“Creating Defensible Space Around the Home Through Firewise Gardening”
by Jordan Van Delden
Want to learn the steps to becoming a Firewise Community? Join Jordan Van Delden on Jan. 28 from noon to 1 p.m. through Zoom Meetings for the singular Green Thumb Gardening Tips Education Series lecture in January. He will provide homeowners with an understanding of how to help protect homes from a wildfire in the event one occurs. Van Delden will discuss the three home ignition zones: Immediate, Intermediate, and Extended and will provide information on creating defensible space in each. Van Delden believes that creating defensible space is not about cutting down every tree or bush on the property but creating fire breaks and space between the home and vegetation surrounding the property. Done correctly, the landscape maintains its appeal and still is resilient to the effects of a wildfire. Examples of fire-resistant plants to increase a home’s survivability and which to grow in each zone will be provided.
To attend by computer, access the following link: https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/ and select the crimson button, front and center. To listen by phone, call: 253-215-8782; Meeting ID: 990 0823 2679; Passcode: 666545. Please login with microphone muted so that attendees cannot hear background noise from your location.
The “Green Thumb Garden Tips” education series is sponsored by WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners. Presentations via Zoom are available from noon to 1:00 pm on the second and fourth Thursday, February through October. November through January, one lecture is offered. These classes provide home gardeners with education on research-based sustainable garden practices in Clallam County. For questions, call 360-565-2679.
Clallam County Heritage Board accepting applications for grants
The Clallam County Heritage Advisory Board is accepting applications for historic preservation grants.
The grants are for public programming, capital improvements and equipment, collections management and training that support projects’ preservation and enhancing county history for residents, visitors and future generations.
Applications must be received by close of business Feb. 24.
An optional application workshop is offered to prospective applicants at 2 p.m. Feb. 2 and will be livestreamed on the Clallam County Board of Commissioners’ website, www.clallam.net.
To participate via video conference, visit www.blue jeans.com and join the Heritage Advisory Board Application Workshop, or call 408-419-1715. The meeting ID is 711 908 593.
Applications may be submitted by a public entity or a nonprofit tax-exempt organization that either operates or owns a museum or similar historical institution promoting local history within the boundaries of Clallam County; entities performing educational, interpretive or similar activities that promote local history within county boundaries; or individuals or entities that own property within Clallam County that is listed on local, state or national registers.
Applications are available at www.clallam.net/bocc/HAB.html.
Interested residents are invited to call the Clallam County Board of Commissioners’ Office at 360-417-2233 or email to mhalencak @co.clallam.wa.us. Or, visit the county commissioners’ office in the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
According to state law, these funds are to be used for projects which “promote historical preservation or historical programs, which may include preservation of historic documents.”
Dr. Elin Kelsey to Talk About Reciprocal Relationship Between Humans and Nature at Jan 21 Studium
The STEM Club at Peninsula College, and the House of Learning, PC Longhouse are partnering with Studium Generale to bring Dr. Elin Kelsey, UBC professor and author of “Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical for Solving the Environmental Crisis,” to the “Zoom Stage” on Jan. 21. Dr. Kelsey will present a brief lecture, then engage in conversation with students and audience members. The discussion will be co-hosted by Vanessa Affandy and Kaitlyn Viada, leaders in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Club at the college.
Dr. Kelsey is an award-winning author and thought-leader for hope and environmental solutions. Her work focuses on the study of the reciprocal relationship between humans and the rest of nature. Her newest book for adults, “Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical for Solving the Environmental Crisis” was published by Greystone Books in October 2020.
“When Kaitlyn Viada and Vanessa Affandy approached me to ask about partnering to bring a speaker to the Studium Generale stage, I immediately thought of Dr. Kelsey, because her work was introduced to me by a close family friend, Waverly Soule-Shreffler, who just finished her degree in Environmental Education,” Dr. Kate Reavey, Studium Generale coordinator said.
Reavey said that Soule-Shreffler is studying to be a teacher, and she knew that the STEM Club was looking to bring a speaker who could communicate the importance of science and celebrate science.
“I suggested a few individuals, but wasn’t surprised with the Club leaders decided it would be best to ask Dr. Kelsey,” Reavey said. “We had no idea whether she would say yes, because she has gained a certain measure of renown, and many people are asking for her time. I think it was the fact that students were asking her that really made the difference.”
“We are excited to hear Dr. Kelsey’s expertise on seeking hope in the climate crisis and hope this event will raise interest in PC’s STEM Club,” Kaitlyn Viada, PC STEM Club member said.
Dr. Kelsey’s influence is evident in the hopeful, solutions-focus of her clients, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and other powerful institutions where she has served as a visiting fellow including the Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and Society, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Stanford University in the Graduate School of Education. She co-created #OceanOptimism, a twitter campaign to crowd-source marine conservation solutions which has reached more than 100 million shares since it launched in 2014.
As an Adjunct Faculty member of the University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies, and, Western Washington University’s partnership in the Redfish School of Change, she is helping to forward a solutions-oriented paradigm for educating environmental scientists and social scientists. Passionate about bringing science-based stories of hope and multi-species resilience to the public, Kelsey is a popular keynote speaker and media commentator. She regularly serves as an author/artist in residence, leading hopeful environmental workshops with kindergarten to university students across North America and around the world. She is a feature writer and podcast host for Hakai Magazine, and a best-selling children’s book author. Her newest book for children, “A Last Goodbye” was published in April 2020. For more about Elin and her work please visit www.elinkelsey.org
Join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82419155703, Meeting ID: 824 1915 5703.
