Greetings all and wishes for an enjoyable summer season. 
 
 
 
Our next Meeting/Gathering.  We will meet again on July 1st, 7:00 p.m., Stockton Municipal Building.  Please join us.  Last meeting (May 6th) we had an unexpected guest at the meeting; Cindy, a chicken brought by her owner Kathleen Wilson.  Needless to day, she acted like a lady through the whole meeting.  Thanks Cindy, for bringing Cindy and adding some spice to our meeting.
 
 
Thank you to Dr. Hans Schabel for the informative forestry tour on May 8th.  For those who were not able to attend -- About 20 people walked the forest during the afternoon's rain, shine and hail.  We were treated to a very diverse, aesthetically pleasing walk in the woods.   And we were shown how well a selective logging can be done.  Thank again Dr. Schabel for hosting the tour and answering our many questions

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The 2010 version of the Central Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas is now available.  If you're not familiar with the Atlas, it contains a listing of area farms and business (along with their available products and a short bio) who pledge their commitment to:
•  Family or cooperative owned or a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote sustainable, regional food.
• Committed to reduce synthetic pesticide and fertilizers.
• Operate in a way that protects land and water resources.
• Treats animals with care and respect.
• Sell Wisconsin products that are grown on the farm or they helped produce.
• Provides safe and fair working conditions for employees.
• Sell product made by suing raw materials grown on Wisconsin farms.
Folks can call Sue Anderson (592-4423) or Mary Maller (592-4051) for copies of the atlas.  Some copies have also been left at the Town Hall for pickup if you're interested.
 
All local gardeners are welcome to join other gardeners in the Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) Program.  PAR was developed by the Garden Writers Association of America to encourage folks to plant extra for those in need.  Last year over 9,000 pounds of produce was donated in Portage County.  Locally, the need continues to grow due to the difficult economy.  Fresh product is expensive to buy on a limited budget.  If interested, donated produce should be firm, clean fruits and durable vegetables such as apples, broccoli, carrots, garlic, onions, peas, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, pears, and sweet peppers.  Donations are accepted as the following food pantries:
• Family Crisis Center,     1616 W River Drive
• Lincoln Center,               1519 Water St.
• Operation Bootstrap,    5000Heffron
• Salvation Army,             1600 Briggs St.
• Interfaith Food Pantry,   2820 Post Rd (2nd and 4th Tuesdays, call 347-2689 to donate)
• St. Vincent DePaul,        2700 Post Rd.
Upcoming Area Events:
 
Stockton Planning and Zoning continues to work on improvements to our Town Park.  After review of the town survey results we all completed at the beginning of the year, and interviewing several town residents, Professor Melissa Baker’s Park Planning class has come up with recommendations for improvements to the Town Park.  Professor Baker will be presenting a summary of those recommendations to the Town of Stockton Plan Commission at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 2nd at the Town Hall.  You are welcome to attend.

On Saturday, June 5th, at 10:00 a.m., the public is invited to meet Sharon Lovejoy at the Jensen Community Center in Amherst and enjoy a presentation about her new book, Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars: Grandma's Bag of Tricks, which is an ecologically inspired guide that combines more than 130 green activities with timeless grandparenting advice.  Lovejoy is also the author of the book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children.
 
A Central Wisconsin Commonwealth Tour will be held at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, June 6th beginning at the Lettie W. Jensen Center, 487 Main St, Amherst.  Tomorrow River Chautauqua, along with the Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center, and the local chapter of Trout Unlimited are sponsoring a tour featuring our commonwealth of water, history and community.  Participants will travel, via bus, to sites on the Tomorrow/Waupaca River, Bear Lake and Little Plover River. This "rolling Chautauqua" will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. and will be held rain or shine.  Tour features include:
• Ray Reser and John "Crow" Wright will share their vast knowledge of the archeological history of these locations.
• Staff from the Central WI Groundwater Center will share information about the connections between this surface water and our area's groundwater.
• Members of Trout Unlimited and Tomorrow River Chautauqua will provide a picnic supper, grilled on site, at the end of the tour.
• Participants are invited to share water prose and poetry at the picnic.
There is no cost for this event, but reservations are necessary.  To register, please call the Jensen Center at 824-5202 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Reservations must be made by June 1st.
 
The next Adams, Bear and Thomas Lakes Planning meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 8th, 6:30 p.m. at the Town of Stockton Municipal Building (7252 6th St.).  Topics for discussion include a discussion on the use of weevils for Eurasian Water Milfoil management on the lakes, the identification and importance of critical habitat areas and continued discussion on shoreline management.  Anyone interested in these lakes is welcome to attend.

The annual Energy Fair will be held June 18-20 at the MREA grounds (7558 Deer Road).  This will be the 21st Annual Energy Fair. Each year the MREA Energy Fair transforms rural Central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. The Energy Fair brings over 20,000 people from nearly every state in the U.S. and several countries around the world to learn, connect with others and ready them for action at home. The Energy Fair is the nation's longest running energy education event of its kind. The Energy Fair features:
• Over 275 exhibitors - sustainable living and energy products
• Over 200 workshops - from introductory level to hands-on education
• Clean Energy Car Show - demonstration vehicles and workshops
• Green Home Pavilion – focused on building and remodeling in a sustainable way
• Sustainable Tables – workshops, chef demos, and a farmers market bringing sustainability to your dinner table
• Inspirational keynotes – including Bill McKibben, lively entertainment, great food, and local beer.

Learn more at 715-592-6595 and www.the-mrea.org/energy_fair.php. 

The Midwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education 2010 Summer Conference to be held on July 26 through July 30, 2010 at the Conserve School located in west of Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin.  The Conserve School is set directly in a forest surrounded by seven lakes just west of Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin.  Last year Sue Anderson and Mary Maller attended the summer conference held in Ashland.  While there they applied and each received $500 grants which were used to support are sustainability projects.  Mary's grant dollars went toward the purchase of books used for discussion groups and videos presented at the MREA and cosponsored by Sustainable Stockton.  Sue's grant funded and area essay contest in which two winners each received $250 to be used toward the purchase of a share at an area CSA (Community Supported Agriculture farm).   If you are interested in attending this summer's conference sponsored by MRCSE (Midwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education), you can do so through their website www.mrcse.org.  If you have questions please call Sue (592-4423) or Mary (592-4051).

Are you interested in Square Dancing?  Bernie and Carolyn Couthurst are coordinating a beginner dance class beginning August 3rd to be held at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Stevens Point.  The dances are free and all are welcome to attend – you don’t need a partner.  If there is enough community interest, a square dance club may be started at the Jensen Center in Amherst or at the Stockton Town Hall on Hwy J near Arnott.  If interested please contact Bernie or Carolyn for more details – 715-824-3245

 
 
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