July 2010
 
Greetings all! 
 
 
 
Our next Meeting/Gathering.  We will meet next on July 1st, 7:00 p.m., Stockton Municipal Building.  Please join us.  The meeting agenda and minutes of the May meeting are attached.  Hope to see you there.

July 11, 7 p.m. - Poultry Tour.  Ross Farm, 630 Oak Road North, Custer.  Our Stockton neighbors, Rose and Gary Ross, have graciously volunteered to host a tour of their poultry operation.  Rose annually raises three flocks of 300-400 meat chickens using a cage-system that can be moved across their fields to give the birds access to new pasture every day.  On July 11th, we'll have the opportunity to view the set-up with chickens almost ready for "harvest" using the moveable cages and also a new flock of chicks only days old.  After the tour we'll take time for discussion, questions and refreshments.

 
 Central Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas update.  There are several locations where you can pick up a copy of the Atlas which I did not include in the last newsletter.  They are:
• Christian’s Bistro – Plover
• Café 27 – Stevens Point
• EmyJ’s – Stevens Point
• The Wool Exchange – Amherst
• Chez Marche’ Café – Waupaca
• Downtown Grocery – Wausau
• Blue Heron Brew Pub – Marshfield
• Family Natural Foods – Wisconsin Rapids
• Grandma Miller’s Market – Hancock

It’s a great directory if you’re interested in visiting area farms/markets/businesses that incorporate eco-friendly practices.

We plan to again host a green-themed documentary film series this winter.  If you have a particular film you’d like considered for the 2010-2011 series, please let Mary Maller (592-4051) know.

Upcoming Area Events:

• July 10, 9am, Tour of the Hendricksen Garden,  2820 Two Mile Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids. Sponsored by the Central Wisconsin Chapter of Wild Ones.

• July 13, 6:30 pm, Lakes Planning Meeting for Adams, Bear and Thomas Lakes. Stockton Town Hall, 7252 6th Street, Custer.  Topics for discussion include water quality and watershed management.  The public is welcome to attend as input is vital to creating a lake management plan that meets the needs of the users as well as protects the resource.
  
  Information on this and past meetings is available on the Portage County website http://www.co.portage.wi.us/.  Access the lake information by selecting the County Info tab, then Portage County Lakes and then the individual lake.  If you have questions or are interested in serving on the planning committee contact Linda Stoll 346-4853 or Jen McNelly 346-2722 or send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• July 13, 7 pm, Vegetable Garden Walk, Artha Sustainable Living Center B&B.  9874 County Road K, Amherst. View a large organic vegetable garden on which all vegetables and herbs, for a family of three and the Bed and Breakfast are grown. Their 20x30 hoop house contains raised beds with vegetables in the summer and is used for starting seedlings in the spring.  There are also many fruit trees, flowers and a small pond on the property.  Sponsored by Portage County UW Extension and Central Rivers Farmshed.

• July 15-18, Portage County Fair,  Amherst Fair Grounds, 4504 Fairground Road
  Opens 5pm Thurs. Closes 8pm Sunday, youth exhibits, rides, live music, demo derby, truck & tractor pulls.

• July 16, 2-8pm and July 17, 10am-4pm, Garden Parade 2010, Sponsored by Master Gardeners of Portage County and Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin. For more information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact the Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin office at 341-6672

• July 17, 4-8 pm.  Can Trout Find Love in a Ditch?  Isherwoods’ Farm, Plover, WI.  Learn from Lynn and Justin Isherwood about their project to turn a drainage ditch into a trout stream.  Learn too about “Healthy Grown Potatoes” and the challenge of finding balance in protecting the environment and growing food for a hungry planet.  A farm picnic follows the tour.  Cost - $35/person.  Contact: Dave Pausch This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (608-257-2424x114)  Sponsored by River Alliance of Wisconsin.

• July 17-22, 35th Annual National Wellness Conference,  A week of the latest in wellness and health promotion for both professionals and community members, UWSP Campus, www.nationalwellness.org or 715-342-2969

• July 20, 7 pm, Vegetable Garden Walk, MREA Permaculture Demonstration Site, 7558 Deer Rd, Custer.  Tour the Permaculture Demo site which mimics relationships found within natural ecologies.  It features fruit trees and bushes and an extensive herb garden.  Also, a small scale rainwater harvesting system used to irrigate the organic annual and perennial gardens and the edible food forest that will be used to produce local food and medicine for the MREA community. 

• Sponsored by Portage County UW-Extension and Central Rivers Farmshed.
  July 28, 7 pm, Solar Hot Water Heating Informational Seminar, The Garage (Emy J’s), 1009 1st Street, Stevens Point.  Learn about solar hot water heating at this FREE seminar sponsored by Northwind Renewable Energy and Focus on Energy.  www.northwindre.com

 
 
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