Office Hours Update

Staff are continuing to work primarily from home. Our office is open by appointment only. We will not be receiving soil tests for the months of December and January. We will resume receiving soil tests on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 from 9-4 pm.

2022 Election - March 15, 2022

Interested in serving on the District Board?

District board members (supervisors) set district policy and program priorities, oversee district finances, and meet monthly to discuss district business and activities. They serve unpaid for a three-year term. Three are elected and two are appointed by the state Conservation Commission. Christy Cox’s elected position and Matt Heins’ appointed position expire in 2022. Candidate filing deadline for the elected position is February 8, 2022. The deadline to apply for the appointed position is March 31, 2022. More information is available on our Elections and Appointments Webpage.

Are you eligible to Vote?

Eligible voters must be registered to vote in Clallam County. This year’s election will still be held in person. With public health and safety in mind during this COVID19 pandemic, we’re setting polling hours from noon to 8:00pm and will mail out absentee ballots to vote by mail; however, absentee ballots must be requested. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is February 15, 2022.

Do you want to serve as a polling officer?

Our elections would not be possible without volunteer polling officers. Polling officers work in groups of two for a minimum of a two-hour shifts.

Get Your 2022 Native Plant Order in Now!

Thank you to everyone who has placed an order through our annual native plant sale. Inventory is low on some species, so don’t delay placing your order.

Orders will be taken through January 23, 2022 and plants will be available for pick-up on March 4 and 5.

Planting Native Species for Pollinators

In November we partnered with Clallam County Noxious Weed Department to help recruit volunteers to plant at the bottom of Deer Park, and along a berm on the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) located between Lewis and Spring Roads in Agnew. A huge thank you to the 17 volunteers who donated their time to help plant thousands of native plants.

The areas targeted by these planting projects had disturbed soils, which, if left unplanted, would be a vector for invasive weeds to begin growing. Several years of planting these areas have helped create native flowering habitat that supports pollinator species. These plants will continue to need some help until they are well established, so volunteers are needed for weekly watering’s on Thursday’s beginning in May through late September. Please sign up for our volunteer list if you are interested in helping with watering plants, or upcoming planting projects.

For more information on choosing plants to help create pollinator habitat, we encourage you to view “Bring Back the Pollinators”, located under our past Native Landscaping Webinars on our website. The Xerces Society also has excellent information on pollinator habitat specific to the Pacific Northwest Region.

WSU 2022 Farmer Survey

Washington State University (WSU) Extension needs your help planning for their 2022 Regional Small Farms programming and educational offerings. If you are a farmer in Clallam, Jefferson or Kitsap Counties they want to hear from you!

Please take a few minutes to give them your feedback and help shape their 2022 Regional Small Farms programming by taking their survey.

Put Native Plants To Work on Your Farm!

Earlier this month we held a webinar to discuss ways to use native plants on farms. Visit our website to watch the recorded presentation, as well as view nine other webinars on various farm topics.

Below are a few highlights from the webinar:

• Plant native conifers in riparian areas to shade waterways, stabilize banks, and provide wildlife habitat. Healthy riparian areas protect waterways from sediments, bacteria, and nutrients contained in runoff from muddy barnyards and manure piles.

• For planting wetlands, boggy areas, and seasonally wet areas select shrub species such as Nootka rose, red-osier dogwood, and Pacific ninebark. Click HERE for more information and a list of common shrubs, including descriptions and preferred habitat. Trees that tolerate seasonal wetness include sitka spruce, western hemlock, western redcedar, pacific crabapple, red alder, and all species of native willow. More details on preferred growing conditions of native, common trees can be found HERE.

• Plant native trees and shrubs to create windbreaks and hedgerows that provide shade for livestock in the summer and protection from wind and rain in the winter. Hedgerows and windbreaks provide excellent wildlife habitat while also enhancing privacy and screening.

• Native plants can create a great screen around areas like manure storage bins or equipment storage, and are excellent at keeping dusty areas like arenas, barnyards and gravel driveways from impacting neighboring properties or your living spaces. Check out our Hedgerow & Windbreak Guide HERE for step by step instructions.

• Devote areas that don’t offer much farming value, like field corners, property lines, and boggy spots, to habitat by planting natives. Choose a variety of conifers, deciduous trees, and shrubs to add color, interest and natural beauty to your farm.

Want to ensure that you give your new plantings that best possible start in life? Soak bare-root stock for 2-4 hours immediately before planting and take care to ensure that the roots do not dry out during planting. Ensure the hole is large enough to allow the roots to freely fall and backfill with native soil, gently tamping to remove air pockets. Adding mulch to the base of each new planting will reduce competing vegetation and help retain moisture. New plantings will need to be watered during the dry season for the first several years. Check out THIS guide for step by step instructions on how to properly plant and care for bare-root seedlings.

CONSERVATION SPONSORS

Peninsula Environmental Group - (360) 819-3081 www.peninsulaenvironmental.com

Clark Horticultural Inc - (360) 460-9178 www.ClarkHorticultural.com

Eagle Creek Tractor - (360) 683-9391

John and Kriss Seago

Conservation News sponsorship's cost $50/yr for business names printed every issue or $100/yr for a name every issue and a business card once a year. They help offset publishing and distributing costs to reach nearly 4,000 readers. CALL US TO FEATURE YOUR NAME!