Some pretty cool workshops are going to be offered at the MG State Conference in Belton on April 16-18. Workshops The six workshops planned for this conference will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. The first four Workshops are at the Expo and #5 and #6 are on-site in Belton. Workshop #1 – Vermicomposting Explains the who, what, where of composting with worms. Earthworms housed in a bin and feeding them kitchen scraps, newspapers and junk mail, vermicomposters create their own free soil amendment while reducing waste. She is joined by Kyle Harrell of Texas Red Worms. Instructor: Jean Flores and Kyle Harrell Jean Flores is a brand new Bell County Certified Master Gardener. She is happiest out in the garden or bird watching and loves all things nature! Gardening is in her blood, as her Grandfather of New Hampshire, is the “Original Master Gardener” and she cherishes all his gardening advice. She is the ultimate DIY making her own fertilizer and rain water collection bins to name a few. Her main gardening interests are in vermicomposting, rain water collection and being as organic as possible. Since her Native Texas husband’s retirement from the Army after 25 years and after many moves overseas and stateside, Jean and her family and pets are finally settling down in Central Texas. Jean can be reached at the Bell County Extension Office in Belton, Texas. Kyle Harrell, a native Texan, discovered vermi-composting while looking for a way to fertilize his family’s hay pastures in a more cost effective manner. What began as a mail-order cup of worms has turned into a nearly decade-long research project, hobby and small business, giving a welcome break from his “real job” in healthcare software. Kyle lives in San Antonio with his wife and two daughters, Hope and Lily. Participants will receive a book, Worms Eat My Garbage as well as sources for purchase of worms and worm farm kits. Class is limited to 50 and cost is $35. Workshop #2 – Basic Floral Design How to make a basic-simple floral arrangement – from start to finish – Each attendee will take home their finished floral design. Basic principles of design will be covered as well as trends in floral design. Instructor: Norman Northen Norman Northen is the current Design Manager at Precious Memories in Temple, Texas and has been so for 20 years. He has over 40 years in the floral industry and is a Texas Master Florist with Advanced Certification. He was Texas Designer of the Year 2001. Mr. Norten has been married to his wife Rebecca for 28 years and they have a son, Christopher and daughter Elisa, also employed at Precious Memories. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Bell County Museum. Mr. Northen has numerous awards and has designed for many State and National design programs and his work has been showcased in many trade publications. His skill as a designer was responsible for Precious Memories being named the National Retail Florist of the year for the U.S. and Canada in 2007. He currently serves in the Texas State Florists Association Board of Directors and is President Elect of the same organization. Class is limited to 50. Cost is $35.00 and includes the materials for the floral arrangement. Workshop #3 – Top Bar Bee Hive Construction Oldest and most natural beekeeping method. Container serves as the hive, while the slats create the foundation for honeybees to build wax combs. This is ideal for beginners and backyard beekeeping. On a smaller scale and without a large investment of time and equipment. You will go home with your own Top Bar Beehive Kit to construct at your leisure or you may build yours during the workshop. Instructor: Wayne Baker Wayne moved to Bell County in 1975 with the military (Army Corps of Engineers). After retiring from the military in 1985, he began his second career, teaching Middle School Math and Science. After his second retirement he became actively involved in the Bell County Master Gardener Association and he developed an interest in Bees and their declining population, as well as, a deep appreciation and understanding for their role in the pollination of plants. Wayne is a member of the Williamson County Bee Association and until recently was actively involved in removing bees through his company “Lone Star Bee Removal”. Although age and knees have slowed him down a bit, he still maintains nine colonies of bees on his property. He is passionate about bees and is knowledgeable in all things concerning bees. Class is limited to 25 and cost is $35 (cost includes the kit). Workshop #4 – Leaf Casting The workshop will be hands-on. Participants will learn to select a leaf and cast them in cement creating unique artwork and garden decorations. Each participant will take home their finished leaf design casting. Instructor: Karen Colwick Karen Colwick grew up in Houston, Texas. As a young girl, Karen watched her father as he planted and nurtured the growth of tomatoes. She knew then that she wanted to garden. The first thing Karen wanted to accomplish after retiring was to become a Certified Master Gardener. In 2010, she did just that. Seeking more knowledge and expertise of the Master Gardener organization, she attended a Texas Master Gardner’s Conference in Glen Rose, Texas. She then became the secretary for the Texas Master Gardeners Association and held that position for two years. Karen also holds certificates in Rain Water Harvesting, propagation, vegetable gardening and Earth-Kind principles. She attended the Landscape Architecture course for the Garden club at Bryan College Station which was hosted by the Texas A&M College of Agriculture. Karen has taken classes at the Dallas Arboretum and learned to cast leaves using cement. She also enjoys crafting cement mushrooms, wall hangings and bird baths using cement. Class is limited to 25. Cost is $35.00 and includes the materials for casting a small leaf. Product will be damp and not suitable for air travel. Participants may need to protect their clothing during the workshop. Workshop #5 – Edible Plants Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen has been a research chemist for 16 years as well as teacher of forging classes at the Houston Arboretum. He wants Texan to learn about nature’s edible and medicinal plants. This workshop will demonstrate his abilities at Miller Springs Park with a walk designed to find edible plants in this area. This workshop requires participants to drive to Miller Springs Park, approximately ten minutes from the Expo. A map and water will be provided. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Class is limited to 25 and the cost is $35. For further details about Mark Vorderbruggen, please see the speaker page here. Workshop #6 – Native Plants for Texas Birds Gil Eckrich is a wildlife biologist and worked at Fort Hood’s Natural Resources Management Branch for 22 years before retiring in 2013. His is also an avid nature photographer. He will accompany a tour of participants to Belton Lake Outdoor Recreational Area (BLORA), and two areas of Fort Hood to help identify birds and the plants that feed them. Participants will take a bus to BLORA. Water will be provided. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Class is limited to 25 and the cost is $35. Futher details about Gil Eckrich will be forthcoming, thanks for your patience.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:19:24 +0000
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