Climate Connection: Get Ready To Grow Your Own
By Lisa Sadleir-Hart
Seed catalogues have started to arrive and although I’m still harvesting carrots, kale and potatoes from my 2019 garden, I’m ready to set my sights on what to grow in 2020. Project Drawdown ranked a locally grown plant-based diet as the 4th strategy to help us “drawdown” carbon emissions and they also can help reel in runaway rates of chronic disease.
According to a 2016 study, business-as-usual emissions could be reduced by as much as 70 percent through adopting a vegan diet and 63 percent for a vegetarian diet, which includes cheese, milk, and eggs, and $1 trillion in annual health-care costs and lost productivity would be saved.
So what are some first steps in getting started to grow your own?
#1. Think about space - will you grow in containers? Raised beds? Greenhouse?
#2. Think about your soil which, by the way, is not the same thing as dirt. Soil, from my vantage, is one-third dirt, one-third organic matter (think compost or yard waste) and one-third sand to help with drainage. Requires several seasons to “grow” (pun intended) if you don’t want to buy it.
#3. Think N, P, K and other minerals. This means test your soil then enrich it as needed. What with? Crushed shells or egg shells for calcium, coffee grinds for acid, compost for organic matter (think micro-minerals) as well as wood ash or even buried fish carcesses or sea stars.
#4. Think about what grows well in this climate - greens, especially kale and lettuce, potatoes, carrots, snap peas and rhubarb work beautifully, and avoid tougher crops to start with - cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts - and let go of tomatoes, peppers and squash if you don’t have covered, heated beds or a greenhouse.
#5. Connect with the Sitka Local Foods Network or the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Cooperative Extension (you’ll find them at UAS Sitka Campus) which often offers free gardening classes and advice.
#6. Start simply with maybe just 3 crops and build your skills with different crops over time.
Remember, gardening is an investment of our time and energy and in return, it offers unsurpassed nourishment physically, emotionally and spiritually.
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Lisa Sadleir-Hart is committed to growing food locally and is often seen in her Anam Cara Family Garden. She’s also a committed Citizens Climate Lobby volunteer.
Forest Service Watershed
Program Manager Retires
Julianne Thompson has retired from an award-studded, 28-year career as the Watershed Program manager on the Tongass National Forest.
“Julianne leaves a huge legacy. She devoted her career to restoring and improving watersheds on the Tongass,” said Bridget Darr, staff officer for the Tongass and Thompson’s former supervisor.
Across her time on the Tongass, Thompson mapped dense salmon stream networks, evaluated water quality Best Management Practices, and ensured that stream restoration addressed overall watershed health, the Forest Service said. In 2018, she won a national hydrology award, and in 2014, the Regional Forester awarded her the Resource Stewardship Award.
Thompson discusses her work in a recent Tongass National Forest Facebook post: “The protection of water as a vital resource is part and parcel of why we have and manage these public lands,’’ she wrote. ‘‘I’ve seen it as a core mission to protect water resources and support those more tangible and charismatic resources like salmon.”
The watersheds of the Tongass are intimately tied to salmon fisheries in Southeast Alaska. A recent study from the U.S. Forest Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates that the streams and rivers of the Tongass produce ¾ of the Pacific salmon commercially caught in Southeast Alaska. In 2016, that amounted to over $40 million, Sitka Conservation Society said in a press release.
“Because of Julianne Thompson’s direct work, and the things she catalyzed, Tongass watersheds are producing more salmon and more value from our national forest lands,” said Andrew Thoms, executive director of the Sitka Conservation Society.
Unitarians Gather
For Writers Read
The program at this week’s meeting of the Sitka Unitarian Fellowship is “Writers Read.” All writers are invited to read a piece not more than five minutes in length.
Gathering begins at 10:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 10:45 a.m. Soup and bread follow at noon. The Fellowship Hall is located at 408 Marine Street, with parking behind off Spruce Street. All are invited to attend. For information, or to sign up to read, call 907-519-2404.
Family Fiesta
Set for Feb. 23
Sitkans Against Family Violence will hold its annual Family Fiesta and Dessert Auction 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the ANB Founders Hall.
