Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Community Volunteer and Education Opportunities

What a vibrant community we live in! Check out these opportunities coming up in the next week.

Southwest Conservation Corps Volunteer Days
Friday, April 20, 9am-12pm and 12pm-3pm

The Southwest Conservation Corps has several upcoming volunteer opportunities that we thought you might be interested in. We are launching a new gardening and agriculture program and need your help prepping new garden sites in Salida.

On Friday, April 20th we will kick off Earth Day weekend with a ground-breaking service day at the SCC office. Please join us for a half or full day of project work to install fencing, build raise beds, plant seeds and help promote local food production and sustainability in our community! The morning session will run from 9am-noon and the afternoon session will run from 12pm-3pm. Participants should wear long-pants, sturdy shoes, and warm layers. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle and lunch if you plan to stay all day. The event is open to all ages: kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult and all participants/parents of minors will need to sign a volunteer waiver.

Our office is located at 701 E. Highway 50, just west of the Hampton Inn. Please contact Tyler Lincoln with any questions at tyler@sccorps.org or 719-539-2438.

Can’t make it this week? We also have Friday service days scheduled for April 27th and May 4th – same time and place!

Thanks for your support and we hope to see you Friday!


Learn How to Plan and Install Drip Irrigation!
Hosted by Old Town Farm, Howard
Saturday, April 21 10am-12pm


Drip irrigation makes the most sense for watering garden and landscape plants in our dry climate. Come see and get hands on with the drip irrigation system at our farm in Howard. Comprehensive class covers planning a drip system as well as installation and
maintenance.

Class starts at 10 AM sharp across the street from Howard Hall. Cost is $15 per class, scholarships are available. Email oldtownfarmhoward@gmail.com or call Jonathan at 719-530-1249 for more information.

Additional upcoming Old Town Farm classes:
April 28th – Floating row cover and other plant protection strategies
May 5th – Keeping backyard chickens is easy and fun
May 12th – Know your enemy: All about weeds, wildlife and bugs
May 19th – Why won’t my tomatoes ripen? Success with warm season crops in a cool climate



Agriculture Tax Class
Hosted by Kurt M. Jones, Chaffee County Extension Director
Tuesday, April 24, 6pm-8pm

Colorado State University Extension in Chaffee County will be offering an Agriculture Tax Class for area producers and tax professionals on Tuesday, April 24 from 6:00 until 8:00 at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds. The cost for this class will be $15.

Topics for the class include overview of income taxes, farm income and expenses, common IRS tax forms and schedules used by farmers & ranchers, Farm income vs. other income and how to treat each source, what are deductible farm expenses, record keeping for farmers/ranchers, important dates and additional resources.

The course will be taught by CSU Agriculture and Business Management specialist Jeff Tranel. Pre-registration is required by calling 719-539-6447. Space is limited to the first 40 people. If someone requires accommodation, please let us know at least 5 business days in advance.