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Feb. 15 – Pruning basics with NatureScaping

Get those shears ready for spring and join NatureScaping pruning coordinator Patric Addy for a lesson on pruning basics from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Building B, Room 205, of the CASEE Center located at 11104 NE 149th St., Brush Prairie. The class will teach you how to prune at the right time and in the right way to optimize growth and flower production of your favorite bushes, trees and shrubs. While each species responds differently to pruning, some of the general understanding and basic techniques taught at the class will vastly improve the coming growing season. 

After the classroom discussion, attendees will venture out into the gardens for practical examples of the lessons, so dressing for the weather is recommended. The class is free for NatureScaping members or $15 for non-members. A membership is $20 per year or $15 for seniors. For more information, email info@naturescaping.org or call (360) 737-1160.

Feb. 15 – Amphibian monitoring training

Do you love frogs, salamanders and other amphibian friends and want the chance to get outdoors and see them in the wild? According to Peter Ritson, frogs and other amphibians can be found all around Clark County, but their numbers are decreasing. Ritson is looking for volunteers to help the Southwest Washington Amphibian Monitoring Project (SWAMP), an all-volunteer program dedicated to empowering community members to assess and preserve the ecological resources for the local community. Get together with Ritson and others from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Washington State University Vancouver campus (14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver) in the library building (VLIB 201).



The two-and-a-half-hour session will teach volunteers how to identify and count local amphibian eggs and give volunteers the opportunity to survey and monitor the frogs and salamanders in ponds and streams throughout the county. “We want to educate Clark County residents about the importance of amphibians and their associated habitats,” Ritson said in a news release. “We hope to encourage their protection in several ways: engaging citizens in wildlife protection, providing data essential to species conservation decisions, and increasing public understanding of the importance of wetlands in a rapidly urbanizing region.” Volunteers will be looking for eggs from red-legged and chorus frogs as well as northwestern and long-toed salamanders. Their information goes into a database used by county, state and federal wildlife groups.

Feb. 22 – Growing Up: vertical gardening with veggies

If you’re short on space and want to maximize a small area of sunlight, vertical gardening might be for you. Join master gardener Harilee Hertig as she discusses various strategies to help you grow upwards and increase what you can grow in limited space from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22. at the Cowlitz County Training Center (1942 First Ave., Longview). No registration is needed to attend this free workshop put on by the Washington State University Extension. For more information, email Carlee Dowell at DowellC@co.cowlitz.wa.us or call her at (360) 577-3014, extension 0.