Progress 04/01/06 to 03/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Workshops were taught on Subsistence Gardening, Seed Starting, Vermicomposting, Composting, Season Extension Techniques, Canning Salmon, Making Sausage at home, Nutrition, Cross Country Skiing and Racing, Bluegrass, Health Rocks! (4H, peer education for tobacco prevention), and other topics that promote a healthy, self-sufficient lifestyle. Workshops were taught in 20 villages by the PD including Ruby, Anvik, Grayling, Holy Cross, Shageluk, Beaver, Tanacross, Takotna, Nikolai, Steven's Village, Ruby, Arctic Village, Ft. Yukon, Eagle, Dot Lake, Nenana, Galena, Koyukuk, Nulato, and Tetlin. Over the project period, there were 1592 participants in 92 workshops (July 2007 to March 2010) taught by the PD. In McGrath, Tanana, and Venetie and other villages, workshops were arranged by the PD and taught by qualified Extension or Para-professionals. Thirty-one volunteers, Para-professionals, and FRTEP program assistants taught 36 workshops, attended by 1600 people. Sometimes there were two instructors, and these workshops and participants were counted twice. Fifty percent of workshops youth and 80% were Alaska Native. A lack of gardening supplies such as seeds and fertilizer was identified as a primary reason for not gardening by village residents who have difficulty buying agriculture supplies due to their remote locations. Master Gardener volunteers helped box and package seeds for TCC villages. In 2007, seeds were sent to 26 TCC villages for 427 gardeners; in 2008, seeds were sent to 28 TCC villages for 471 gardeners; and in 2010, seeds were sent to 36 TCC villages for 520 gardeners. These numbers are based on sign-in sheets as well as numbers given by Tribal Administrators. This was an 18% increase in the number of gardeners from 2007 to 2010 and a 31% increase in number of TCC villages that participated in this program! With 5,087 Alaska Natives living in TCC villages (2000 Census), this program reached more than 10% of the Alaska Native population living in TCC villages. Twenty-three articles were written for The Council newsletter with a distribution of 9,000 Tribal members. These articles offered relevant, research-based information on gardening, preserving food, youth development, and healthy living. Over 2,000, free CES Publications were distributed at workshops and at the TCC Extension office. The PD was available to TCC Tribal members via email, fax, telephone, office visits, and on-site visits for questions on gardening, food preservation, youth projects, grant writing, and other Extension related topics. The PD provided technical assistance on finding and writing grants to the Gwhichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribal Government, Ruby, Galena, Steven's Village, Shageluk, Tetlin, Takotna, Venetie, and Nulato. An estimated $722, 476 in additional projects that benefit Alaska Natives of the TCC region were funded due, in part, to technical assistance provided by the PD (and previous co-PD). Additionally, the PD was able to leverage an additional $49,000 in volunteer hours ($20.25/hr), in-kind donations, BIA Agriculture funding, and other grants to support TCC FRTEP efforts. PARTICIPANTS: Without partnerships, the goals and objectives of the FRTE Program serving the Tanana Chiefs Conference Region would be difficult to attain. The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Cooperative Extension Service (CES) provides accounting, payroll, purchasing, and travel administration of the FRTEP Grant through. The UAF CES Vice-Provost and Agriculture & Horticulture Program Chair provide over-all supervision and mentoring of the PD as well as funds for one Professional Development opportunity each year. The CES Communications staff provides publications, editing, and printing services. The UAF Information Technology (IT) Services provide a platform for online education as well as videoconference services. State and District Agents provide curriculum, research-based publications, expertise, technical assistance, workshops in Fairbanks, and limited, on-site workshops in villages. Program areas at UAF CES are Agriculture & Horticulture, Home, Health, and Family Development, Natural Resources, and 4H/Youth Development. Faculty at the School of Natural Resources & Agriculture Science collaborate with the PD on grants and provide relevant, research applicable to village residents along with limited on-site, information delivery and research. Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) provides office space (for the PD and program assistants), furniture, utilities, facilities support, computing equipment, IT support, land for a demonstration garden, and PD use of BIA Agriculture funds for Extension activities, program supplies, and travel support. Member Tribes/Villages of TCC provide workshop impetus, planning, advertising, venues, and logistics; on-going needs assessments and evaluations, and sometimes donate lodging and airfare. Individuals or tribal councils often donate supplies needed for workshops such as fish, jars, berries, and moose meat. Cooperation and support from School Districts and teachers make school presentations possible. The Alaska Ski Go Club provided skiing equipment, valuable expertise and history of administering a traveling ski camp, three highly qualified volunteers for one week, and funding support and