Learn Beekeeping this month

Been hankerin' to learn about free-rangin them bees here in the Interior? The followin' info is hot off the SARE listerv from Ms. Michelle Hebert at the CES, Call Steve Petersen at 457-2440 for more info.

BEE SHIPMENTS

Arrival dates – April 24 (1st shipment) Thursday
For bees April 25 (2nd shipment) Friday
Cost per package
3# w/ Q $115.00
4# w/ Q $135.00
4# w/ 2Q* $150.00
* a four pound package with 2 queens is designed to be split upon hiving into two colonies to increase chances of success and may be combined at the beginning of the honey flow (late June) for a larger foraging population.

BEE CLASS

$100 Held at my home 1153 Donna Dr. off Skyline Dr above Farmers Lp.
As we have quite a few interested students beginning beekeeping will be offered on two nights weekly (maybe even 3 if there are lots of sign ups!) starting Wednesday, April 9th and Friday April 11th from 6:30-8:30 and everyWednesday/Friday night through the end of April (4 classes).
When the bees arrive there will be a Saturday or Sunday afternoon hands-on hiving demonstration; time to be announced but it is anticipated it will be Saturday April 26th about 4 PM. As part of the class you also get a free hive consult (a visit to your location) during the season. Additional consults are $50. Cost of the class is $100 per person – includes hand outs, 4 classes, hiving demo,and one free visit. If you can’t make all the classes you may send a proxy (e.g.husband and wife alternate) or pay $30/class to attend individual sessions + $10/hiving day, $50/ hive visit.

Directions- take Farmer’s Loop road to Skyline Drive (well marked) turn up the hill; proceed 1.3 miles to Donna Dr. and turn left (Donna Drive is the first left after a sharp-slow to 15 mph- hairpin curve). My house and bee class is the first house on the left. There is a parking area along side Donna Dr- please pull in perpendicular- then just follow the stairs down to the 2-storey shingle-exterior house. The path may be icy during break up so wear sensible shoes. Call 457-2440 if lost.
Thanks and see you in class,
Steve Petersen
Toklat Apiaries, 1153 Donna Dr.
Fairbanks, AK 99712
907-457-2440

Sustainable Community Action Network (SCAN) of Fairbanks
with support from Organic Valley
Announces "Earth Dinner" Community Potluck and Forum -- a renewable event held April 19th from 430pm-630pm at the Fairbanks Food Bank

From the "canned" Organic Valley earthdinner website, available at http://www.earthdinner.org/
> About Earth Dinner
>
> "The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth."
> - Frances Moore Lappe
>
> Earth Day, traditionally celebrated by the United Nations on the spring equinox, became a U.S. national holiday proclaimed by Senators Gaylord Nelson and John McConnell on April 22, 1970. It is a time to celebrate our planet, and all the life giving natural resources and beauty that the Earth provides and which we too often take for granted.
> That first Earth Day saw Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urbanites and farmers unite under a common banner, and this is where The Earth Dinner found its roots – in the desire for a healthy, sustainable environment.
>
> What do Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, even St. Patty's Day all have in common? They all have traditions involving family, friends, and of course, food. In developing the Earth Dinner idea, we wondered, "Why doesn't Earth Day have a tradition?" The Earth deserves a celebration too, and it made sense that an Earth Day tradition should revolve around local, sustainable and organic cuisine, and especially meaningful discussion about the impact farming has on the environment.
> Buying foods grown and distributed locally supports the local farmers, allowing them and their families to stay on the land.
> Buying foods that were grown using sustainable agricultural practices protects the soil and environment in countless ways.
> Going organic ensures that you are feeding your loved ones foods that are free from pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, as well as the added knowledge that the animals were treated with respect and care throughout their lives.
>
> We believe incorporating the philosophies of supporting local, sustainable and organic foods will help keep our planet's land, air, water and inhabitants healthy for generations to come.
> Growing a Tradition
>
> Your Earth Dinner is an opportunity for you to explore – at least for one night each year – where each ingredient on your table comes from. Who grew the food? How was it grown? What is the geographic origin of the food?
>
> Those seem like some pretty serious questions, so to lighten the mood, we developed the Earth Dinner Creativity Cards™ to inspire dinner guests to tell their own food stories, to remember the farmers who lovingly care for the land and grow the food, and of course, to be a little silly with friends and family and have a lot of fun in the process. The Earth Dinner is a joyful, animated, and inspiring theme dinner party held at least once every year, connecting people to the earth, their food, and each other. It can be as planned or as spontaneous as you like.
>
> The Earth Dinner started in 2003 with only a handful of events but has since grown to include thousands of participants at events nationwide, public and private, large and small. The success of the Earth Dinner concept shows how the seed of an idea can create awareness, awareness creates desire, desire inspires action, and, with time, action can change the world.