Homegrown: March 2012 Calendar

Following are gardening and eco-activities scheduled in Eastern Iowa during March 2012:

Sat., March 3, 9 am - 4 pm, Spring Home and Gardening Gala, Johnson County Fairgrounds, New Extension Building, 265 Oak Crest Hill Rd SE, Iowa City. get directions. Save money, energy and time by creating a beautiful home and garden that work harmoniously together. Cost: Lunch, access to all workshops, and materials are provided. $30 if registered by February 29; $35 at the door. Backyard Abundance, the Johnson County Master Gardeners, and partners bring you these information-packed workshops: • Deer-Resistant Gardening • Easily Create a New Garden Bed • Grow Mushrooms at Home • Grow Seedlings and Save Money • Successful Gardening Basics • Reuse Materials in the Garden • Create an Eco-Friendly Home • Save Energy with Windbreaks and Shade. More information: www.BackyardAbundance.org

Sat., March 3, Aldo Leopold Reads. Join Linn County Conservation Department and the Cedar Rapids Public Library for Aldo Leopold Reads!  Aldo Leopold is most known for his book A Sand County Almanac (1949).  He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and was a talented author, scientist, ecologist, forester, environmental ethics, and wilderness conservation.  The day of reading, videos, and activities will be hosted at the library's Westdale Mall location (morning session) and at Wickiup Hill Learning Center (afternoon session). Aldo Leopold Reads is a local event that is part of a large regional event called Leopold Weekend.  Leopold Weekend has its roots in groups coming together to read out loud from A Sand County Almanac, Leopold's most famous writing.  The event has rapidly evolved into many communities across the state of Wisconsin, and country who come together to celebrate Leopold's ideas and demonstrate their commitment to his vision of a land ethic as part of their community. The public is invited to come, listen and participate in activities related to Leopold's greatest works.  The event is free and reservations are not required.  For the full schedule, see below.   For more details, please email Gail at gail.barels@linncounty.org or Carol at HokeC@crlibrary.org.

10am – Noon Leopold Reads at Cedar Rapids Library at Westdale Mall

10 – 10:30am – Readings

10:30-11:30am – Children's activities

11:30-Noon – Readings

1pm – 5pm Leopold Reads at Wickiup Hill Learning Center

1-2pm – Readings

2-2:30pm – Hike

2:30-4pm – Green Fire movie

4-5pm – Readings

Sat. March 3 and Sun. March 4, 29Annual Maple Syrup Festival, Indian Creek Nature Center, 6665 Otis Rd. SE. Maple trees are pushing sap up their trunks to become the year's first and sweetest crop – maple syrup. Follow the sap as it flows from tree to table through live demonstrations of sap collecting and syrup making, re-enactments of American Indian and early colonial sugar making. Then sit down and enjoy a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage and REAL Nature Center maple syrup, plus live music and more.  Hours are 8:30am until 12:30pm each day. Education Facilitator, Jan Aiels, says syruping activities go on throughout the month of March.  “We provide syruping programs for small groups by appointment between February 28th and March 24th,” says Aiels. “The programs include tree tapping, sap boiling, history and lore, and end with a taste of delicious syrup over ice cream. It's a wonderful way for children and adults to learn a fascinating heritage craft.” Maple sap only flows when warm, sunny days are followed by cold nights with temperatures below freezing.  That weather pattern usually happens in early March and can last up to six weeks according to Nature Center Director, Rich Patterson. “When sap begins dripping we know the end of winter is near, and there is nothing more delicious than fresh maple syrup.” Advance tickets for the festival are $7 for adults; $4 for children 3-12 and are available at the Indian Creek Nature Center, from any board member or online at www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org. Tickets prices increase $1 at the door on the day of the event.  Groups interested in scheduling individual programs should call the Nature Center at 362-0664 to reserve a time slot.  Additional information can be found on the calendar page of the Nature Center's website at www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org.

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Sun., March 04, 2-4 p.m., Native Prairie Presentation, Iowa City Public Library | directions A retired UI professor of geology, Dick Baker will describe the joys and the difficulties he has experienced trying to increase biodiversity, preserve native communities, decrease erosion and reduce habitat loss on his property in Cedar County, IA. Suggested books: Aldo Leopold's book, A Sand County Almanac. Hosted by Project GREEN: http://www.projectgreen.org/gardenforums.htm

Sun., March 4, 2 p.m., The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History continues its "Movies@MNH" with the free public screening of the Academy Award-winning "March of The Penguins" documentary in Macbride Auditorium. The film depicts the yearly journey of the Emperor penguins of Antarctica. In autumn, all penguins of breeding age leave the ocean to walk inland to their ancestral breeding grounds. There they participate in a courtship that, if successful, results in the hatching of a chick. For the chick to survive, both parents must make multiple arduous journeys between the ocean and the breeding grounds over the ensuing months. Future “Movies@MNH” are as follows: April 1, “Last Extinction: What Killed the Mammoths;” and May 6, “Fly Away Home.” For more information on the UI Museum of Natural History visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~nathist/.