guidance for future Youth Development Ski Programs. Other Partnerships include: NRCS (SWCD, RCD, EQIP, and TCD programs), WSARE, Alaska SARE, and USFWS. New partnerships this year will help reach several TCC FRTEP goals. the TCC Youth Employment Services, which currently has funding to employ about 220 Alaska Native Youth each summer, wants to partner with 4H and use the 4H structure to write job descriptions to improve leadership abilities, knowledge and skills in fisheries and agriculture, and promote Youth in Government activities. An Energy specialist was hired by TCC in cooperation with UAF/ACEP who has partnered with the PD on a grant, in particular, a funded project to build a greenhouse in Galena with the Tribe and the Boarding School which will be heated by waste heat from the generator. A new partnership between UAF CES and TCC fisheries to promote ATV and snow machine safety will also positively impact youth in the TCC region and increase the likelihood of TCC FRTEP Goal 1 being achieved. TARGET AUDIENCES: The PD targets the Alaska Native population of 13,605 (US Census 2000) in the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) region, particularly the population of 4,831 living in 37 communities where a Federally Recognized Tribe is located. The TCC region, located in the heart of Alaska, is nearly the size of Texas, but much more remote, with few roads. TCC FRTEP targets Alaska Natives living in a village i.e. not urban population centers such as Fairbanks. Some programs, such as the TCC Demonstration Garden, are offered in Fairbanks, home to 8,174 (US Census 2000) Alaska Natives. However, the garden primarily targets village residents who are visiting Fairbanks for conferences, medical appointments, or shopping excursions. Village Residents are targeted because of the disproportionate lack of access to Extension Programs. Alaska Natives living in Fairbanks can attend numerous workshops offered by other Extension Agents. Nenana is the most accessible village to Fairbanks (and the TCC FRTEP office) and is 60 road miles away. The furthest road village (summer only), is Eagle Village, a 9 hour drive in good conditions. Thirty-three TCC Villages are road inaccessible. Small-aircraft year round, barge (boats) in the summer, and snow machines or dog sleds in the winter, provide transportation. Airfare to TCC villages ranges from $250 to $1000. Alaska Native Populations in villages range in size from only three in Telida to 512 in Fort Yukon. Fort Yukon and Galena are the largest tribal communities in the region with Native populations of at least 400. Larger communities are often targeted for more frequent programs due to per capita cost effectiveness and a high level of interest. However, small villages with a high level of participation provide opportunities to have a major impact on a particular community. Although low density populations make workshops and on-site visits expensive when evaluated on a cost per person basis, well advertised and jointly planned workshops are often greatly appreciated. Working in remote Athabascan communities present both challenges and opportunities which require creativity, flexibility, and partnership. The Online Alaska Master Gardener Program developed by the PD from an existing correspondence course by the PD is open to anyone (statewide, national, even international). This program provides more in depth training than on-site workshops which are usually limited to one or two days. The PD is currently exploring opportunities to improve and increase Distance Delivery Educational Opportunities such as this to better serve TCC Federally Recognized Tribes (37) and the other 188 Federally Recognized Tribes in Alaska not served by this grant. The PD sees this as especially important as FRTEP is now a Competitive Grant and the infrastructure, history, and relationship built between Extension and Tribes in the TCC region could be lost in the event that funding is discontinued. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
A Medium-Term Impact survey was administered by phone, email, and mail to 281 past workshop participants by a TCC FRTEP student employee. This was to asess impacts 6 months to 2 years after a workshop. Total workshop participants (July 2007 to March 2010) were 3,192 (for workshops taught by the PD or arranged by the PD). Fifty-five workshop participants answered the survey and these were the results: 71% of workshop participants did the activity taught at the workshop for the first time, whether it was seed starting, composting, or canning. Sixteen percent of workshop participants said they used the skill taught at the workshop a great deal, 24% a lot, and 35% a little. Eighteen percent of workshop attendees said the workshop helped them become a great deal more self-sufficient, 29% a lot more self-sufficient, and 40% said a little more self-sufficient. Four percent of workshop participants said they saved more than $400 because of knowledge or skills they learned at the workshop, 9% said they saved $300, 16% said they saved $200, 9% said they saved $100, and 13% said they saved $50. This is an average of $90 saved per workshop participant. When asked if they shared the information with others, 76% of participants said "Yes". Those who answered "Yes", shared it with an average of 6 other people. Based on these survey results, for the 3,192 workshop participants, these