Backyard Habitat Classes at Woodland Park Zoo

WPZ Horticulturist David Selk leading a plant walk
on zoo grounds during a Backyard Habitat class

Woodland Park Zoo is pleased to announce a new five-part series of Backyard Habitat classes. In this series, you’ll learn from experts from Seattle Audubon, PAWS Wildlife Center, Washington Native Plant Society, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Woodland Park Zoo about how to design your wildlife habitat, attract birds and other wildlife to your backyard, select and care for native plants, manage your backyard sustainably, and get your yard certified as a Backyard Habitat. Classes may be taken separately or as a five-part series.

Attracting Birds to your Backyard
Wednesday, March 20th from 7 to 9 p.m.
Join Neil Zimmerman, Seattle Audubon Outreach Chair and Master Birder, to learn how to attract and care for birds in your yard through plant selection, gardening practices, placement and maintenance of bird feeders and nestboxes, and use of water features.

Keeping Pets and Wildlife Safe in your Backyard Habitat
Thursday, April 4th from 7 to 9 p.m.
Pets are an important part of many families, but pets don’t always coexist peacefully with the wildlife you attract to your backyard habitat. Pets can also be harmed by certain plants that occur in many gardens. Please join Kevin Mack, PAWS Wildlife Center Naturalist, and David Selk, Woodland Park Zoo horticulturist, to learn how to protect both pets and wildlife in your backyard habitat.

Spring Plants and Planting
Wednesday, April 24th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Join Monica Vander Vieren, Washington Native Plant Society Native Plant Steward, and David Selk, Woodland Park Zoo horticulturist, to discover how different plants in your garden can provide for the basic needs of wildlife. The class includes a plant walk around zoo grounds focusing on aesthetic and size considerations, as well as proper planting techniques.

Site Evaluation, Design, and Maintenance
Tuesday, May 7th from 7 to 9 p.m.
Join Allen Howard, Woodland Park Zoo horticulture staff, to learn the basic principles of creating habitat for wildlife, with a focus on planning, site analysis, design and garden maintenance.

Water Features for Wildlife
Tuesday, May 21st from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Clean, fresh water is a crucial part of any habitat. Join Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Biologist Chris Anderson and Woodland Park Zoo Animal Curator Dr. Jennifer Pramuk in learning about the variety of ways you can provide water for urban wildlife in your own backyard. You'll learn about different types of water features, such as ponds, birdbaths and fountains. You'll also learn about the natural history of local amphibians and how to provide habitat for these sensitive animals.

For more information or to register, see the zoo’s website: www.zoo.org/backyardhabitat

 

Winter Bird Feeding

From Lisa Alba, Advanced Inquiry Program graduate student and Community Engagement intern:

Winter is almost here and the native birds in your backyard habitat are looking for new food sources. Using feeders is one way to attract the birds in your area, and allows for great birding in your own backyard.  Here in western Washington we have many birds that reside year round, including northern flickers, black-capped chickadee, dark eyed junco and Anna's hummingbird. Some species are spotted with more frequency in winter, these include spotted towhee and the varied thrush.

It is good to keep in mind that if you are providing food for birds, you may attract unintended critters as well.  When birds concentrate at feeders they can become easy targets for raptors and domestic cats.  Raptors such as sharp shinned hawks are few and far between but are fascinating to watch.  Their appearance is an indication of a well-balanced backyard habitat.  If you want to reduce the likelihood of predation by raptors, place your feeders in areas where an overhead predator cannot easily see the feeding station, such as under an overhang or near a stand of trees.  

Domestic cats should be kept indoors to avoid bird predation and injury to the cat.  Your pet cat can decimate your backyard bird population quickly, and may be a source of stress for the backyard wildlife you have attracted.  Well-fed domestic cats in the United States kill an average of 1 billion birds every year.  That number doesn’t account for the loss in other vertebrates such as frogs, mice, snakes, and other small desirable backyard inhabitants.  Free roaming cats are also injured by wildlife, and have been taken by the occasional coyote or fox.  Keeping your pet cats indoors is an easy way to avoid the predation.

Keeping your feeders clean and full will provide winter food sources for native birds and many hours of enjoyment for your family.  Remember to provide clean, unfrozen water during the winter as well.  During long periods of freezing temperatures, natural water sources become unusable for wildlife.  Providing clean, unfrozen water is very important for the survival of your backyard fauna.

Here are some suggested sites for more information on feeders and native bird feeding.

