Category: Wake SWCD (Page 4 of 12)

We had a great event this morning touring Adams Vineyards, Wake County’s first Vineyard and Winery! Supervisors Thomas Dean and Patrick Johnson, along with Associate Board members Quincy Adams, David Adams, and Marilyn Grolitzer joined many others for breakfast and a Wake County Agribusiness Council spring farm tour.  Council members counted over 60 people in at one point!!

All local food was used in breakfast! Quincy received many questions out in the field on the tour. Looks like they really enjoyed the tour.
Everyone went home with fresh picked strawberries from our Wake County farmers.

WakeGov TV recorded lots of footage, including interviews with Commissioner Matthews and Commissioner Coble on farmland preservation.  Senator Burr, Senator Hagan, and Representative Elmers office were present. Sheriff Harrison came out to support us also.

All around great outreach for Wake County agriculture, agribusiness, conservation, farmland preservation, forestry and farms! Special thanks to everyone who made it out to the farm this morning.

PURPOSES OF THE WAKE COUNTY AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL:

1. To increase public awareness of agribusiness and its importance to the economy.
2. To evaluate agribusiness and it’s potential for future growth.
3. To promote unity of interest among each segment of the agribusiness community.
4. To expand employment and income opportunities.

The next State Fair is months away, but the fairgrounds will host the Got To Be N.C. Festival with carnival rides and North Carolina-made food and drink samples. There’s also a barbecue cook-off, a show called Gator Wars and an expanded flea market.  And if newer things are your thing, Let’s Shop Local will host handmade arts and crafts vendors in the Graham Building.

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, N.C. State Fairgrounds

We had a wonderful time at the Busy Bee on Tuesday night. Saw lots of Friends, made new Friends, and made plans, plans, plans for conservation in Wake County. Check out the pictures care of Bill Sandifer.

Thank to you we are sending a Wake county high school student to the week long summer Resource Conservation Workshop again this summer. Let’s start now and send more next summer Send a kid to Camp

Thank you to the Busy Bee for sponsoring ‘Beer with Friends’

https://www.facebook.com/friendsofwakeswcd

http://friendsofwakeswcd.wordpress.com/

from Sheila Jones:

Hello Big Sweep Zone Captains and Community Partners!
(Please forward to your volunteers, family, friends and colleagues who may
be interested!)

In 2013, North Carolina Big Sweep provided gloves and trash bags to 17,628
volunteers who removed 376,427 pounds of litter from the mountains to the
coast.

Now it’s time to raise funds to buy another 17,000 pairs of gloves to keep
volunteers safe and more trash bags to contain tons of debris! Anyone who
volunteers for Wake County Big Sweep has been the beneficiary of these much
needed cleanup supplies!

Next week on Thursday, April 24th, North Carolina Big Sweep is hosting
their 7th Annual Golf Tournament at River Ridge Golf Club in Raleigh.

If you know anyone who LOVES GOLF and HATES LITTER…please let them know
about this event!

An individual golfer can play for $150 and buy a Mulligans Package for $25

2014 golf tourney NC Big Sweep.pdf

Celebrate the opening of the 2014 Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market at the Pig Pickin’ Kickoff, Wednesday, April 30, from 10 am-2 pm at City Plaza, 400 block of Fayetteville St. Enjoy delicious eastern North Carolina barbecue from The Pit BBQ, a local craft beer tasting from Crank Arm Brewing Co. (a new event feature) and connect with North Carolina’s highest quality growers and food artisans. Continue reading

Dear Friends of the District Member

This first quarter of 2014 has been a busy one and we wanted to share what the Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District has been doing.

Robin Hammond, Friends of Wake SWCD Founder, receives the national Friend of Conservation award from the National Assoc. of Conservation Districts.

The Friends won an award from the National Association of Conservation District for our work assisting the Wake District. Robin Hammond, founder of the Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District, traveled to Anaheim CA in February to accept the award on behalf of the Friends. We are first such group out of 3,000 districts in the country – this is a great honor for the Friends and for the Wake SWCD!

Thank you for your support.
Grace Lawrence, Chair

Upcoming events:

Beer with Friends

May 6, 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The Friends are hosting a Happy Hour courtesy of the Busy Bee Cafe. A $20 charitable contribution lets you enjoy an after work party with Friends, have two beers, some appetizers, and great conservation conversation. Order your tickets online or pay cash at the door. More info

Send-A-Kid-To-Camp

The Resource Conservation Workshop at NC State University is a fantastic opportunity for high school students to spend an intensive week exploring conservation topics. Past participants said: “…a great learning experience” and “…going out in the field and learning about conservation jobs was the highlight of my week.” Wake SWCD administers the competitive scholarship applications and will again sponsor a student this year. The Friends will sponsor 1-2 students accepted to this June workshop. Help us send a student with your tax deductible contribution to the scholarship fund by April 25. More info

March 2014 FoD Update.pdf

Today, we had the honor of being recognized by the Wake County Board of Commissioners for having received the ‘Friend of Conservation Award’ by the National Association of Conservation Districts, the parent group of the 3000 districts in the US. Yeay!  Chairman Phil Matthews called us all up the microphone for a picture.

Greg Fishel has selected five of our Top Ten "Living Soil" posters to spotlight after his weather forecast.

A high five to these five 5th grade students from Farmington Woods, Green Hope, Hunter, and Jones Dairy Elementary Schools!

Be sure to see our 5 posters on channel 5 at 5pm the week of March 10-14!

You can also listen to Greg highlight each poster Mon-Fri by listening to 101.5 FM radio at that time.

Our overall #1 District winning poster by Hill Brooks from Green Hope Elementary in Cary is at the regional poster contest at this
very moment!

Results will be forthcoming later this month. Good luck Hill! We’re rooting for you and your outstanding poster!

Posters on TV with Greg Fishel 2014.pdf

From Sheila Jones at the Wake District office

Hello High School Science Chairs, Envirothon Advisors, Environmental and Key Club Leaders, and FFA / Horticulture Teachers!

It’s only February but students are already looking for fun & meaningful summer camp opportunities!

Please tell them about the 2014 Resource Conservation Workshop (RCW) June 22-27, 2014 at NCSU.

Budget and camp enrollment space allowing, Wake District offers one or more full scholarships for Wake County high school students to attend this week-long seminar taught by NCSU professors and natural resource professionals.

Last summer our District Supervisors awarded four (4) scholarships and a fifth student paid her own way.

Eligible students must be rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. They must submit an application that includes a short essay explaining their keen interest in the great outdoors & natural resource conservation, what they hope to learn, their career plans or how they plan to apply conservation in their life, and why s/he is the best candidate of choice.

Students must also submit one letter of support from an adult (teacher, church pastor, scout leader, etc. but not a parent.)

DEADLINE: Postmark / submit application by 5:00pm Friday, March 28, 2014.

Thank you for assisting Wake District in sending deserving students to this comprehensive and worthwhile summer conservation camp!

Sheila B. Jones
Environmental Education Specialist
Wake Soil & Water Conservation District
4001-D Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
Office: 919.250.1065

RCW Promo 2014.pdf

RCW Info Letter 2014.pdf

RCW Application 2014.doc

Conservation Newsletter Winter 2014.updated Feb 6