Conservation Starters - Voluntary Stewardship

Voluntary Stewardship

06/22/22 • 40 min

This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by 5th generation farmer Carissa Miller who is the owner and operator of Withywindle Valley Farm and TCD's Senior Natural Resource Specialist, Marguerite Abplanalp. Together, we discuss the challenges and triumphs that come with being a farmer in Thurston County and learn about the Voluntary Stewardship Program - a program that offers local producers an alternative way to protect and voluntarily enhance environmentally critical areas while maintaining and improving the long-term viability of local agriculture.
Contact Information:
Marguerite Abplanalp, [email protected]
Carissa Miller, [email protected]
Resources:
Withywindle Valley Farm
Thurston Conservation District VSP Sign-up Form
Thurston County VSP
Interested in joining the VSP workgroup? Contact Marguerite Abplanalp, [email protected] for more information.

Previous Episode

Climate Change Resiliency

This month, on Conservation Starters, we're joined by Adam Petersen who is one of Thurston Conservation District's Senior Natural Resource Specialists. Adam's background in GIS and crop science, coupled with his personal interest in climate change and emergency preparedness, makes him the perfect guest to discuss the local impacts of climate change and how our community can best prepare. During the episode, we discuss the current and projected increases in wildfire, flooding, drought, and extreme heatwaves due to climate change. Listen in to learn easy steps you and your family can take to be more climate-resilient!
Contact Information: Adam Peterson, [email protected]
Flood, Fire, Drought, Heat, and other Emergency Preparedness Resources: Thurston Conservation District Emergency Preparedness Resource Webpage
Thurston County Mapping Resource: Thurston Geodata
Wildfire Preparedness Resources: Wildfire in Western Washington: A Different Animal (Webinar), Firewise.org, DNRFirewise

Next Episode

Engaging Local Youth

This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by Stephanie Bishop and Sam Nadell, TCD's youth education staff. During this episode, we learn about the history of our k-12 program South Sound GREEN and how it has evolved and grown over the last 30 years to meet the growing need for hands-on science education in Thurston County. We also discuss the challenges our staff faced and the solutions they found to continue providing education to students during the pandemic. Tune in to this conversation to learn more about TCD's programs geared towards youth, teens, and young adults. If you are a Thurston County parent, teacher, or student this is the episode for you!
Contact Information:
Stephanie Bishop, [email protected]
Sam Nadell, [email protected]
Resources:
SouthSoundGREEN.org

Teens in Thurston
South Puget Sound Regional Envirothon