Tues., March 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Almost Full Moon Owl Hike at Prairiewoods. Bring the whole family for an evening owl hike at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha). Linn County Naturalist and expert owl caller Chuck Ungs will begin the class inside the Prairiewoods Center, teaching you about Iowa's native owls and how to call to them. Then take your knowledge to the woods on a moonlit hike and owl-calling escapade. People frequently are surprised to learn that owls will be sitting on eggs or hatching owlets at this time of year. This will be a great event for the whole family! The cost is $5 per person or $10 per family. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700 or www.Prairiewoods.org.

Thurs., March 8, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Prairie Preview, Parkview Evangelical Free Church | directions Prairie Preview includes inviting displays and information from local environmental organizations and agencies. Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m. for registration and viewing exhibits. The presentation begins at 7:30, with refreshments served afterward. Contact Tammy Richardson (319) 338-7030 or visit www.jcht.org for additional information. Prairie Preview is sponsored by the Johnson County Heritage Trust, Friends of Hickory Hill Park, Project GREEN, Four Seasons Garden Club, Environmental Advocates, Johnson County Songbird Project, Johnson County Conservation Board and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Prairie Preview is funded in part by a grant from Iowa's Living Roadway Trust Fund.

Thurs., March 8, 6:30 p.m., Full Moon Ceremony and Cultural Potluck. March is Women's Month, and Prairiewoods is celebrating women and the womanly on Thursday evenings throughout the month. Each session will be held at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha). The second of four evening sessions is a Full Moon Ceremony and Cultural Potluck. Moon ceremonies have been performed for centuries in indigenous cultures as a way to honor Grandmother Moon, restore our Feminine Power, and restore balance between the feminine and masculine sides of ourselves. Sharing food is an intimate way to add to our personal, traditional and cultural stories. Please bring some “moon” food to share. (Moon food is usually white and/or round like the moon-think cookies, various breads and apples-but all foods are welcome!) Bring your mother, grandmothers, sisters, female cousins, nieces, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law and friends, and come prepared to listen to and learn from one another with all of your heart, giving respect and welcoming all women who enter. Feel free to join us for one or all four evening sessions. The cost is $10 per session or $32 for the four-week series (paid by March 1). For more information or to register, please contact Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700 or www.Prairiewoods.org.

Sat., March 10, 11 a.m., REAL Walk: The Science of Maple Syrup, Indian Creek Nature Center. There's a reason why Native Americans alone, of all the cultures of the world, tapped maple trees to satisfy their "sweet tooth."  Tap a tree and learn the science behind maple syrup.  REAL Walks are for adults of all ages held the second Saturday of each month.  $3/person

Sat., March 10, 17 and 24, 1-2 p.m., It's Maple Syruping Time! Indian Creek Nature Center. Enjoy a guided maple syruping experience to learn about American Indian and early Colonial sugar-making. Learn to identify a maple tree in winter, discover how maple trees make sweet sap, use the sugar maker's tools to tap a tree, and visit a Vermont-style sugar house to learn how sap becomes syrup. End with a taste of maple syrup on ice cream. $3/person

Sun., March 11, 1-5 p.m., Iowa City CSA fair at the Iowa City Community Recreation Center, Social Hall. The fair is free and open to the public. Join a Community Supported Agriculture Group (CSA) and receive four to five months of delicious and healthy produce! At the annual Iowa City CSA Fair meet local farmers and learn how you can enjoy fresh produce throughout Iowa's growing season. Become part of a larger community of farmers and consumers in which you will find: weekly fresh produce; vegetables and fruits in season; guaranteed income for farmers; proper farmland stewardship. Fair sponsors are Local Foods Connection, Devotay restaurant, and edible Iowa River Valley magazine.

Mon., March 12, 6 a.m., Deb Walser and Zora Ronan are heading off to the Chicago Flower Show and will have two buses this year. Our tentative schedule is that one bus will depart Cedar Rapids at 6:00 am (Wal-Mart on Blairs Ferry Road) and pick up at Westdale Mall at 6:20 am.  The second bus will depart at 6:30 am from Marion (Wal-Mart at Highway 151 & 13) and pick up in Mt. Vernon and Solon. The price is $65.00 per person for bus transportation, entrance to the show and driver gratuities. Contact Zora Ronan at 319 438-6838 or zronan@aol.com for more information. Deadline to register is March 8.

