Estelline, SD

SDSU Cooperative Extension Service and our community coordinator popped the question  –HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO CELEBRATE  — achieving intermediate Horizons goals?  After mid July sometime they’ll provide the cake and funds!! Whoooopeee!!!!

April 15th we mulled it over a bit and thought a party on Friday in conjunction with Farmers Market would be good.  What do you think?

And “thank yous” to Northwest Area Foundation, and SDSU,and CES staff, and especially the always cheerful Cheryl Jacobs, our coordinator.

Horizons Program is taking applications for the 2008 Community Garden growing season.  The Lister Donley Memorial Garden located at the southeast end of 6^th Street South in Estelline will be tilled and marked with 20 feet by 25 feet plots which will be made available to individuals, families, local organizations and truck gardening entrepreneurs.  Rent for the season is set at $15 per plot; for the inaugural year of the garden this amount will be refunded if the garden is clear of debris at the end of the growing season. 

            If you are an experienced gardener, you will find this location full sun and well drained.  The underlying sandy stratum makes it excellent for melons.  Water source will be available 

            If you would like to begin as a gardener, this is an excellent site, with plenty of opportunity for assistance and we will even hold some classes if interest is expressed. 

            Produce for home use and sharing is encouraged.  We will organize some distributions through the Food Pantry. 

            Those who would like to be involved for fun, food, and profit as well are welcome to participate in the Horizons Farmers’ Market as well.  Horizons is taking applications for vendors (contact Linda Svec with questions, forms at Reliabank).

            Should you have questions about the Garden or be interested in volunteering with developing the garden, helping with the children’s plot or the general use plots, or contributing resources to the effort, please contact Harvey Donley (cell phone # 690-9494 or local 873-4000).

            Applications can be picked up from Country Corner or Reliabank.

            The Horizons program which seeks to address poverty in rural communities is funded by Northwest Area Foundation with administration by the Cooperative Extension Service through SDSU.   

A burst of April get togethers — getting prepared for summer!

9th    Grant writing,  school cafeteria 6:30- 8pm

14th   Farmers’ Mkt committee  school cafeteria  6-6:20pm followed by Garden committee 6:30- 8:30pm

15th   Strategic Planning  east room Trails’ Edge  6:30-8:30pm

16th   Green Group meets to discuss spring cleanup etc.    school cafeteria  6:00-6:20pm followed by

16th   Grant writing   school cafeteria  6:30-8pm

Four instructors from SDSU taught Estelline Horizons the basic concepts of Permaculture. Karl Schmidt, Jane Hegland, Dean Isham and Jessica Miller described this agricultural and productive ecosystem.  Its major concepts are: design with energy efficient planning; perennial agriculture with multiple crops in the field; tree crops; garden agriculture; energy efficient housing; animal forage system; aquaculture; community and ethical development.  The concept of cooperation rather than competition with the emphasis on earth, people, and fair sharing fits well into plans for Estelline’s community garden.  

Kristi Hollenback is pictured with Jane, Dean and Jessica going over some of the Permaculture literature.  Trevor Gilkerson  provided free seeds for the community garden. Linda Svec announced plans for the community garden and the farmers market at the meeting. More can be learned about Permaculture on April 19, 1-3 pm, at the Brookings Public Library.  Contact Karl Schmidt for more information.  There will also be a two day seminar  at SDSU June 28-29.

Two performances of the show will be held in the school auditorium evenings of July 11th and 12th (air-conditioned comfort will be welcome then even if we don’t think about it now).

Children ages 8 to 18 will audition for parts after the directors arrive with their trailer of props, costumes, and scripts on July 6th.  The short rehearsal time is made possible by the directors playing the main roles and the children’s parts being”so catchy and fun it all comes together”.

Watch for tickets ($5 for adults) and volunteer opportunities before the 4th of July.

Four area residents will give an introductory talk on permaculture at the Legion Hall (Main Street) on Saturday, March 29^th.  The one-hour talk starts at 1 pm and is free and open to the public.  The talk is hosted by the Estelline Area Horizons project.

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is a design science which integrates landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.  The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature.

“The permaculture concept originated in Tasmania, Australia, in the 1970s,” said Karl Schmidt, one of the four presenters.  “From Australia it has spread across the globe and is practiced and taught in virtually every country on the planet.”

Schmidt, and his three colleagues, Jane Hegland, Dean Isham, and Jessica Miller, were trained in permaculture design by Bill Mollison, one of the two originators of the concept, and Geoff Lawton, managing director of the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia.

Permaculture draws information from many fields, including agriculture, horticulture, soil science, animal systems, geography, agroforestry, interior design, construction, and engineering.  Its goal is to integrate this information into sustainable planning and design.

“This talk will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of the planet, food security, and sustainability,” said Schmidt.  “But more than that, it is about sharing the proactive message of permaculture and what people can do themselves in dealing with these concerns.”

For more information, contact Karl Schmidt, 688-4913, or kjschmidt@mchsi.com.

Saturday’s meeting with Rhoda Burrows was attended by 10 community members, some new to Horizons.  We were impressed by the amount and helpfulness of the materials she shared, and much of it was left with us for reference.  Rhoda is also very interested in responding to further questions when we figure out what we need to know!

Next educational opportunity is this coming Saturday;  the venue for the Permaculture presentation has moved across the street to the American Legion Hall,  due to the Sr Citizen dinner, meeting, and games scheduled in conflict.  We hope some Seniors will come across the street for the educational session after their activity. 

And speaking of Senior opportunities,  anyone 60 years of age or better is invited for BBQ and salad supper evening of the 24th  (that would be tomorrow, Monday) sponsored by an aging grant which is wanting your input in improving wellness and health services;  show up to have your say.  

See you there?

 I do not know if anyone else put the crew up that completed the Leadership Plenty Series last fall with the “Can Do” T-shirts but I have one to share with the group!  Again, since I attended the blog traning, I am trying to catch up by sharing some photos. 

I learned how to blog this week at the blog training in Estelline from Cheryl and am sharing photos of the group that attended the program last September in Huron.   Harvey was part of the panel discussion of communities attending and represented the Estelline Horizons group extremely well.

Join the SD Extension Educator specialist for computer training and access to this blog site as an editor, contributor, or administrator. Class Tuesday March 11th at the High School Library from 6:30-9:00p.m. with take home materials and sign on at the site. Snacks and baby-sitting available. No beverages in the library though, sorry. See you there!