Happy Tonics September News

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

Alex paying attention to learning to identify leaves
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
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
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.

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ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FEST, Hayward, Wisconsin at LCO Convention Center

 
 

Cheekwood Monarch
Monarchs copyright Cindy Dyer, Dyer Design

 

LCO Convention Center, Hayward, Wisconsin
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Environmental Film Fest

 

Schedule

11:30-12:00pm: Free Luncheon
12:00pm Speaker:  Mary Ellen Ryall, Happy Tonics Inc. on Plight of the Monarch Butterfly and reasons why Happy Tonics creates native habitats for pollinators and migrating butterflies.
12:20pm Film: “Incredible Journey of the Butterflies”
1:20pm Community Discussion – Advocacy to Action

Visit Informational Booths Before and After Film:

How to Build Butterfly & Rain Gardens, Local Foods, Recycling, and more!

This nature documentary from NOVA follows the epic migration of the monarch butterfly over 2000 miles, providing a butterfly’s-eye-view as the two month journey passes over forests, swamps, desserts, and open water, eventually touching down at their destination in Mexico.

Source: http://www.fandango.com/nova:theincrediblejourneyofthebutterflies_v480610/summary

email: maryellen@happytonics.org for more information.

 

  Background photo courtesy of: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/52666376_2d5156903c.jpg