On the menu are tacos with fish, pulled pork, vegan and gluten-free options, cooked by Nina Vizcarrondo. Coffee, tea and lemonade also will be offered. Participants can bid on desserts donated by community members. Tickets will be sold at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12.
Those who would like to donate a dessert may drop them off by 5:30 p.m. at the hall or arrange for a pick-up. For information, call 747-3483. All proceeds benefit SAFV.
Leo’s Hope Meets
Leo’s Hope advisory committee meeting is set 6-8 p.m. Feb. 28 downstairs at Youth Advocates of Sitka.
Call Leo Jimmy with questions at 738-8061.
Fatherhood
Classes on Tap
Sitka Tribe of Alaska will host ‘‘Fatherhood Is Sacred’’ classes noon-1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Feb. 25 at 204 Siginaka Way.
The series is a program of discovery and strengthening families through responsible parenting
Call Jean Swanson, 747-3968, to register.
Motherhood
Classes Offered
Motherhood Is Sacred, a program of discovery and strengthening families through responsible parenting, runs 2:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Feb. 25 at 204 Siginaka Way.
To register, call Jean Swanson, of Sitka Tribe of Alaska, 747-3968.
Drill Conductor
Training in Sitka
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association will offer a fishing vessel drill conductor class 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 28 at NSRAA, 1308 Sawmill Creek Road.
The cost is $52.50 (including sales tax) for commercial fishermen and $183.75 for all others. Mariners may register online at www.amsea.org or call 747-3287.
Instructor Jerry Dzugan will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, signal flares, and mayday calls; man-overboard recovery; firefighting; flooding and damage control; dewatering pumps, immersion suits and PFDs, helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures, and emergency drills.
Workshops meet Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels.
Mariners can gain hands-on training with marine safety equipment and learn best practices for surviving emergencies at sea. AMSEA is offering the class at a reduced cost to commercial fishermen with support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, and AMSEA members.
Short-Term Rentals
Survey in the Works
The city planning department invites the public to participate in a survey on short-term rentals as a new addition to its annual reporting process.
The survey will end Sunday, Feb. 23. The results will be discussed at the Planning Commission meeting on March 4.
The survey can be accessed online from the planning department’s page on the city website (www.cityofsitka.com), or in person at 100 Lincoln Street. For information, contact 747-1814 or planning@cityofsitka.org.
Ukulele Lessons
Offered at Library
Beginner ukulele instruction is offered 2-3:30 p.m. on the last Sunday of each month at Sitka Public Library.
Check Facebook Sitka Ukulele 100 for updates, or text Jeannie, 510-610-0075, for information.
Artist of Month
At Centennial Hall
Sitka artist Norm Campbell will exhibit recent pen and ink drawings this month at Centennial Hall in the Artist of the Month case.
Drawings were completed between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4. The exhibit will give the viewer some insight into the artist’s methods and techniques.
The cabinet is located across the hall from the entrance to the auditorium. It can be viewed during the hall’s open hours. The display will be up for the month of February.
Public Testimony
Taken at LIO
During the week of Feb. 10 the Alaska Legislature will be taking public testimony at the Sitka Legislative Office on the following subjects:
Feb. 10 – 1 p.m. National Resource Water Designation; and 3:30 p.m. Industrial Hemp Program: Manufacturing;
Feb. 12 – 9 a.m. Pre-kindergarten/elementary education funding programs/reading; and 1:30 p.m. Pioneers Home and Veterans Home Rates;
Feb. 13 – 8 a.m. State Recognition of Tribes; and 11 a.m. Saltwater Fishing/Guides.
For a full list of topics, visit akleg.gov and click on “Public Testimony Opportunities.” Track bills by text. Call the Sitka Legislative Office at 747-6276 or visit akleg.gov for more information.
Retirement Party
For Peggy Fedoroff
The public is invited to a retirement party for Peggy Fedoroff 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the Pioneers Home Manager’s House.
Fedoroff is celebrating more than 30 years with the Sitka School District. Former students are particularly welcome, including Peggy’s long-ago second-graders. Soup and salads will be served. All are invited.
