Saturday, March 11th at 10:00 am, we will start our day off with a brief class on planting living mulches and sheet mulching. There are many plants that suppress unwanted weeds while providing for other needs in our developing self-sustaining mini-ecosystem. We will also be going over the basics of sheet mulching. Sheet mulching is a way of layering compostable material on top of cardboard to prepare a site for planting by killing competing weeds and improving soils and water retention. Class will be 45 minutes long. Reference materials will be provided to be taken home. 
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At 11:00 am, we will begin our work party planting living mulch at the base of trees and shrubs: comfrey root, sedum ice plants, musk strawberries, oregano, sorrel, sweet rocket, and feverfew. Bring a hori-hori knife or a garden trowel to punch holes through cardboard to plant. Expect to get your hands and knees dirty. 
We will also be sheet mulching eastern boundary wild-edible hedgerow (200'x15) and far northern chestnut/elder row (200'x5'). This will require first spreading garden lime to lower soil acidity, laying cardboard, shoveling and raking compost and hog fuel mulch. Please bring shovels, hay forks, and/or rakes. 
Light rain is predicted. Dress accordingly. We'll provide hot tea, drinks and snacks. We plan on finishing up at 2:00 pm or earlier.
The Woolley Food Forest is a 2-acre permaculture demonstration community food forest being planted in partnership with the Helping Hands Food Bank, the largest food bank in Skagit County.  We will be providing education, food and skills to help build resiliency and evolve our community from surviving to thriving.  Come join us!  For more information email us at info@woolleyfoodforest.org
Please plan on parking on road or at the neighboring cemetery on Wicker Rd.  The field is sodden, and we don't wish to unnecessarily damage soils or get folks stuck in the mud.

Basic Carpentry and Tool Sharpening Workshop

Saturday. March 18th, 10:00am at the Alger Community Hall 
18735 Parkview Ln. Burlington 98233.  

This class has two parts:

#1 TOOL SHARPENING
A demonstration and hands on class for sharpening axes, chisels, and knives (no saw blades please). I will provide the files and stones, you bring your dull tools.
 
#2 BASIC CARPENTRY
We will be building saw horses.  I choose these because the angles and method for building them is the most basic of wood structures, plus they are very useful. If you want to build a pair, you will need to bring the following:
 1-8 foot 2X6
3-8 foot 2X4
I will supply screws and drill motors.

Hope to see you at the Hall,
~Keith Witter

Coming up in November!
The Changing Food Web of Puget Sound and What it Means for Salmon
Join Transition Fidalgo & Friends for a community supper on 
Tuesday, November 29, at 5:45 pm 
at the Anacortes Senior Center, 1701 22nd St.
 
Our presentation this evening is part of our Times of Changes series, and is co-sponsored by the by the Skagit Climate Science Consortium.
 
The Changing Food Web of Puget Sound and What it Means for Salmon will be presented by Correigh Greene, Ph.D. Dr. Greene is a fish population ecologist with NOAA, and currently works at the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. He has studied the Skagit River salmon extensively and is a founding member of the Skagit Climate Science Consortium.
 
Puget Sound supports one of the most productive and diverse food webs of all the large estuaries in North America, thanks in part to a rich plankton community. This microscopic floating community fuels the small forage fish and other critters who in turn feed the salmon, rockfish, ling cod, seals, sea birds, and orcas that define our sense of Puget Sound as a special place. But that food web is changing: some key forage fish are declining, others are increasing, and jellyfish populations appear to be booming. These changes are echoing all the way up the food web to those species we humans care about most.
 
Many factors influence these changes, but evidence suggests that nutrient pollution, development patterns, and climate play important roles. Particularly in the context of climate change bringing new stresses to Puget Sound, we need to understand what is happening in Puget Sound in order to become better stewards of this critical and much-loved ecosystem. This presentation will give you a better understanding of what we are learning about changes to Puget Sound's food web, how these changes are affecting salmon populations, and how we might help reverse some of the declines in the species we care most about.

Open to all and welcome; no reservations necessary. Suggested supper donation $5/adult; $3/10 and under.  Please bring your own place settings, or simply join us for the presentation around 7:00. Seventh Generation Suppers include a sharing time and programs to help build local resilience and reduce carbon dependency. For more information, visit transitionfidalgo.org.

Hickson Community Holiday Bazaar

​Saturday, November 19th
9 am - 3 pm
Hickson Community Hall - 20594 Prairie Rd.

Will be a fun day with lots of homemade crafts, our Community bake sale, and so much more!!

We will also have a food and coat drive so please bring donations.

Looking for a few more Vendors.  Spaces are $20.00 and approximately 8x5 feet!! Please pre-pay before Nov. 11th.  We do fill up fast.  To reserve a space, call 724-2030. 

Thank you!
~Tammy

​Save the date!
Third annual Chuckanut Transition
Lighting the Dark: Swapping, Dining Learning, Burning Event
Saturday, January 21, 2017
at the Alger Community Hall (18735 Parkview Ln.)

We have bartered for the talented services of musician and story teller, Harper Stone, the lead percussionist for Hot Damn Scandal.  The evening will start off with a seed swap and potluck.  After, Chuck Nafziger will be sharing his photos and experience with mason bees, and once again we will cap off the evening with burn sculptures.

Happy Fall!
~ Chuckanut Transition Initiating Group

Pictured above is John Boettcher lighting his "Hummingbird" at our 2016 event.

​Hi friends,
Transition Fidalgo and Friends is continuing our new series of talks, Times of Change, this month. Please take a look at the poster describing our October 25 presentation on the Anacortes forest lands fire by Fire Chief Richard Curtis.
 
We’d love to see you there! Our intent is to bring in local experts to consider climate change from a local, positive point of view, ultimately sparking community conversation and resilience.
 
Any help you can give us in spreading the word and the poster -- whether it’s word of mouth, forwarding email, putting the poster up, or using your social media network – is much appreciated. Details and ongoing scheduling may also be found at www.transitionfidalgo.org/times-of-change.
 
Many thanks,
Eric Shen, President, Transition Fidalgo and Friends