inferences were made: 2,266 people did the activity taught at the workshop for the first time, 2,394 people used the skill taught at the workshop afterwards, 2,777 people increased their self-sufficiency, workshop participants saved or will save $287,280, 2,426 workshop participants shared the information they learned at the workshop with, on average, 6 people, for a total of 14,556 additional people that may have learned something new because of a TCC FRTEP workshop. Two new 4H clubs were started in Eagle and Minto. The PD is striving to increase the effectiveness of the TCC FRTEP Advisory Council (5 members) that currently meets quarterly via teleconference and annually face to face at the Sustainable Agriculture Conference. An unanticipated impact of this has been to develop the leadership and knowledge of AC members to better serves their communities. It has also increased their networking with other USDA and Agriculture professionals that may not otherwise be able to travel to villages. Several AC members have also taught workshops to their communities after attending a workshop taught by the PD. Although about 50% of workshop attendees were youth, the AC wanted even more TCC FRTEP workshops to target youth. There are many anecdotal stories of how TCC FRTEP has postiviely impacted Alaska Natives across the TCC region. For instance, the PD has gone to Galena 5 times now. One tribal member has attended every single workshop offered by the PD there (often more than one on each trip). Attendance went from 3 participants at the first workshop to 25 participants at subsequent workshops in Galena. This highlights the important of continuity for the FRTE Program, which has been positively impacting the people of the Tanana Chiefs Conference region for over 20 years.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 04/01/08 to 03/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Workshops were taught on Subsistence Gardening, Seed Starting, Vermicomposting, Composting, Season Extension Techniques, Canning Salmon, Making Sausage at home, Nutrition, Cross Country Skiing and Racing, Bluegrass, Health Rocks! (4H, peer education for tobacco prevention), and other topics that promote a healthy, self-sufficient lifestyle. Workshops were arranged after a request was recieved from a local contact. The Project Director and Agent (PD) offered 50 workshops (98 hours) in 13 TCC villages: Takotna, Nikolai, Steven's Village, Ruby, Arctic Village, Ft. Yukon, Eagle, Dot Lake, Nenana, Galena, Koyukuk, Nulato, and Tetlin, as well as in Fairbanks at the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Demonstration Garden. Workshop participants numbered 691 in FY09, nearly half of which were youth. Eight volunteers and nine Extension Specialists, Program Assistants, or other professionals assisted the PD or separately offered a total of 77 workshops in 13 villages: Steven's Village, Nenana, Arctic Village, Ft. Yukon, Tanana, McGrath, Venetie, Galena, Koyukuk, and Nulato (Note: some of these workshops are counted twice, if two volunteers helped with the same workshop, this is counted as two workshops). Workshop attendees numbered 1224 at these workshops, 713 of which were youth. A total of 245 hours was committed by volunteers or specialists. The PD improved and taught the Alaska Online Master Gardener Course which had an enrollment of 50 students from 32 communities (many in rural Alaska) in FY09. In 2007, Extension was represented at an Agriculture Fair in Galena by the PD, and in 2008 Extension was represented at Agriculture Fairs in Galena, Holy Cross, and Ft. Yukon. Surveys attributed a lack of gardening supplies as one of the primary reasons for not gardening. Over 400 tribal gardeners in 26 TCC villages received an assortment of vegetable and flower seeds in Spring 2008. By ordering seeds in bulk Master Gardener volunteers saved approximately $2000. The PD assisted 11 tribes directly in purchasing rototillers, greenhouses, soil, live plants, fertilizer, and seed potatoes with BIA Agriculture funds. The PD served as the primary Extension contact for the TCC region and answered questions via phone, email, fax, mail, or in person. Ten articles were written for the TCC newsletter, The Council, with an audience of over 9,000 in the TCC region. Articles offered gardening tips, information on programs offered by TCC UAF FRTEP, and articles for youth. As chair of the J.W. Matthews Volunteer Award, the PD supported Dr. Matthews' decision to favor rural applicants traveling in-state which directly benefits rural residents. A Demonstration Garden was established in the Summer of 2008 at TCC where seven workshops were offered to TCC employees as well as village residents traveling to Fairbanks. The PD was able to leverage approximately $25,000 for TCC UAF FRTEP activities from BIA Agriculture funds and from other grants and awards. Donations, volunteer hours, and other in-kind support was estimated to be valued at $5,000. PARTICIPANTS: Without partnerships, the goals and objectives of UAF/TCC FRTEP would be difficult to attain. The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Cooperative Extension Service (CES) provides administration of the FRTEP grant through accounting, payroll, purchasing, and travel services. The UAF CES Vice-Provost and Agriculture & Horticulture Program Chair provide over-all supervision and mentoring of the