As the workshops are interactive, hard hats are required and work boots and hi-vis vests are highly recommended. Lunch is provided.??

Registration is required, as space is limited. Please register by using the registration link below or by emailing [email protected] or calling 503.564.9500

Credits: SAF (pending), MLC (6 hours)?

Register

Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District is seeking a dynamic individual to join our team. Our innovative organization is creating new models for conservation services and local collaboration, and we are seeking an individual with a positive, energetic personality, excellent communication skills, and administrative experience. The position offers broad responsibilities and the opportunity to assist with planning and program development.???

This is a 20 hour per week position with a hybrid schedule of office and remote time. Compensation is $20-24 per hour, depending on experience, for 50 weeks per year.? Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.?

Interested parties should send a letter of interest, resume, and 3 professional references in PDF format to Andy Reed at [email protected]?

More Opportunities

Spring has arrived in Maine, and with it, the Maine Forest Service and others have been fielding caterpillar questions. Caterpillars are essential food for many other animals, including insects, birds, mammals, and even fish! However, sometimes caterpillars from our trees and shrubs become nuisances around our homes and workplaces, and outbreak populations can threaten tree health. The caterpillars of forest tent, eastern tent and browntail moths are beginning to make their presence known.?

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry urges you to take a responsible approach to living with the caterpillars in your developed landscape and avoid causing unnecessary harm to the environment and human health.?

• Remember that caterpillars play an important role in the environment; what you consider a pest may be someone else?s meal.?

• Consider no-action as a valid strategy. Sometimes, it is the most reasonable approach, but often, there are small steps you can take to reduce impacts.?

• If populations are unbearable or threaten a high-value ornamental tree's health, correctly identify the caterpillar and begin with the least-toxic approach.?

• It is against the law to apply pesticides in ways that do not comply with label directions. Improper pesticide use can threaten human and environmental health. ?

• The Maine Board of Pesticide Control does not recommend home-remedy pesticides. In some cases, they are illegal.?

For more information on managing tent caterpillars, please see the bulletin released by the DACF..??

Taking action for more sustainable oak forests, right from the horse?s mouth?

Sheila Holifield?

May 1, 2024?

The Kentucky Derby is grounded in decades of tradition that many are familiar with?the racetrack, the garland of roses and the famous mint julep. In a nature-friendly twist of events, decades of tree growing also feeds the Derby tradition.?

During the two-day event in May, more than 125,000 mint juleps are enjoyed by fans attending the prestigious horse race. Mixing these drinks requires a lot of bourbon, and bourbon production requires oak barrels.?

While making a mint julep is easy, making its signature ingredient?bourbon?is quite the opposite. The distinct flavor of bourbon comes from the grain, the yeast and the oak barrel that is used when aging the bourbon to perfection. This time-consuming process begins in the forest with a white oak tree.?

The towering and majestic white oak is a showstopper ? and highly valued by wildlife, Southerners and the timber industry. It?s also what gives bourbon its distinctive flavor.?

However, the white oak?s future is at risk. Why? Researchers have discovered that more than 99% of oak seedlings die before reaching five years old, a problem described as the ?oak bottleneck.??

Read the whole article here.?