Fall Youth Plant Science event – Insectamonarca's Blog

Ryall, M. E. (2010, October 6). Happy Tonics September News. Washburn County Register, p. 10

Alex paying attention to learning to identify leaves

There was a Fall Youth Plant Science event at the Spooner Ag Research Station on Saturday October 2, 2010. Area 4-H youth and other youth were invited to attend the event. Happy Tonics is proud to announce that the Pines and Lake Girl Scout Troop of Shell Lake attended. The Girl Scout Troop had a container garden at Friendship Commons this past summer. Offering youth gardening opportunities is one way to jumpstart their interest in gardening.

Emily experiences pure joy as she catches a falling leaf

Kevin Schoessow, UW-Extension Spooner Area Agriculture Agent and UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteers lead discussions and demonstrations on making compost, planting garlic, pruning grapes and raspberries and putting the garden to bed. There was a tour of the Spooner Ag Research Station Display gardens were youth learned about the “off the grid” drip irrigation system, powered by an airlift tech pump and windmill and the newly constructed hoop house for season extension. The girls learned something about seed saving and enjoyed tasting fresh fruit, vegetables and berries right from the garden.

Kevin showing a button bottom and a peanut shaped squash

Happy Tonics exhibited at the Lac Courte Oreilles Convention Center as part of the Wellness Fair and Farmers Market on September 30, 2010. The nonprofit organization is a member of the Green Team at the LCO Tribal College which sponsored the event. A pumpkin and squash display was on Exhibit. The plants are native to the Americas. A Three Sisters Garden (Corn, beans and squash) was grown in the habitat to teach visitors how heirloom organic crops may have been grown by Native Americans in the prairie of long ago. WOJB did a live interview of the Three Sisters Garden with Mary Ellen Ryall. Happy Tonics volunteer staff shucked Hidatsa beans and packaged organic herb tea and organic culinary herbs for their online Store at http://stores.ebay.com/HAPPY-TONICS

Happy Tonics received a Matching Gift from Hachette Book Group from Park Avenue, New York, as a match to the donation made by Erica Hohos of Worcester, Massachusetts. The donation will allow us to implement memory pavers around the large wild black cherry tree in the Memory Tree Grove. We will honor Happy Tonics members who have passed on with pavers. The nonprofit organization will invite the public to participate in this upcoming fundraiser. Citizens will be able to purchase an engraved paver in memory of their loved ones including family, friends and pets.

Area 4-H youth and other youth are invited to attend the a Fall Youth Plant Science event at the Spooner Ag Research Station on Saturday October 2, 2010 from 10 am until 1 pm.

Kevin Schoessow, UW-Extension Spooner Area Agriculture Agent and UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteers will be leading discussions and demonstrations on making compost, planting garlic, pruning grapes and raspberries and putting our gardens to bed. There will be a tour of the Spooner Ag Research Station Display gardens were youth can learn about the “off the grid” drip irrigation system, powered by an airlift tech pump and windmill and the newly constructed hoop house for season extension.

Youth will also get to participant in a plant identification contest, and tasting of any ripe produce. This will be a great opportunity to meet other youth and learn more about gardening and the resources of the Spooner Agriculture Research Station. There is no cost to the event. However participants are asked to register by contacting either their local UW-Extension Office, or by calling the Spooner Area Ag Agents office. Participants should bring along a bag lunch and come dressed for the weather.

Transportation is available for Burnett Co youth but you must call the UW-Extension office at 715-349-2151 to register. “A volunteer’s time is the true example of selfless giving” JRC Kevin SchoessowArea Agriculture Development AgentSpooner Area UW-ExtensionSpooner Agriculture Research StationW6646 Hwy 70 Spooner, WI 54801 kevin.schoessow@ces.uwex.edu phone: 715-635-3506 or 1-800-528-1914 Fax 715-635-6741

NOTE: Happy Tonics, Inc. sponsored the Pines and Lake Girl Scout Troop of Shell Lake, WI. They a container garden at the Friendship Commons Senior Center this past summer 2010 through two grants from Washburn County AODA Commission and Leopold Education. The girls are excited to be invited to this event. They plan to attend this wonderful gardening science project at the Spooner Agriculture Research Station.