July 9th: Second annual Wildlife Habitat Tour in the city of Shoreline!

Where Our Wild Things Are (WOWTA) is a wildlife backyard tour organized by volunteer habitat stewards in the City of Shoreline. They will show you a variety of wildlife habitats and how easy it is to create a wildlife habitat of your own in your backyard, school, and place of worship, business or public building.

Please join WOWTA on Saturday, July 9, 2011 from 10 am to 3 pm.
Free admission: Mini learning experiences at each location!

Starting location to pick up maps on day of tour: Calvin Presbyterian to Briarcrest Elementary, 2715 Northeast 158th Street, Shoreline, WA, 98155

All Participating Habitats are National Wildlife Federation Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitats. Watching wildlife is fun, and creating a wildlife habitat sanctuary is a healthy way to give back to the Earth. It’s easy!

Saturday, June 4th: Grand Opening of Woodland Park Zoo's Backyard Habitat garden!

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
FREE with zoo admission

Come celebrate the opening of the new Backyard Habitat garden, located in the zoo's Family Farm! You and your family will have the chance to dig in the dirt and plant seeds, observe and identify birds, participate in citizen science, and learn how to create habitat for wildlife in your own backyard, schoolyard or community garden!

The Backyard Habitat garden, generously funded by the Boeing Company and the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, shows visitors how to bring wildlife closer to home, from providing food, water, shelter and places to raise young to reducing the use of chemicals in your yard. The garden also serves as a programming space to learn how to attract birds and other wildlife to your backyard, select and care for native plants, place feeders and bird houses, and get your garden certified as a Backyard Habitat.

Saturday, May 14th: Tukwila Backyard Wildlife Festival!

The 11th Annual Backyard Wildlife Festival is this Saturday! You’re invited to find out how to enhance your outdoor space to create a wildlife and environmentally-friendly backyard habitat at this FREE family-friendly event! You can also hear our keynote speaker Ciscoe Morris talk about how to attract hummingbird to your yards and gardens!

Backyard Wildlife Festival
Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Visit the festival website at www.backyardwildlifefair.org

Popular highlights of the festival include the Guided Bird Tour along the Duwamish River and the Certified Backyard Habitat Garden Tour. Kids will enjoy the new Kids Garden Party featuring events and activities especially for kids. There will also be an arts and crafts marketplace, native plant sales, educational booths, scheduled speakers, a pancake breakfast, recycled art show and more!

The festival is held at the Tukwila Community Center at 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila 98188. We hope to see you there! For more information, please call 206.768.2822.

Wildlife University in Edmonds starts this week!

Wildlife University is a series of courses that teaches you how to attract a wide variety of wildlife to your backyard, to a schoolyard, or to an area in your community. There are seven courses to be covered in four week nights. Each course contains online presentations, down loadable study guides, and recommended activities. The course outline is the following:

• Habitat Basics is the best place to start! This course teaches you about basic concepts that are used throughout the other courses. You will learn about many different topics, such as the importance of native plants. (TUESDAY, May 10th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Food for Wildlife discusses the food chain and how you can provide food for wildlife species in your area.(TUESDAY, May 24th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Water for Wildlife teaches you the importance of water for your habitat and identifies easy ways to provide it appropriately.(TUESDAY, May 17th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Cover for Wildlife gives you practical ways to provide cover and shelter for a variety of different wildlife species throughout the seasons.(TUESDAY, May 24th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Places to Raise Young introduces you to the importance of spaces for wildlife to mate and bear young and offers some suggestions for creating these spaces in your habitat.(TUESDAY, May 17th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Sustainable Gardening Practices is all about things you can do that are good for your garden and for wildlife. Topics include organic gardening, composting, and water conservation.(TUESDAY, May 10th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Overview of the Backyard Wildlife Habitat^TM and Schoolyard Habitats® programs provides you with information about each of these national programs and the resources they can offer as you learn more. You will want to know all about these programs, because creating places for wildlife can become a hobby that you enjoy with your friends and family.(TUESDAY, May 24th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)

• In Addition we will cover topics such as: Western WA Butterfly gardening 101, Bats in our Gardens 101, Bees in our Gardens 101, Carpentry for Critters,Top 25 Birds in our Backyards ID.