PD as well as some funds for professional development training. The CES Communications staff provide publications editing and printing and a Toll-free Food Safety Hotline and Energy Hotline. The UAF Information Technology (IT) Services provide a platform for online education as well as videoconference services. State and District Agents provide program curriculum, research-based publications, expertise, technical assistance, workshops in Fairbanks, and limited, on-site workshops in villages. The four, main program areas at UAF CES are Agriculture & Horticulture, Home, Health, and Family Development, Natural Resources, and 4H/Youth Development. The School of Natural Resources & Agriculture Science collaborate with the PD to provide current, relevant agriculture research applicable to village residents along with limited on-site, information delivery and research. Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) provides office space, furniture, utilities, facilities support, computing equipment, IT support, land for a demonstration garden, and delegates the PD as a director of BIA Agriculture funds which are used for Extension activities, program supplies, and travel. Member Tribes/Villages of Tanana Chiefs Conference provide program impetus, planning, advertising and logistics, on-going needs assessments and evaluations, program venues, and sometimes donate lodging and airfare. Individuals or tribal councils often donate supplies needed for canning workshops such as fish and jars for a canning workshop or moose meat for sausage workshop. Cooperation and support from the Yukon-Koyukuk, Yukon Flats, Galena City, and Iditarod Area School Districts and teachers make school presentations possible. The RurAl Cap Ski Go Club provided skiing equipment, valuable expertise and history of administering a traveling ski camp, three highly qualified volunteers for one week, and funding support and guidance for future Youth Development Ski Programs. Other Partnerships include Barefoot Bluegrass Camps, TCC Community Health Aides and Educators, and other agencies including NRCS and USFWS. TARGET AUDIENCES: The PD targets the Alaska Native population of 13,605 (US Census 2000) in the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) region, particularly the population of 4,831 living in 37 communities where a Federally Recognized Tribe is located. The TCC region, located in the heart of Alaska, is nearly the size of Texas but much more remote with very few roads. The majority of TCC FRTEP programs target village residents located outside of urban population centers such as Fairbanks and Anchorage. Some programs, such as the TCC demonstration garden are offered in Fairbanks, home to 8,174 (US Census 2000) Alaska Natives. However, the garden primarily targets village residents who are visiting Fairbanks for conferences, medical appointments, or shopping excursions. Village residents are targeted because of the disproportionate lack of other Extension activities available to them. Nenana is the most accessible village to Fairbanks (and the TCC FRTEP office) and is 60 miles away by highway. The furthest village accessible in the summer by road is Eagle village, a nine hour drive in good conditions. Thirty-three TCC communities are inaccessible by road. Small-aircraft year round, barge (boats) in the summer, and snow machines or dog sleds in the winter provide transportation. Airfare to some TCC villages can be in excess of a thousand dollars and may include several airline segments. The cheapest airfare to closer road inaccessible villages might be three or four hundred dollars. Alaska Native populations range in size from only three in Telida to 512 in Fort Yukon. Fort Yukon and Galena are the largest tribal communities in the region with Native populations of at least 400. Larger communities are often targeted for more frequent programs due to per capita cost effectiveness and a high level of interest. However, small villages with a high level of participation provide opportunities to have a major impact on a particular community. Although low density populations make workshops and on-site visits expensive when evaluated on a cost per person basis, well advertised and jointly planned workshops are often greatly appreciated. Working in remote Athabascan communities present both challenges and opportunities which require creativity, flexibility, and partnership. Workshop participants numbered 691 in FY09, nearly half of which were youth. Workshops were done in thirteen TCC villages in FY09: Takotna, Nikolai, Steven's Village, Ruby, Arctic Village, Ft. Yukon, Eagle, Dot Lake, Nenana, Galena, Koyukuk, Nulato, and Tetlin, as well as in Fairbanks at the Tanana Chiefs Conference Demonstration Garden. Two trips were made to each of the following villages in FY09: Galena, Ft. Yukon, Arctic Village, Nenana, and Nulato. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
