What Grows On in Rhode Island News

Urban Agriculture Spring Gardening Kick-Off ~ February 26, 2011

Join us Saturday for the Urban Agriculture Spring Kick-Off at the Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park! We're hosting a full afternoon of gardening workshops, cooking demos, a seed swap, silent auction & local music. The popcorn machine will be cranking! Come trade extra seeds for seeds you need! There will even be a Kids Corner for young green thumbs!

Urban Agriculture Spring Kick-Off
Saturday, February 26th, 1-4 pm
The Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park
1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Free for Community Gardeners and Kids. $5 for General Public.

Workshops at the Kick-Off will be taught by community experts from around the state. Topics include Seed Starting, Vegetable Garden Planning, City Chickens, Collecting Rainwater, Alternatives to Miracle Gro, How to Tap Maple Trees, Home Composting and more! Plus, you can pick up a free 2011 Plant Providence Calendar, your guide to this year's events related to growing food in the city.
 
If you're one of the 250 gardeners who joined us last year, we look forward to kicking off another season with you. If this is your first Kick-Off, don't miss it. Questions? Call Erika, at 401-273-9419 ext: 30.

[Press Release]

RI Tree Stewards Education Course ~ May 3 - June 7, 2011

It may be January, but if you want to take the popular tree stewards course from the RI Tree Council in May, it's time to sign up! The course, usually offered each spring and fall, is limited to 30 people and it will fill up!

This is a must take course for either the plant novice or plant professional who wants to learn how to properly plant and care for trees.  Class topics will include planting, pruning, tree identification, soils management, plant health care and tree biology.  The skills workshop will feature the actual execution of planting, pruning and tree inventorying skills learned in the classroom.

The course will be held in North Providence on Tuesday evenings from May 3 to June 7. Registration is $95.00 and includes course manual.  Course size is limited to 30 persons.  Or call the RI Tree Council office at 401-764-5885 to register by phone.  Visa, Master Card and checks accepted.

Funding Available ~ Forest Land Planning ~ Application Deadline April 1, 2011

USDA Initiative Offers Assistance With Forest Land Planning
 
Applications for the New England-New York Forestry Initiative Will be Accepted Through April 1, 2011 for Current Funding
 
WARWICK, RI ~ USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White announced that $250,000 in federal funding is available to assist Rhode Island forest land owners with forest land planning and management under the New England-New York Forestry Initiative.

Sign Up for Bee Schools ~ February & March 2011

Why do people keep bees?

It's a good hobby for people who love nature and enjoy watching and learning about bees and the flowers they pollinate and gather nectar from. It insures that you will always have good pollination in your gardens. Some people keep bees because they love honey! Some people even keep bees because they have arthritis and wish to get stung to alleviate arthritic symptoms.

The Rhode Island Beekeepers Association teaches beginner beekeeping classes every year in February and March.

Topics covered include:

• Getting started
• The honeybee life cycle
• Choosing an apiary
• Buying bees and equipment
• Installing package bees
• Catching Swarms
• Bee diseases and pests
• Spring Inspections
• Getting ready for the honeyflow
• Wintering bees

There will be a variety of beekeeping equipment displayed and demonstrated each week. Beekeeping catalogs and other handouts will be distributed and several beekeeping videos will be shown.

2011 Bee School Schedule - 3 Courses

Rhody Native Project ~ Grow Native Plants! ~ January 8, 2011

Learn about the Rhody Native Project at the next RI Wild Plant Society meeting!

Rhody Native is an initiative to make indigenous plant material available to homeowners and organizations involved in habitat restoration. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey, along with the University of Rhode Island, Outreach Center, Master Gardeners Association, and the Plant Sciences Department, as well as the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, have partnered to source native plant material from Rhode Island wild stock through seed collection and stem cutting, to be grown and sold by the RI nursery industry. At present, much of the native plant material sold in Rhode Island, is sourced from material grown around the country in ecotypes that differ from those of Rhode Island. Differences in phenology place plants on time schedules that differ from those of our native flora and fauna. Rhody Native is an opportunity to promote local Rhode Island businesses, educate the public about RI’s native biodiversity, and improve our natural environment. The initiative is made possible by an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grant, administered through the United States Forest Service, and awarded to the RINHS in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

The speaker, Hope Leeson, is currently the botanist for the Rhode Island Natural History Survey.  Her lecture is presented by the RI Wild Plant Society at Providence Country Day School in East Providence. See What Grows On in RI for all the details.

Why North Kingstown Needs to Protect its Water Supply and How You Can Help ~ September 30, 2010

On September 30, the North Kingstown Groundwater Committee, the NK Water Department and the NK Economic Development Committee are hosting a talk on, “Why North Kingstown Needs to Protect its Water Supply and How You Can Help”.  The talk will take place at the NK Free Library Meeting Room from 6:30 to 8:20 pm.  The talk is free and the public is cordially invited.

