By: Bob Underschultz
With a little soil and toil, AWES has created a small hügelkultur. What on earth is a hügelkultur you ask? Well, a hügelkultur is a permaculture technique wherein one creates a mound of soil and biomass with a core of dead woody material to be used for growing herbaceous plants, shrubs, or small trees.
Hello, I’m Megan Andre, Executive Director with AWES.
Joining AWES just last summer, I’ve been around for about one year. It’s been a whirlwind coming up to speed with quite a few large projects in flight. Navigating this transition however, left planting season 2021 to fall into familiar habits. For me, that means riparian restoration planting. This style of planting has similarities to AWES signature Eco-Buffers, including increasing biodiversity by planting native tree and shrub at a high density. However, the structure and preparation of the linear Eco-Buffer are lost, and so are the trees… at least this is what we are hearing.
The Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society and the County of Grande Prairie invite you to join us for a workshop about Shelterbelts and Eco-buffers, and how they can be designed to provide ecosystem services to your land!
This workshop includes:
Participants will have a chance to develop and design a planting plan using worksheets and other resources provided by AWES
FREE Boxed lunch and refreshments provided , followed by a site visit to a local shelterbelt – please dress for the weather conditions
Register on eventbrite! There is no charge for this event, however registrations are required. Space is limited and COVID protocols will be in place.
For more information, please contact the Agriculture Department at The County of Grande Prairie.
Call 780-532-9727 or email jhenry@countygp.ab.ca or kwinterford@countygp.ab.ca
This event will be a fun and educational outing where you’ll be able to learn how to assess the health of your riparian area, identify common species, develop a management plan and cut, plant and grow your own willow cuttings.
Join the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society and Cows and Fish for a hands-on outdoor workshop along a creek near Tofield and learn how to diagnose and improve the health of your stream or pond.
Topics Included:
• Cows and Fish’s Riparian Health Assessment process;
• plant identification;
• how to conduct a tree planting assessment; and
• how to plant willow cuttings!
Register on Eventbrite! This event is free but registration is mandatory as space is limited. Participants are asked to dress for the weather and for light hiking. As this is a remote, outdoor event there will not be any available washroom facilities. (Black Nugget Lake Campground Day Use area with washroom facilities & water are a short drive away if needed). This event will NOT be hosted at the Beaver County Office. Location details will be provided following registration.
Riparian areas – those wet areas around water bodies – are often overlooked and underrated. Yet with proper design and management, they can become the most productive parts of the landscape, magnets for diverse wildlife, and moderators of flood and drought cycles. In this interactive online course, the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society (AWES) and Cows and Fish will help Alberta land owners and managers maximize the potential of their riparian areas to provide diverse benefits for their lands and watersheds.
Course Details
The course will be implemented over Zoom (links and details provided to participants) in five sessions, 7-9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays from August 4th to 18th. Each session will include a mixture of live presentations, activities, and Q&A.
In the first couple of sessions, participants will learn what riparian areas are, how riparian areas function, and how this functioning is affected by the health of the riparian area. Participants will then be given tools to assess the health of their own riparian areas, along with a framework for developing a management plan for it.
In the third and fourth sessions, participants will learn about the range of goods and services healthy riparian areas can provide, such as water quality, flood and drought resilience, biodiversity habitat, forage, biomass, food, nutrient cycling, pest suppression, pollination, and more. Participants will then learn how management and restoration activities can support these goods and services. Content will be customized according to the interests and backgrounds of participants.
Participants will be expected to spend 2-4 hours outside of session time in developing their management plans. In the fifth session, participants will have the opportunity to share draft versions of these plans. Course facilitators and other participants will provide feedback and advice.
Upon completion of the course, alumni can request to receive free consultation services from AWES and Cows and Fish staff over email, over the phone, or in person. These services will be provided on a first come first serve basis as long as funds are available.
Course Cost and Funding
The fee for this course is $20 per household unit. This fee has been greatly reduced, as the majority of course costs are being covered by a grant from the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program (WRRP), administered by Alberta Environment and Parks. The primary objective of WRRP is to increase the natural ability of the province’s watersheds to reduce the intensity, magnitude, duration and effects of flooding and drought through watershed mitigation measures. Widespread implementation of the riparian restoration and management practices taught in this course has the potential to mitigate flooding and drought throughout the watershed while also providing direct benefits to landowners.
*Note: This course is only available to individuals or organizations who own or manage land in the province of Alberta. Examples of eligible participants include but are not limited to farmers, ranchers, acreage owners, or the staff of municipalities or land trusts.
Join Beaver County and the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society (AWES) for an informative evening of Shelterbelt and Eco-buffer management strategies on March 10, 2020 from 3pm-8pm at the Holden Community Hall (Holden, AB).
AWES staff will present best management practices for existing shelterbelts and ecobuffers, including conducting tree health assessments, and managing health issues such as pest, disease and environmental damages such as winter die off.
Learn to:
This will be an chance to discuss opportunities available for funding and project development in addition to establishment, species selection and site preparation among other topics.
Come prepared for an outdoor field component. Weather permitting we will visit a nearby shelterbelt or wooded area to discuss management and rejuvenation options.
Free workshop, dinner included.
RSVP by March 2, 2020 on Eventbrite or by contacting AWES at 780-643-6732 or info@awes-ab.ca
AWES is heading south for the winter!
Join AWES staff and Wheatland County as we embark on a Shelterbelt and Ecobuffer learning journey, February 22, 2020 from 1-430PM at the Wheatland County Administration Office.
During the workshop participants will learn about:
• The Benefits of Shelterbelts and Ecobuffers
• How to establish and rejuvenate shelterbelts on your property
• Optimizing your design for pollinators, fruit production, water quality enhancement, and mitigating high winds and flooding
• Tips and Tricks to ensure maximum success in your planting project including plant choice, ordering, site prep, planting, and mulching
Participants may choose to design a shelterbelt or ecobuffer for their property with the help of the Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society.
This will ALSO be the first opportunity for local landowners to apply for Wheatland County’s new Shelterbelt and Eco-Buffer funding program!
Refreshments will be provided, and there is no cost to participants!
Simply register with Wheatland County’s Gay Mowat at 403-361-2166 or at gay.mowat@wheatlandcounty.ca by February 19, 2020
What types of shoreline management can help or hurt your lake?
Join Cows and Fish, the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society, and Lac La Biche County on July 11, 2o19 for a workshop where you’ll learn how to identify and manage for a healthy shoreline. We’ll start at McArthur Place with some short presentations, and then head to the nearby lakeshore to assess its health and discuss restoration options. Dress for the weather and bring rubber boots or hikers if possible.
Free workshop, but space is limited!
A light dinner will be provided
Please register on Eventbrite by July 5th or by contacting Lac La Biche County at green@laclabichecounty.com or 780-623-6739.
Get the most out of YOUR woodlots and forested areas!
Join the Agroforestry and Woodlot Society in conjunction with the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River at the Flatbush Community Complex on Monday June 17th, 2019 for a day of woodlot management benefits and techniques.
At this workshop private landowners will learn:
Plus: Outdoor Field Visits in the afternoon:
Guest Speakers: Mr. Con Dermot (Vanderwell) and Mr. Roy Schmelzeisen (ACA)
Presentation: MD of LSR – Livestock Grazing & Firesmart Treated areas ; Weeds of Distinction
Lunch and Refreshments Provided
Register by June 10th for space and lunch considerations with Noel St Jean, RPF at 1-780-245-5540 or nstjean@awes-ab.ca
