free classes on Native Plants and on Earth-friendly Gardening Practices at Columbia Springs

Protect
Salmon Habitat and the Global Climate with Earth-friendly Gardening Practices!

Free evening classes offered at the environmental
education center at Columbia Springs

Columbia
Springs, an environmental education center located along the Columbia River in
Vancouver, is presenting a series of free classes on Native Plants and on
Earth-friendly Gardening Practices. 

The Earth-friendly Gardening Practices class
series will take place on
Tuesday evenings between July 26th
and Aug 9th from 6:30-8:00 pm. Participants will learn how to
grow food and ornamental plants in ways that benefit the environment. Classes
will introduce people to practices that utilize the natural characteristics of
soil processes, plant relationships, and beneficial organisms to increase
output and decrease damage.  Class topics
will include: Mulching and “Lasagna
Gardens” (July 26th); Identifying
and Accommodating Beneficial Species (Aug 2nd); and Soil Amendments (Aug 9th). 

The Native
Plants of Western WA class series will take place on Thursday evenings between July 28th
and Aug 11th from 6:30-8:00 pm. Participants will be
introduced to the remarkable green residents of the western Cascades. Class
topics will include:  Lowland Forest Communities (July 28th);
Plants from Extreme Environments
(Aug 4th); and Plants that
are Well-suited for Gardens and Landscapes (Aug 11th). 

Classes will be presented by Columbia Springs Sustainability
Educator Kenneth O’Brien.  Mr. O’Brien has
a masters degree in Natural Resources and has previously served as coordinator
of the Naturally Beautiful Backyards Program at Columbia Springs and as
environmental education coordinator for programs in Olympic National Park as
well as Alabama, Colorado, and New York. 

Classes will take place in the Cordwood Classroom on West Biddle Lake at
Columbia Springs, located at 12208 SE Evergreen Hwy.  People are asked to pre-register through the
website at www.columbiasprings.org, by phone at (360) 882-0936 x225, or by email at
[email protected].