In addition to surveys, other methods used to gauge impacts of workshops are: attendance increases, additional requests, and other positive feedback. Workshop attendance for food preservation workshops in Galena increased from 3 in 2007, to 20 in 2008. In Ft. Yukon, gardening workshops were attended by 4 people in 2007 and 30 in 2008. In Ft. Yukon, a workshop participant said, "My first time at a workshop. I liked it. Learned new techniques. Had fun. Glad to see lots of folks here-even new gardeners. It's good. Thanks." All nine surveys returned for this workshop indicated that the presentation was highly effective and ideas were of practical value. In response to workshops done in Arctic Village, a TCC employee said, "Good Job Heidi! I just wanted to say that you really rock with your job. You get others excited about gardening and I know that people back home in Arctic Village really enjoy and appreciate your assistance. They were still talking about it this winter! Good job and keep it up!" Six individuals from Arctic Village requested a workshop in 2009. In-spite of a no-show at a scheduled workshop in Tetlin in 2008, seeds and other supplies were still sent. In the Spring of 2009, 33 of Tetlin's 111 Alaska Native residents (US Census 2000) expressed interest in a workshop. The PD skied with youth of Steven's Village in the spring of 2008 and a few skied down the biggest hill in the area their first time. In the spring of 2009, the teacher requested that the PD return saying, "Heidi - when are you coming to ski with us... and plant seeds with us - we miss you.... we would love to have you come visit...these kids are much much better...a confidence thing I think... they just take off now... no falling, crying - even the kindergarten and first graders... looking forward to seeing you..." Surveys were developed in FY09 to be used in conjunction with the seed distribution in FY10. Response rates improved when recipients were surveyed prior to receiving seeds. The goal is to effectively document the impact of the seed distribution and workshops by quantifying changes in the number of gardeners or in production levels. With Alaska's short growing season, transplants are necessary for some vegetables and flowers to reach maturity. Seed starting workshops promote growing transplants at home, but some transplants are also purchased. Plants were purchased for Nikolai which is only accessible via charter or mail plane. Returning from a school trip, Nikolai youth carried live plants on their laps to their community. This insured the plants would arrive alive. Village residents were very grateful. An Alaska Native woman and employee of TCC attended a Vermicomposting workshop at the TCC Demonstration Garden in the summer of 2008. She has now started her own business, the Alaska Organic Fertilizer Company, which sells composting worms and bins as well as vermicompost. She uses the low-tech, low-cost bin system demonstrated in the workshop. She is having difficulty meeting the demand for worms. She has made it a priority to assist schools in remote TCC communities by donating worm composting systems and volunteering her time to teach workshops.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 04/01/07 to 03/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Horticulture: Gardening and subsistence agriculture workshops were held in Fairbanks, Nenana, Nulato, Galena, Fort Yukon, Dot Lake, Tok, and Tetlin There were a total of 391 participants in these workshops and a total of 45 teaching hours. Of particular note is that some of the workshops done in Galena were done at Galena Interior Learning Academy which is a vocational boarding school attended by high school students from more than 50 villages all over Alaska. Also of note is that in Dot Lake, 11 residents out of a population of 39 came to the gardening/seed starting workshop and many were kids. That is almost a third of their population. They were each given a seed kit and taught how to plant seeds and plan a garden. A lack of gardening supplies such as seeds and fertilizer was identified as a primary reason for not gardening by village residents who often have no way of getting resources except by catalogue. Seed kits including fertilizer and seed potatoes are being
assembled and the goal is to send them out to approximately 400 gardeners in more than 20 different villages that have identified an interest. The Master Gardener Correspondence class was updated and transformed into an online format which has garnered considerable interest with 24 current students and many others who are interested. Current students are from Skagway, Dillingham, Mcgrath, Nenana, Delta, Two Rivers, Ketchikan, Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks, Dutch Harbor, Ruby, Allakaket, Shageluk, Seward, Nulato, and Nenana. This has been identified as an efficient and economical way to reach out to gardeners and communities all over Alaska. With a 40 hour volunteer component it is also a good way to increase impact in communities that the agent can sometimes only visit every two or three years due to budget and schedule constraints. Six gardening articles were written for the Tanana Chiefs Conference newsletter which reaches over 9,000 interior Alaska Natives. I also contributed
garden tips and planting dates to the TCC annual calendar which was sent out to the same audience. I received many phone calls in response to both articles and the calendar. Many calls, emails, and office visits were received in response to workshops, articles, calendar, seed orders, and agricultural grant opportunities. Food Preservation: Food preservation workshops were done in Galena, Old Minto, and Fort Yukon and a total of 43 youth & adults participated some of which had never used a pressure canner to can salmon or a hot water bath to preserve wild berries. This was done in 12 teaching hours.