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Living with Wildlife: http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/winter_feeding/index.html

• Seattle Audubon: Backyard Bird Feeding: http://www.seattleaudubon.org/sas/Portals/0/Nature_Shop/Backyard%20Bird%20Feeding.pdf.pdf

• Wilderness College: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/winter-birding.html

• Article on the impacts of free-ranging domestic cats on birds: http://www.shop.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/pdf/impacts_of_free_ranging_domestic_cats.pdf

From Lisa Alba, Advanced Inquiry Program graduate student and Community Engagement intern:

 

One of the best things about fall is the look and smell of fallen leaves. Brings back memories of raking them into piles and exploding through those piles as a child. Now, instead of raking those leaves and putting them in the yard waste container, use them yourself in your garden. Fallen leaves make great mulch, you can even save them until spring when the new growth needs some extra fertilizer.

Take a look around your yard and find all the places you can use leaves for winter mulch, then just rake the leaves over that area. If the leaves are too large, you can shred them a bit to promote faster decomposition. Leaving the larger leaves will help provide food and shelter for beneficial microbes, insects, and small critters for winter. 

 

Before

After

 

Leaving those beautiful colored leaves in your yard over winter is not only festive, it is also good for the health of your backyard habitat!

Here's more information and resources on using fallen leaves to put your garden to bed for the winter:

• Natural Lands Trust: http://www.natlands.org/who-we-are/news/a-green-way-to-put-your-garden-to-bed/
• About.com Organic Gardening Guide: http://organicgardening.about.com/od/organicgardenmaintenance/a/autumnleaves.htm
• Seattle PI: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/homegarden/article/Green-Gardening-Turn-fallen-leaves-into-garden-1286906.php

Garden-Based Education with Seattle Tilth!

 














Seattle Tilth is offering three Garden Educator Workshops this fall. These classes are excellent professional development for educators seeking new ideas to teach sustainability topics to kids in a garden setting.

Grow a Garden with Kids: Fall Garden Educator Workshops with Seattle Tilth

Teachers, add some spice to your curriculum!

Intro to Organic Schoolyard Gardening
§  Sat., Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
§  $60 individuals, $50 Seattle Tilth members

Grow a schoolyard garden! Explore basic organic gardening principles through hands-on activities. Practice food growing techniques within the context of a schoolyard learning garden. Register now.

The Garden Classroom

§  Sat., Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
§  $60 individuals, $50 Seattle Tilth members

Use the garden as a living classroom! Bring your teaching to life with hands-on activities for children in the garden. Explore garden design, seasonal program planning, developing a volunteer program and community engagement. Register now.

Schoolyards and Sustainability

§  Sat., Dec 1, 9 a.m.-noon
§  $36 individuals, $25 Seattle Tilth members

This half-day workshop offers educators an introduction to sustainability in school gardens. Learn garden lessons, school projects and teaching techniques that will help your students understand the interdependence of the planet. Register now.

Fall Garden & Farm Tours for Children and Youth
Bring your class or group to Seattle Tilth’s gardens or farms for a hands-on educational tour! Learn about critters, plants, growing food and taking care of the environment. Children pre-K through 5^th grade can visit our gardens in North Seattle or Issaquah, or our farm and wetlands in SE Seattle. Middle and high school students can also visit our farm and wetlands in SE Seattle. Find out more.

Visit our website to browse all of Seattle Tilth’s children’s education programs:

http://seattletilth.org/learn/kids/kids-and-families

Fall Savvy Gardener Classes

We've added a new class to our fall line up! Many of you have asked us how to combine rainwater harvesting with drip irrigation. Now we have a class for you on September 26th. Check out the Irrigation section below and register soon. We anticipate this class will fill quickly. Just a reminder that our first fall class starts on Saturday, September 15th at Magnusson Community Center. These classes are brought to you by the Saving Water Partnership and Cascade Water Alliance so that we can offer free classes throughout King County. If one isn't in your area, we hope you'll check out other locations.

 

 

Look under the lawn & yard care section (Fall Groundwork in the Natural Garden) for a class that talks about putting your food garden and other plants to bed for the winter. Other food gardening classes will resume next spring.

