MASTER GARDENERS HOST BACKYARD WILDLIFE DISCUSSION

October 18, 2018 1:30 am
Bill Wood and Anita McMillan will present “Your Yard is Wildlife Habitat” at noon on Thursday, Oct. 25, at the county commissioner’s meeting room of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E Fourth Street, Port Angeles. The presentation is part of the “Green Thumb Gardening Tips” education series sponsored by the Clallam County Master Gardeners. (photo by Amanda Rosenberg)
Bill Wood and Anita McMillan will present “Your Yard is Wildlife Habitat” at noon on Thursday, Oct. 25, at the county commissioner’s meeting room of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E Fourth Street, Port Angeles. The presentation is part of the “Green Thumb Gardening Tips” education series sponsored by the Clallam County Master Gardeners. (photo by Amanda Rosenberg)

Veteran Master Gardener Bill Wood and Wildlife District Biologist Anita McMillan will discuss backyard wildlife habitat on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at noon in the county commissioners meeting room of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth Street, Port Angeles.

Wood will provide an overview of the Gary Oak Restoration project to restore native grasses and Savanna-oak woodlands on the Sequim prairie. He will discuss why the rehabilitation of the shrub and grassy areas to the original prairie flora is important to nesting and other species that depend completely upon the native habitat.

McMillan will lead a discussion on the nuances that make home gardens sustainable wildlife habitats.

She will focus on the garden settings of attendees and explain how any garden can be friendlier to pollinators, birds and other wildlife, regardless of the size of the yard. She will discuss native plantings that grow well in wet, cool winters and dry, moderately hot summers. She will also discuss invasives and the challenges they present.

Wood earned a BA in Biology and a Masters in Terrestrial Ecology from Western Washington University. He retired from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife after a 27-year career.

A Master Gardener since 2001, Wood was recognized with a lifetime achievement Golden Trowel Award for his volunteer leadership.

He has spearheaded efforts to re-establish the oak-savanna habitat at Carrie Blake Park.

McMillan has worked as a Wildlife Biologist for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife in Clallam and West Jefferson Counties since 1986.

The “Green Thumb Gardening Tips” series is presented on the second and fourth Thursday’s of the month and is free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to bring a lunch. For questions, call 360-565-2679.