Tues., March 13, 6 p.m., Farmers, agri-business leaders, lenders, and supporters of agriculture in Iowa will gather for the 26th Annual Celebration of Agriculture. The celebration, held at Cedar Rapids Marriott, will celebrate the vibrancy of the agriculture industry and feature John Phipps, Host of the US Farm Report, as speaker.  Mr. Phipps writes humor and commentary, appearing monthly in Farm Journal & Top Producer magazines as a contributing editor. Phipps has been active in the agriculture community in Illinois, contributing his time to the Edgar County Farm Bureau, Illini FS, Commission on Atomic Energy, Illinois Corn Marketing Board and the National Corn Congress. This year's event will also feature Farmers Feeding the World, an ongoing industry-wide campaign operated by the nonprofit Farm Journal Agricultural Foundation to rally American agriculture for the war against hunger.  Please join us to celebrate agriculture and Iowa's future: Individual tickets for this event are available at $40 per person, or $400 for a table of 10. Tickets can be obtained by calling 319-895-8858.

Wed., March 14, 2 p.m., The Sap is Running--Come Tap a Tree! Indian Creek Nature Center. Spring break time is maple syruping time at the Nature Center. Call to reserve your spot for an afternoon of fun and learning as you visit our sugarbush to tap a tree, learn the history of making maple syrup, visit the steamy sugar house, and taste our maple syrup. Great for all ages.  $3/person

Thurs., March 15, 4-7 p.m.,  Introduction to the Iowa Valley Food Co-op for Local Food Producers; Shores Event Center, 700 16th Street NE, Suite L100, Cedar Rapids. FREE OPEN HOUSE FOR ALL LOCAL FOOD PRODUCERS. Building on the current consumer interest in the origins of food, and the farmers and entrepreneurs that produce it, the Iowa Valley Food Co-op (IVFC) opened successfully in August of 2011. The cooperative now serves over 300 members and seeks to double in 2012. IVFC uses an innovative on-line ordering system to connect local consumers with local producers of all types. An open house for local producers of food and other products will be held from 4-7 PM on March 15, at Shores Event Center, 700 16th Street NE, Suite L100, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, to promote the unique benefits of the cooperative. Co-op coordinators, board members and producer members will be on hand to answer questions and greet producers.

The marketing of local food continues to be a fast growing area. A recent study by the USDA showed that the marketing of local foods via both direct-to-consumer and intermediated channels, grossed $4.8 billion in 2008. Between 1992 and 2007, the number of farmers participating in direct-toconsumer sales increased by 58 percent to 136,000, and the constant dollar value of direct sales increased by 77 percent.1 In 2010, 71% of shoppers bought local foods at least one to three times monthly (FMI, 2010). 2 In addition, the National Restaurant Association found that local sourcing of U.S. grocery shopper trends. In addition, the National Restaurant Association found that local sourcing of meats, seafood and produce is the #1 What's Hot Trend of 2012.Chefs responding to their survey believed that the demand for locally sourced items will only continue to grow. 3

The cooperative works in partnership with First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids where local products are dropped off and picked up monthly. Distributions occur the third Wednesday of each month. The purpose of the IVFC is to increase the availability of fresh, fairly priced, sustainably produced food in Eastern Iowa. Event is open to all. For more information; www.iowavalleyfood.com

Sun., March 18, 2-5 p.m., Linn County Local Farmer and CSA Fair at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, Hiawatha. Make plans to attend the third annual Linn County Local Farmer and CSA fair! Various local food growers and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers will be on hand to provide information about CSA shares, locally-produced meats and locally-grown vegetables. Learn more at:   http://prairiewoods.org/event/3rd-annual-linn-county-local-farmer-and-csa-fair

Sun., March 18, 2 p.m., Celebrate the Equinox, Indian Creek Nature Center. Spring is a time of renewal and balance when the earth transitions between winter and summer.  Discover worldwide equinox customs through traditional stories and activities.  Donations accepted

Tues., March 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Fruit Tree Pruning Class,  Allen's Orchard, 5810 North 10mkenyonb@iastate.edu   The class is limited to 30 so register now.

