Upcoming Events and Dates to Remember

January 28, Thursday	Annual Meeting and Pancake Supper at the Prince of Peace Community Room, 1920 Lewis Avenue, Ida. Pancake Supper 6:00 to 6:45 p.m., continuous serving. Dinner will be followed by the business meeting at 7:00 p.m. with entertainment immediately following. Suggested donation: $6.00 for ages 12 and over. Children 11 and under eat free.
March 3, Wednesday	Care and Pruning Workshop for Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes Cooperative Extension Service Meeting room, 963 S. Raisinville Road, Monroe. Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Please register by Friday, February 26th. A $5.00 donation per family would be appreciated. Join us for the latest tips and advice on the care and pruning of fruit trees and berry bushes to promote a more abundant fruit harvest. The varieties highlighted are featured in Monroe Conservation District’s Annual Tree Sale, which include: dwarf varieties of Granny Smith Apple, Snow Sweet Apple, Sam Sweet Cherry, Ulster Sweet Cherry, and Red Haven Peach. The berry varieties include: Chester Thornless Blackberry, and Caroline Raspberry plants.
March 22, Monday	Tree, Shrub, and Lily Order Deadline
April 16 & 17, Friday & Saturday	Tree, Shrub, Lily Pickup and Extra Stock Sale
April 24, Saturday	Earth Day 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Loranger Square in downtown Monroe. We come equipped with several recycling craft ideas, complete with instructions for our visitors. Last year some of these included: egg shells used as seed starting cups, A dog food bag stitched into a reusable shopping bag, and several examples of uses for common pinecones to name a few. This year we hope to do away with the paper instructions (waste!) and hand out our new ideas, including a use for a blank cd tower and a homemade giant bubble blower (out of a 2 liter pop bottle) on a small reusable (think green!) memory stick or cd! We sell books, rain barrels, and natural mosquito repellant that really works. We also offer lots of conserving and recycling information. This educational outreach is a perfect fit with what we do. Come visit us!
April 30, Friday	Hosta and Native Plant Order Deadline
May 17, Monday	Hosta and Native Plant Pickup and Extra Stock Sale 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Prince of Peace Community Room, 1920 Lewis Avenue, Ida.
May 17, Monday	Native Plant Workshop 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Prince of Peace Community Room, 1920 Lewis Avenue, Ida. Please register by Wednesday, May 12th. A $5.00 donation per person would be appreciated. Vern Stephens, owner of Designs by Nature has over ten years experience collecting seed, propagating plants, producing natural landscaping design and installation, and prairie restoration of Michigan native plants will once again be giving a special presentation. Extra native plants and hostas will be available for sale.
	Pond Workshop dates and location to be announced

Recycle Your Dog food and Birdseed Bags for a Worthy Project

Please consider saving your empty dog food and birdseed bags for a recycling project planned by the Monroe Conservation District. We can use non-paper; plastic or woven type feed bags. Burlap and other durable materials are also welcome. Please drop them off at our office on 1137 S. Telegraph Road, Monroe or call us at (734) 241-7755 ext. 3.

Interested in Keeping a Small Flock of Chickens?

Perhaps you’d like a few eggs for your own use or some meat for the freezer. Backyard poultry flocks are returning to popularity. If you are interested in learning more about the care and keeping of a few hens please let us know.

We are considering hosting an informational workshop that might include: Why chickens are fun and economical to keep. We would like to include information about; eggs, pest control, compost for your garden, choosing chicks or pullets, is a rooster necessary, to free range or not to free range, which breeds, their basic needs, etc.

If you have other questions or ideas, or are interested in this type of workshop please contact us at (734) 241-7755 ext. 3 or e-mail catherine.acerboni@mi.nacdnet.net.