 

 

Beautiful Solutions for Gardening on Slopes Emily Bishton, Landscape designer and environmental educator Learn how you can replace hard-to-mow slopes with beautiful, easy care plantings. We'll focus on critical soil building steps, plant selection, planting techniques and proper watering. See for yourself how a heavily-compacted slope in Magnuson Park has been completely transformed, and how the plants in a second garden rebounded as a result of building healthy soil. Please note, this class is not intended for very steep slopes that require structural engineering. Optional hands-on learning: Join us after the class at 10:30 for experience in proper planting and mulching at the adjacent Resource Conservation Landscape demonstration garden. Additional sponsorship from Magnuson Community Center. Register through Seattle Parks & Recreation Saturday, September 15 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Magnuson Community Center/Windemere Room 7110 62nd Ave NE, 98115 Register through Parks online | Phone: (206) 684-7026 Wildlife-Friendly Gardening for Beauty and Sustainability Emily Bishton, Landscape designer and environmental educator Welcome songbirds, butterflies, and beneficial insects into your yard while conserving natural resources at the same time. Discover how urban wildlife can provide you with year-round natural pest and weed control and better pollination. See beautiful, tried-and-true plants in Magnuson's Bird-Friendly Landscape. Learn about design techniques and maintenance practices that can attract and nurture beneficial wildlife in your garden for years to come. Optional hands-on learning: Join us after the class at 10:30 for experience in proper planting and mulching at the adjacent Bird-friendly Landscape demonstration garden. Additional sponsorship from Magnuson Community Center. Register through Seattle Parks & Recreation Saturday, October 20 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Magnuson Community Center/Windemere Room 7110 62nd Ave NE, 98115 Register through Parks online | Phone: (206) 684-7026 Wonderful Plants for Winter Color Susie Egan, Owner of Cottage Lake Gardens, Master Gardener Enjoy beauty in the winter! Learn about the trees, shrubs and perennials that will add evergreen foliage, eye-catching bark, bright berries and fragrant flowers to your garden. Master gardener Susie Egan will present a colorful slide show of all these plants which she grows at Cottage Lake Gardens. Register through Brown Paper Tickets: Saturday, September 29 10:00 – 11:30 am 21 Acres 13701 NE 171st Street, Woodinville Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-30066 Sustainable Garden Design Jessi Bloom, Owner of NW Bloom Ecological Landscapes From low-maintenance, beautiful plants to delicious edibles, this class will cover strategies to create a thriving garden. Learn how to work with your yard's light, soil and water to create a healthy, nourished landscape. You'll also discover strategies that allow you to have a pesticide-free garden that is safe for families and pets. Award-winning landscape designer and horticulturist, Jessi Bloom is a Timber Press author and owner of N.W. Bloom Ecological Landscapes. Register through Brown Paper Tickets: Wednesday, October 17 6:30 – 8:00 pm 21 Acres 13701 NE 171st Street, Woodinville Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-30066

 

 

Healthy Soils Ladd Smith, Co-Owner of In Harmony or Graham Haroldson, In Harmony Healthy, beautiful, long-lived plants are the result of healthy soil. Participants will learn everything they need to know about soil to create an environment where plants will thrive. We will discuss what soil is made of, what lives in the soil, the importance of pore space, and how to use mulch to improve and protect your soil, while conserving water. Locations Register through Brown Paper Tickets. Thursday, September 27 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Redmond Senior Center 8703 160th Avenue NE, Redmond Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-3006

 

 

Fall Gardening for Spring Beauty Next Year Ladd Smith, Owner of In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes Take advantage of cool weather, great plant sales and lots of leaves. Fall gardening provides a head start to next year's garden successes. Learn the key steps to put your garden to rest for the winter months. Discover how these tasks can reduce next year's weeding and watering while helping your plants thrive even more in spring and summer. Locations Register through Brown Paper Tickets: Wednesday, September 19 6:30 – 8:00 pm 21 Acres 13701 NE 171st Street, Woodinville Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-30066 Sunday, October 7; 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. McLendon Hardware 440 Rainier Avenue South, Renton No pre-registration needed. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis at McLendon's. Natural Yard Care Ladd Smith, Owner of In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes By working with Mother Nature, you can have a great looking landscape that's easier to care for and healthier for families, pets, wildlife, and our great Northwest environment.  Come learn what Natural Yard Care is all about and how to create a healthy, beautiful yard.  Locations Register through Brown Paper Tickets. Tuesday, September 18 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Skyway Water and Sewer District, 6723 South 124th Street, Seattle Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-3006 Thursday, September 20 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Redmond Senior Center, 8703 160th Avenue NE, Redmond Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-3006 Wednesday, October 3 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Avenue NW, Issaquah Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-3006 Fall Groundwork in the Natural Garden Falaah Jones, Seattle Tilth, Garden Hotline educator Get a jump on spring by taking care of the garden in fall! Learn how to take advantage of our Maritime Northwest climate with fall planting and soil building. Discover which mulches work best for different types of plants and learn a variety of methods to protect your plants through the winter. Join us in some hands on soil building activities by planting cover crops, adding compost and mulching garden beds for the winter. You may be surprised as we dispel some common planting and mulching practices. Take these steps now for next year's successful growing season. Locations Register through Brown Paper Tickets. Saturday, September 22 10 – 11:30 a.m. Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands 5513 S. Cloverdale, Seattle Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-3006