Many citizens of North Kingstown are aware that summer water use in the Town skyrockets in the droughty summer months of July and August.  They may also be aware that such high water use can endanger the Town’s pumps and other equipment, may trigger a ban on outdoor watering, may cause a boil-water notice, and that such high water use may also lower water pressure in the pipes to the point where extinguishing a fire, should there be one, is difficult.

Live Chicken Hens are Legal in Providence! ~ September 17, 2010

The second vote is in, and the Chicken Ordinance has officially passed! (11-1, with Councilman DeLuca voting against, Councilwoman DiRuzzo abstaining, and Councilman Luna and Councilman Tejada absent).  In line with the language of the ordinance, residents of Providence are now legally allowed to raise hens in the city!

What's next? 

As part of the Plant Providence Workshops and Events calendar, the Southside Community Land Trust will be hosting a workshop on Raising Urban Chickens on Saturday, November 13, 1 pm, at City Farm.  (The complete calendar of workshops is available at www.plantprovidence.org).  With generous support from the Albin Family Foundation, SCLT will also be offering a Raising Urban Chickens workshop this winter at the Wintertime Farmer's Market, as well as a hands-on workshop on How to Build an Inexpensive Chicken Coop in the spring of 2011.  These workshops will be included on the Plant Providence 2011 Calendar, so stay tuned for more information.

An enormous thanks to everyone for their hard work and support in continuing to strengthen Providence's local food system by giving residents increased opportunity to raise their own food.  What a wonderful example of grassroots democracy!  A special thank you to Councilman Cliff Wood, who sponsored this ordinance and helped enormously with its passage.

cluck, cluck,
Leo Pollock, Southside Community Land Trust

URI Fall Gardening School ~ 2010

The University of Rhode Island Outreach Center is again offering the Fall Gardening School, Sustainable Gardening Classes for the Home Landscape. Topics include

• Fall plantings & propagation
• Understanding perennial culture for novice gardeners
• Fall pruning of ornamental trees and shrubs
• Houseplants & tropical plant care
• Medicinal plants
• Composting 101

The six classes may be taken separately or as a course for a reduced rate. Half are at the URI Botanical Garden in Kingston, and half are at the wonderful Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence.

Register today!

Of course all these classes and much more are in the What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar.

Master Energy Training Program ~ October 5, 2010

The Master Energy Training Program is a 7-session training program that provides interested homeowners and business owners with practical information on how to save money and the environment with energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy. 
 
This program also covers energy use in the community, from collaborative initiatives in green building and business to the latest information on energy legislation, government incentives and policy. We are currently planning a municipal training that will soon be offered as a separate course.
 
Modeled after the URI Master Gardener program and the URI Master Composter & Recycler program, the Master Energy Training Program is taught by Robert S. Cerio, who has over 25 years of experience as an energy resource manager. 

Dates & Topics:
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 6-8 PM:     From Fossil Fuels to Future Fuels
Thursday, Oct. 7, 6-8 PM:    Energy Management and Planning
Tuesday, Oct. 12, 6-8 PM:    Low Cost/No Cost Energy Solutions
Thursday, Oct. 14, 6-8 PM:   Big Investment, Big Return: Renewable Energy
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 6-8 PM:    Energy Policy from the Ground Up: Legislation, Policy and Incentives
Thursday, Oct. 21, 6-8 PM:   Cutting Edge Energy Research in Rhode Island
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 6-8 PM:    Educating the Public on Energy: Volunteering and Final Exam

Download MEP Fall 2010 Class Topics for more information on each class.

Fee:  $100 (cash or check); fee includes 7 sessions, an online resource manual and parking. Payment will be accepted on the day of the first class, however, pre-registration is required.  Space is limited so you may want to register early!

Location:  University of Rhode Island Feinstein Providence Campus
                     Room TBA

To Register:  Download MEP Fall 2010 Brochure, which has the registration form, print it, fill it out and mail it with your check.

For more information:  Please visit our website or contact Rachel Sholly at [email protected] or 401-874-5558.

Forest Health Works Project Open House ~ August 23, 2010

This is a community event where you can meet our high school summer crew, enjoy coffee & dessert, and learn about the current and future Forest Health Works Projects! The FHWP is a project of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, in partnership between state and local organizations, to help improve the health & sustainability of Rhode Island’s forests by inventorying and restoring up to 50,000 acres of priority forestland for invasive plants. 

When:        Monday, August 23rd, 7 – 8:30pm
Where:      W. Alton Jones Campus -  Environmental Education Center, West Greenwich, RI

We welcome the opportunity to meet members of the community and showcase our work. We hope to see you there!
 
For more information, please contact us at 401-874-5800  
 
Directions to the W. Alton Jones Campus Environmental Education Center