PARTICIPANTS: I have established partnerships with other faculty with the University of Alaska Fairbanks including Dr. Meriam Karlsson and Jeff Werner (Controlled environment researchers), Dr. Craig Gerlach (Anthropologist with the Resilience and Adaptation Program) and grad students Phil Loring and Kimberley Maher. I also coordinate with other Cooperative Extension Service staff and faculty to arrange food preservation workshops and other CES programs in areas that I do not specialize. My office is located at Tanana Chiefs Conference which has over 600 employees. In particular I have worked closely with the publications department, behavioral counseling, and the Tribal Development specialists. Tribal Councils may be my most important partnership. They provide not only logistic help, but also guidance in programming because each village is unique. I frequently coordinate with Chiefs, Tribal administrators, Environmental coordinators, Tribal Family & Youth Specialists, or Natural
Resource coordinators for particular workshops or guidance for finding grant funding, or ordering gardening supplies. Master Gardeners are also important volunteers and have been instrumental in getting seeds packaged together into seed kits for distribution to possibly more than 400 gardeners. I have also coordinated with two missionary groups to distribute seeds and supplies to Fort Yukon and Arctic Village.
TARGET AUDIENCES: My target audience is the Alaska Natives of interior Alaska, both young and old. The young are important to reach because they are the future generation. The parents and elders are important because they set the example for their kids and are respected for their traditions. The Galena Interior Learning Academy will be an important partnership and target audience because of its centrality and passion for the education of youth in Alaska and its broad reach throughout Alaska.
Impacts
In collaboration with the University of Alaska Controlled Environments Research Lab, 7 Aerogardens were purchased for education purposes in Galena High School, Galena Interior Learning Academy (Boarding school), the school of Ruby, and the school of Nulato. In conjunction with Jeff Werner, Researcher for the UAF Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station we delivered workshops in each of these schools to help kids understand the importance of knowing not only where their food comes from, but from how far away it comes. In a state where the growing season is only about 3 months long, hydroponics is an important winter teaching. We hope they will take the skills they learn during school and put them to use during the summer to grow their own food. While we were out there, we met with the principle of the boarding school, 5 teachers, and the chef of the school to discuss the possibility of the school growing more of its own food year round and incorporating it into
their vocational education mission. A new FFA chapter was established as a result of this. Ed Sarten of Ruby received $300 from the J.W. Matthews fund for volunteer travel. As the committee chair, I informed him of this opportunity and we were able to add this agriculture trip to a trip Sarten was taking for a Fish & Game meeting. During this time, we toured the Chena Hot Springs Resort with Controlled Environment researchers Jeff Werner, Dr. Meriam Karlsson, and Yosuke Okada, greenhouse manager, and discussed the feasibility of doing a similar, yet smaller scale, year-round, geothermal heated greenhouse in Ruby. This has been a particular interest of the owner of Chena Hot Springs Resort. Sarten is an online Master Gardener student but was also able to attend a Tanana Valley Master Gardener session which I happened to be teaching in Fairbanks and meet 27 gardeners from Fairbanks. Then Sarten and I visited the Buffalo farm owned by Steven's Village near Delta and discussed the ins and
outs of developing a Native American Bison coop and/or Ruby buying land and doing what Steven's Village did. A longtime gardener, Ed Sarten will take this knowledge he learned from Fairbanks and use it to further his volunteer gardening pursuits in Agriculture in Ruby. I have received many seed starting, community gardening, and vegetable gardening requests from villages for April, May, and June from Steven's Village, Birch Creek, Takotna, Ruby, Nulato, Koyukuk, Fort Yukon, Arctic Village, and Venetie and expect the spring time to be the busiest time of the year. FRTEP funds were used during this time to purchase 5 greenhouses given to Minto, Tanacross, Mcgrath, and Holycross as well as some seeds and seed potatoes that were sent to the previously mentioned villages as well as others. These greenhouses will provide valuable infrastructure for future community garden projects and seed starting workshops.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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