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Street, Marion. Learn the correct pruning of your fruit trees to be healthy and productive.  Dr. Patrick O'Malley, ISU Extension Commercial Horticulturist, will share his expert knowledge on the subject of fruit tree pruning and grafting. Register for this free class by calling the Linn County Extension at 319-377-9839 or E-mail Michelle Kenyon Brown 

Tues., March 20, 5-8 p.m., Vernal Equinox Celebration of Ryerson's Woods with Dr. Diana Horton, Professor Emeritus. 5:00 PM walk the park: Ryerson's Woods, Highway 218 South; 6:00 PM refreshments & 6:30 PM talk and slideshow, Johnson County Extension Bld., 3109 Old Hwy 218 S., Iowa City. FREE and open to all, no registration necessary! Ryerson's Woods (located on the edge of Iowa City, beside the Johnson County Fairgrounds) is an absolute jewel of a park, bursting in May with gorgeous spring wildflowers, magnificent ferns, and beautiful vistas of trees and ravines. It is a place for quiet solitude where you can get away from the ‘busy-ness' of everyday life and enjoy the beauty of nature, including a rich diversity of birds. We are extraordinarily fortunate that this wonderful site is part of the Iowa City parks system. Walk the Woods to celebrate the Equinox, enjoy a slideshow of the array of upcoming spring wildflowers, and learn about efforts to protect this remarkable ‘remnant' habitat.

Wed., March 21, 6:30-8 p.m., Green Living Group at Prairiewoods: Green Cleaning. The Green Living Group meets the third Wednesday of every month at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha). Facilitators Maggie Anderson, Emmy Ball and Emy Sautter will help participants explore the subject of a sustainable and healthy environment through books, articles, films and speakers. This is an ideal opportunity for education and for an ongoing support system for happy and healthy green living, and participants may join at any time. This month's focus is green cleaning practices. A free-will offering will be accepted. For more information, contact Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700 or www.prairiewoods.org.

Fri., March 23, 8 a.m.,Women in Agriculture Seminar to be offered March 23. Are you married to a farmer or are you a woman working in agriculture? If so, then we have the conference for you! Come with us on a one day journey to become an empowered woman in agriculture. Our keynote speaker Michele Payn Knoper, CauseMatters.com, will teach you how to lead through the significant changes facing agriculture in the 21www.extension.iastate.edu/scott/news/womeninagriculture.

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at the iWireless in Moline

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century and leave a legacy. Come listen to Michele along with great break out speakers who all have a mission to empower the women in agriculture on Friday, March 23

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at the iWireless Center in Moline. The Women in Agriculture Conference will begin with registration at 8:00 a.m. followed by Michele Payn Knoper's keynote address on “Celebrating Agriculture” at 9 a.m. The keynote address will be followed by a wide variety of breakout sessions. Here are a few examples:    Eileen Fisher, University of Iowa – “Motivating Families to Create Safe Play Areas on Farms”; Adam Nielsen, National Legislative Director, Illinois Farm Bureau – “A Woman's Place is on the Hill” Among the powerful breakout sessions, lunch will be served along with a very interesting panel discussion titled “So You Married a Farmer…Now What?” The conference is March 23, 2012 at the iWireless Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline, IL 61265. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. The conference will begin at 9:00 and will wrap up around 3:00 p.m. The cost of the program will be $50 which will include a breakfast and a luncheon buffet. Registration materials must be received by March 1

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. Any registrations received after March 1

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will be $60. Walk-ins the day of the conference will be $75.  To register, contact the Rock Island County Farm Bureau office at (309) 736-7432 or online at

Tues., March 27, 6-8 p.m., Seed Starting Class at Prairiewoods. Imagine luscious red tomatoes, shiny green peppers, beautiful purple eggplants and fragrant herbs … all starting as the smallest of seeds! Join Prairiewoods Chef Jill Jones for a fun and informative class at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha). This class will help you start seeds for your own garden and teach you how to care for them as they grow. The class will include a starter flat, soil and seeds (tomatoes, green peppers, eggplants, herbs and more). Some seed varieties are heirloom. Cost is $20 and registration is required by March 23. Space is limited to 12 participants, so please register early by contacting Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700 or www.Prairiewoods.org.

Wed., March 28 and Fri., March 30, 2 p.m., GPS Egg Hunts, Indian Creek Nature Center. Eggs have been a symbol of spring and new life for centuries. Join us for a high tech egg hunt in the prairie.  Use one of our GPS units to locate hidden eggs and solve the clues they contain to earn your prize! Limited space available.  Register by 4 PM two days prior to each event.  M Adult: $3, NM Adult: $4, Child 3-12 years: $1, Under 3: Free

Thurs., March 29, 2 p.m., Mud March, Indian Creek Nature Center. March is known for mud and wind. Put on your boots and join us for a hike to some of the wetter sites at the Nature Center where we'll look for spring wildlife activities. M Adult: $3, NM Adult: $4,  Child 3-12 years: $1, Under 3: Free

Sat., March 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Prairie Burn School, Indian Creek Nature Center. Participants will learn about the history and role of fire in prairie, how to set goals and develop burn plans, safe techniques for prescribed fires, fire equipment, and how to conduct a burn. Wear old, natural fiber clothes; bring leather gloves, a water bottle, and a sack lunch. Register by 4 PM on Wednesday, Mar. 28. M: $15, NM: $20