Art in the Garden!
Our 2nd Art in the Garden Show was well attended in spite of the rain, thunder and lightning. theJazzShack band got the spirits moving and everyone was full of energy!
Volunteers
As a member of NatureScaping, we want you to see what your dues provide. Please tour the gardens with family and friends, and come to classes! Our weekly work parties include dedicated members, youth and mentors from the Clark County Restorative Justice program, Battleground CASEE students and other high school students. The NatureScaping Coordinators and members are excellent mentors to the youth. We often hear the youth say at the end of the day, “I learned about nature today and really enjoyed working here. I want to bring my family to see the beautiful gardens!”
Education is our Mission
NatureScaping’s partnerships with the CASEE staff and Clark County’s Master Composter/Recyclers are increasing our educational outreach in SW Washington. Battleground School District Science Specialist and NatureScaping Board Member, Mark Watrin, reported over 400 elementary and middle school students, parents and staff toured the Wildlife Botanical Gardens for science projects this past spring. We also have home schoolers learning in the gardens.
Clark County Master/Composter Recyclers provide free composting and vermiculture classes throughout the year, and as part of the Art in the Gardens, had over 80 people stop by the Compost educational area!
NatureScaping of SW WA was awarded grants this year from the Master Gardener Foundation of Clark County and the Hardy Plant Society of OR to build an educational kiosk at the entrance to the Gardens and provide educational materials at the kiosk. The two projects will be completed by the end of 2014.
Our planning for next year’s classes will begin soon. Email or call us with class subjects you are interested in attending. Also, we heard some of you loud and clear and we will provide a microphone for future speakers.
Craig & Joy Johnson shared their Birds, Backyard Habitat and Beyond DVD during the June class. The Audubon Society of Whidbey Island awarded them an Excellence Award in 2012 for this DVD. The Johnson’s are co-authors of several Pacific Northwest photographic bird books and two illustrated children’s books. Check them out at:
http://www.pugetsoundbackyardbirds.com/
Vanessa Gardner Nagel, APLD, NCIDQ, Nationally-Certified Designer, Author and Lecturer shared her passion at our July class for sustainable landscaping with design ideas for replacing all or part of our lawns with grasses. Part of this paradigm shift from lawns to native and ornamental grasses retrains our brains to see that green, manicured lawns are boringly monoculture, expensive to maintain with chemicals and water, and lack value for wildlife. As a number of participants stated, “it’s okay to have clover in your grass, bees love it!”
Check out Vanessa’s website for more information on wildlife friendly landscaping, and listing of her books on landscape design:
http://www.seasonsgardendesign.com/
Find us: http://www.naturescaping.org and Facebook
Contact us at: (360) 737.1160, info@naturescaping.org or PO Box 763, Battleground, WA 98606
We are an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are appreciated!