This course is free but space is limited. Please register through the Sno-Isle/Edmonds Public library at:

http://host5.evanced.info/sno_isle/evanced/eventcalendar.asp

or by phone at: (425-771-1933)

The courses will all be held each Tuesday night at the Edmonds Public Library located at 650 Main St, Edmonds, WA

Note: National Wildlife Federation is the sponsor & creator of these courses. One you sign-up for a course you will be credited by NWF. For more information go to their website at:

http://www.nwf.org/wildlifeuniversity/creatingplaces.cfm

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

April 28th: Seattle Audubon's 5th Annual Beers for Birds Trivia and Raffle!

Please join Seattle Audubon for an evening of bird trivia, raffle prizes, and fun! Test your bird knowledge, win great prizes, and support Seattle Audubon’s adult education programs.

Thursday, April 28th, 7–9pm
at the Wedgwood Ale House (8515 35th Avenue NE)

Trivia Contest—$3 per person
Raffle Tickets—$5 each

Must be 21 years old to participate. Space is limited to the first 100 people.
For more information or to purchase a raffle ticket see www.seattleaudubon.org or contact Lisa at:(206) 523-8243 ext.14

2011 Spring Savvy Gardener Classes

Pre-registration is not required for these free classes, to be held at local nurseries. Please arrive early to make sure you get a space at these popular classes!

Easy Plants for Gorgeous, Carefree Gardens Taught by Peggy Campbell (two dates & locations)

Saturday, April 9 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Swansons
9701 15th Ave. NW, Seattle
(206) 782-2543

Saturday, April 23 - 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Molbak's
13625 NE 175th St., Woodinville
(425) 483-5000

Ready for a more leisurely summer? Tired of endless weeding and watering? Learn tips, proven techniques and plant suggestions from horticulturalist Peggy Campbell for year-round beauty and easy success. Gather lists of plants able to thrive in our dry summers, and tolerate our wet winters.

Edible Abundance - Essential Tips for the Northwest Organic Food Gardener
Taught by Marianne Binetti (two dates & locations)

Saturday, April 16 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Furney's Nursery
21215 International Boulevard, Des Moines
(206) 624-0634

Saturday, April 23 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Sky Nursery
18528 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline
(206) 546-4851

Join local garden author and radio personality Marianne Binetti as she covers the basics of successful organic food gardening in the Pacific Northwest For novice and experienced food gardener alike, whether you garden in the back 40, your front parking strip, or in containers, Marianne will help you reap the most bounty from your soil, sustainably!

Drip Irrigation Basics for Home Gardeners
Taught by Amy Ockerlander, Seattle Tilth (two dates)

Saturday, April 9 - 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 28 - 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This class is intended for the do-it-yourself home gardener. We will cover what you need to know to decide if drip irrigation is for you. We will also address how to plan and install a basic system, including design, materials selection, where to purchase; and how to install, operate and maintain your system. Applications for both ornamental and food gardens will be addressed.

Pre-registration required for this free class. To register and get directions contact the Garden Hotline at (206) 633-0224 or at help@gardenhotline.org.

Butterflies and Bees class at Woodland Park Zoo!

Thursday, March 31st from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Join Woodland Park Zoo entomologist Erin Sullivan and horticulturist David Selk to discover how to attract and care for local butterflies and bees. You’ll learn about the importance of these backyard pollinators as well as the threats they face and what you can do to help, including insect-friendly gardening practices.

Want more information on how you can help bees?
* Join the hunt for bees with the Great Sunflower Project!

* Learn more about creating a Pollinator Pathway in your community!