Dear Alger Neighbors,
This Sunday, January 26, your neighbors Lynne Berg and Shelley Ross will be presenting a concert, with Lynne playing her newly-finished harpsichord.
It's at Burlington Lutheran Church, 134 E. Victoria Ave., in Burlington, at 3:00 p.m. There's no charge (although donations to the church organ-resoration fund will be happily accepted). We'll play Vivaldi, J.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach, and it will last about an hour.
Our group is called Affettuoso, and we hope that you'll come by to see and hear us!

For Immediate Release: January 15, 2014

Contact: Callie Martin

360-424-7817 Ext. 208

Free composting, recycling and sustainability training offered in March

MOUNT VERNON – The Master Composter/Recycler Program invites Skagit County residents with a passion for sustainability to become Master Composters/Recyclers.Applications are being accepted for free March/April "learn and serve" volunteer training sessions in composting, recycling, and other waste reduction and sustainability techniques. This comprehensive training will include backyard composting, vermicomposting, green cleaning, green building, recycling and more.Master Composter/Recycler volunteers help to promote a healthy and sustainable community as waste reduction ambassadors. They contribute 40 hours of service over the course of a year in exchange for the free training, sharing their skills and knowledge about sustainability.This community service can include tabling at community events, helping to host workshops, environmental education, administrative help, creative work, and helping to operate composting demonstration sites.Training begins in early March and will occur Thursday evenings, March 6 through April 24, 2014 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center in Bayview.Space is limited and pre-registration is required. To download an application visit www.skagitcounty.net/reycle For more information call 360-424-7817 x 208, email calliem@co.skagit.wa.us The Master Composter/Recycler Program at Skagit County is funded and supported by the Skagit County Solid Waste Division. ###

Shambala Permaculture Farm and Edible Nursery

395E North Camano Road, Camano Island, Snohomish, WA (map)

Have you ever wondered how traditional peoples make beautiful leather, or how they honor animal hides for a plethora of uses? Today, we'll take deer and elk hides that were harvested during the fall hunt, and honor them by making sure none go to waste. We'll scrape them clean, shape some into parfleche, a drum, and other rawhide tools, then follow an ancient recipe using eggs instead of brains to convert at least one of the hides into tanned buckskin leather.

To learn more visit: http://www.meetup.com/SIPN-Sno-Isle-Permaculture-Network/events/159552062/?a=ea1_grp&rv=ea1&_af_eid=159552062&_af=event

Join Transition Fidalgo & Friends for a
Seventh Generation Supper and Annual Meeting
Tuesday, January 28, 5:45 pm     
Anacortes Senior Center

January's community supper meeting will also include our annual meeting. Please see further down for details.

Evening presentation: Localizing Food: City Goats and Urban Agriculture

Jennie Grant and Phyllis Shulman will share how Seattle came to legalize backyard goats.
They'll talk about the basics of urban goat-keeping along with the history of farm animals in cities,
 strategies cities can use to use to bring them back, and pathways to creating healthy communities.

Jennie Grant is the author of City Goats, the Goat Justice League Guide to Backyard Goat Keeping. (Books will be on sale)
Phyllis Shulman crafted the Seattle Local Food Action Initiative, and assists communities across the country to strengthen their local food systems.

This community supper is open to all, and welcome! No reservations necessary.
Doors open at 5:45 pm; dinner is served at 6 pm (don't forget your dinnerware:-). 
Suggested supper donation: $5/adult, $3/children 10 and under.

Supper will be followed by a sharing time and short annual meeting.

Elections
Standing for Board re-election are Evelyn Adams, Bud Anderson, Richard Bergner, Sylvia Cooper, Carolyn Gastellum, Ron Larson, and Eric Shen.
Standing for election are: Heather Burke, Sommer Carter, and Laurie Racicot
Nominations will also be taken from the floor

Change in Bylaws
Article XI: "The dues of the organization shall be $10 (change to $20 individual/$30 family) per annum and shall be payable by March each year."

Members who have paid their 2013 dues are eligible to vote at the annual meeting.
 
Not a member? Join us! We'll gratefully take your membership dues at the annual meeting. TF&F is still an all-volunteer organization and has done an awful lot with very little so far. But as we evolve and takes on more projects to help prepare our community for a challenging future,
we need funds to help move us toward our goals. Please give if you can!

Transition Fidalgo & Friends works to grow a more resilient community with a reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
Visit transitionfidalgo.org. and find us on Facebook

The Northwest Agriculture Business Center is hosting a new class series on Orcharding in Western Washington. Whether you grow apples, pears or other tree fruit you know that Western Washington has unique orchard management issues. The 3-4 part series takes the orchardist in depth by season, with current strategies presented by industry professionals and educators. 


Where: Skagit Valley Gardens, 18923 Peter Johnson Road, Mount Vernon 98273 (US).
Date: Jan 14, 2014 -  Sep 19, 2014
Time: 08:30am -  04:30pm

Course Includes:
> Enterprise Feasibility January 14, 2014
> Winter Orcharding February 13, 2014
> Late Spring/Summer Orcharding May 17, 2014
> Fall Orcharding September 19, 2014

Please click on the below link for more information and registration:
http://www.agbizcenter.org/business-services/classes-and-workshops/event/41/Cider-&-Perry-Ocharding-through-the-Year-(4-class-series)




For more information please contact:
Karen Mauden
Account Manager, NABC
Mobile Phone: 425-466-8722
Home office Fax: 425-209-4138
Email: Karen@agbizcenter.org