By: Cathy Yeakel, BCCD District Manager​
What did you do on Earth Day?
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, as an environmental awareness day to educate people about pollution and its effects on the environment. Founded by a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day became a global movement to protect our environment. Since 1970, celebrations have changed from awareness lectures to outdoor events offering education on our natural resource issues and demonstrations.

​By Kevin Brown- BCCD, Ag team Leader
If you are a regular reader of the column, or you have read something that sparked your interest, or you just disagree with something you have read, here is your chance to talk about it.  We have received a grant to hold two meetings to talk about a lot of the conservation practices that we continually talk about and promote.  I am going to structure the meetings to be more informal where we can listen to each other and find out what experiences other locals have had.  There are a lot of people out there that are a lot smarter than I am and they have maybe done things a certain way for a long period of time and have been very successful at it.  Why wouldn’t we want to hear from them?  If you would like to be one of “them”, or if you want to hear from “them”, make plans to be there.  I think we have plenty of great topics to talk about.

​By: Kevin Brown, Ag Team Leader, BCCD
Do you operate a chainsaw?  It is probably one of the most dangerous things that one can do, especially now.  Ash trees are everywhere, and they are all dead or dying.  The woods are dangerous enough before we had that hazard.  Now it is much worse.  It is imperative that you know how to operate a saw safely.  If you have ever looked into learning safe techniques to operating a chainsaw, you have probably heard of The Game of Logging.  It is a world-class program designed to train people to be able to safely navigate the felling and cutting up of trees.  It is a commercial logger training program taught at a “backwoods/weekender” level.  It IS the standard and people that have attended it hold it in the highest regard.  Do something for yourself that could potentially save your life.  We all know people that have been killed in the woods.  Let that statistic not be you.  The course is being offered on March 12th by the Northern Tier Hardwood Association (NTHA).  You must register and they are looking for participants.  Please contact them at NTHA- Facebook, website, etc.  Or contact us with the information below and we will steer you in the right direction.  It is a top-notch program and you won’t be sorry.

By Megan Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
The new year has finally rolled around, and we all know what that means… snow, cold weather, and short, dreary days. This time of the year always seems to drag on for me. The main holidays are over, and the excitement of snow/winter activities has worn off. Now it is time to wait for spring to roll around. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year! The snow finally starts to melt, the days get a little longer, grass begins to grow, and the best part is when the flowers begin to bloom. I love flowers and the color and joy that they can bring to your home. My least favorite time of the year is when the cold weather rolls around and kills all the beautiful blooms that were once growing around my house. Sadly, this is the time of the year we are stuck in now. However, thanks to florists we can have these bright and beautiful blooms at any time during the year! Being able to bring a floral arrangement inside my home this time of the year seems to mean so much more to me. The flowers add color, hope, happiness, and joy to the space. Doesn’t this make you want to run right out to the flower shop and grab a whole bunch of flowers?!