from a leadership team
4. This fact sheet: Growing Food in Parking Strips and Front Yard Gardens FS115E
5. Waste money, increase the risk of harm to water quality, and in some cases, harm plants
6. Biosolids are a recyclable organic material produced in municipal wastewater treatment plants.
7. Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott
8. Trees that contain a toxic chemical called juglone that will kill any other plants growing nearby
9. Phytophthera root and crown rot
10. http://gardening.wsu.edu/
11. May 11, 2019
12. Spokane Community College
13. Garden Fair and Plant Sale
14. No
15. Great Garden Tours
16. Tour, learn, and socialize
17. Write up the suggestion and deposit it into the new suggestion
‘box’
19. Through committee work
20. Tim Stiess
Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin; physical, mental, or sensory disability; marital status, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.
Calendar of Events
Monday 10 MG Foundation Board Meeting, 10 am, Extension Classroom E
Tuesday 11 MG Program Board Meeting, 3 pm, Extension Conference Room
Monday 24 Plant ID Session, 3:30-5pm, Plant Clinic
Monday 24 PCS Meeting, 5:30-7pm, Extension Classrooms
Monday 8 MG Foundation Board Meeting, 10 am, Extension Classroom E
Tuesday 9 MG Program Board Meeting, 3 pm, Extension Conference Room
Monday 29 Plant ID Session, 3:30-5pm, Plant Clinic
Monday 29 PCS Meeting, 5:30-7pm, Extension Classrooms