 

 

Rainwater Harvesting and Drip Irrigation: A Perfect Pairing Dan Borba, Natural Rainwater, Rainwater Harvesting and Carey Thorton, Seattle Tilth, Drip Irrigation Rainwater is pure, plentiful and your plants love it. Best of all, it's free! Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting and storing rainwater for use in your yard. Drip irrigation is an extremely efficient and effective way to water your plants. This class will teach you how to utilize both technologies to help you save money and keep your landscape looking great! Locations Register through Brown Paper Tickets. Saturday, September 26 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Kirkland Maintenance Center 915 8th St, Kirkland Register online | Phone: 1-800-838-3006

Seattle Celebrates Local Food and Urban Farming at 25th Annual Harvest Fair

Where else can you press apples into cider and learn to make cheese while listening to live music outdoors? Seattle Tilth’s Harvest Fair invites you to do all that and more at Seattle’s local food and urban farming festival! The 25th annual Harvest Fair is on Saturday, September 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Meridian Park.

The Harvest Fair is a lively event with workshops, demonstrations, family activities and tasty food. See urban goats and chickens, talk to beekeepers and cheese makers, swap seeds and barter home made goods! Local organic farm stands will be abundant and overflowing with fresh produce at the height of harvest season. Stock-up on native and edible plants, local books, garden supplies, farm crafts and sustainable goods.

Workshops and demos include yoga for gardeners, fermenting foods, natural dyes, seed saving, making mozzarella cheese, edible mushrooms and cooking demonstrations. Food donations are being collected for the food bank at the BEET Hunger booth.

Activities include:

• Raffle to win a chicken coop, beekeeping starter kit or year’s supply of Organic Valley milk
• Seed swap
• Cider pressing
• Urban livestock area
• DIY herb crowns
• Barter hosted by Backyard Barter (11 a.m.-1 p.m.)
• Kids crafts in the children’s garden
• Organic farmer’s market
• Sustainable vendors
• Kids' parade
• Live music from Slap and Tickle, Mostly Water, Creepin' Critters, Holy Crows, Bucharest Drinking Team and Nyamuziwa Marimba

Readers to Eaters will present regional authors discussing their books in our speaker’s tent. Authors include:

• Colin McCrate, Food Grown Right in Your Backyard
• Jill Lightener, Edible Seattle Cookbook
• Larry Korn, English editor of Masanobu Fukuoka's Sowing Seeds in the Desert
• Pat Tanumihardja, Asian Grandmother's Cookbook

Known for teaching people to grow food organically and conserve natural resources, Seattle Tilth brings together over 50 participating organizations and businesses for this annual community event. Key sponsors include Organic Valley, PCC Natural Markets, New Roots Organics, Bastyr Center for Natural Health and Seattle Seed Company. Media sponsors include KUOW and Chinook Book. The Harvest Fair is a kick-off for Washington Organic Week.

Volunteers are needed to help make it all happen and volunteering is a fun way to get involved and meet people. Admission is FREE but donations are accepted at the entrance to help cover event costs. See you at the Harvest Fair!

Opportunities with National Wildlife Federation!

The following backyard habitat-related opportunities are available through your local National Wildlife Federation office:

Habitat Ambassador:
Help others learn how to garden for wildlife by hosting a table at a community event, giving a short presentation or distributing National Wildlife Federation literature. The training is done online with an NWF-provided CD and takes approximately five hours.

Community Wildlife Habitat™ Team Leader:
Once you have registered your own yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat™, you can take your commitment to the next level by forming a Community Wildlife Habitat team and getting your community certified.

Habitat Steward:
Teach others in your community how to create habitat for wildlife by giving presentations, volunteering to create a Schoolyard Habitats™ site, writing articles for local media or restoring habitat in a public site. Training is in-person and more intense than for a Habitat Ambassador and takes 24 hours, usually over three successive weekends or you can participate in the Woodland Park Zoo Backyard Habitat Classes. Habitat Stewards make a commitment to volunteer for at least 30 hours within the year following their training.

Interested? Contact Courtney Sullivan, National Wildlife Federation Education Manager, at 206-577-7175 or sullivanc@nwf.org