Twin Bridges, MT

The River’s Edge Gallery in Twin Bridges is sponsoring a Ukranian “Pysansky” Egg Decorating class on Saturday, September 4th from 10am to 3pm. Jo Hawkins will be teaching the class and you can see her fabulous creations at the Gallery. There will be two classes. The first class costs $25 but if you sign up for both classes, the cost is $20 per class. The class fee includes supplies and lunch.

Please call the River’s Edge Gallery at 684-5111 to reserve your place.

Summer is coming to a close and so is the 2010 season for the Virginia City Players. If you haven’t taken the time to go see this summer’s talented cast, Labor Day weekend will be your last chance. Sunday, we saw “Whatever Happened to Vaudeville?” and it was excellent. It’s a great show for the kids with lots of action, singing, and silliness. Also, the special atmosphere of a live, musical performance really sticks with the kids. The final shows will be Friday 7pm, Saturday 2pm and 7pm and Sunday, 2pm. Call the box office, leave a message about the tickets you would like and they will call you back on Friday.

Minutes from Ruby Valley Foundation meeting – August 17^th – 5pm

Attendees:  Tony Simonsen, Frank Ford, Chuck Smothermon, Jerry Aaker, Carol Delisi

Current situation:·

Money in Montana Community Foundation Account

• $5000 from Twin Horizon’s group$5823.51
• Sheridan Horizon’s group ($3500 from grant/$2323.51 leftover from Horizon’s money)

Brochure for RVF has been designed by Debra McNeill

Only have 4 potential members:  Tony, Frank, Chuck and Jerry – all from Sheridan/Laurin area so far

We talked with Cathy Cooney about the following:

• Deadline for getting the RVF organized – she said we could have 3- 4 months to recruit additional members
• If we decide not to do the RVF, monies can be returned to the respective Horizon’s groups for distribution to other community projects
• If we form the RVF and don’t raise the $25,000 in three years, or need to dissolve the Community Foundation, all monies will be returned to the group for distribution to community projects we choose. Cathy will make note that we are still working on the Fund Agreement.  We agreed to get back to her with changes that Frank and Chuck would like to propose. We discussed meeting with a resource from the Human Resource Council, Janet Cornish. If the meeting is confirmed for Friday, August 20^th, Frank and Tony will plan on attending at noon at the Ruby Valley National Bank in Twin.   

Our next meeting for the RVF will be September 13^th at 5pm at Serendipity (I confirmed they will be open till 7pm starting in a week or so).

We’ll discuss recruiting efforts for the Board of RVF, as well as changes to the Fund Agreement and Board Job Description.

Minutes submitted by Carold Delisi

There will be an organizational meeting on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 5;00 pm at the Episcopal Parish Hall in Sheridan, Montana.  The purpose of the meeting will be to appoint oa board of directors, review the funding agreement with the Montana Community Foundation and to get more questions answered (hopefully Cathy Cooney will be there).

A big decision that needs to be made is whether or not to go ahead with forming the Ruby Valley Foundation.  I think that if we cannot get a board together, we need to seriously consider abandoning the project.

Jerry Aaker

Hello gardeners,

Please share the following information with anyone you know who may be interested…

I am excited to announce that I will again be offering the Master Gardener Level One class beginning in October in Twin Bridges. I plan to start the class the week of October 26th.  There is plenty of interest and my minimum of ten people will be easily met.  It has also been decided by the majority of those who indicated their interest that this class will be held in Twin Bridges, exact location to be determined (if you have a suggestion for a location please let me know).  Before I can give everyone the final details, I still need your input.  Here are the details I need your help with.  When you reply to this email please indicate your preferences for each of the following:

1. * One class per week (2 hours) for eight weeks or two classes per week (4 hours total) for four weeks.
2. The days of the week I am planning for are Tuesdays and/or Thursdays.  If you chose one class/week in #1 please let me know if your preference is for Tuesdays or Thursdays.  If there is a preference for other day(s) of the week, I would like to know that as well.
3. Preferred time of day, either 2:00-4:00 pm or 5:30-7:30 pm 

* If the course is 2 classes/week, the dates would be October 26 – November 18.  If the course is 1 class/week, the dates would be October 26 (or October 28) – December 14 (or December 23 because we would skip the November 25th class). 

My apologies in advance to those of you who cannot attend the days/times listed and to those who would have preferred a class in a different location.  I am confident that as this program grows we will be able to offer classes in more locations and at different times.  I’m starting out slowly to be sure that I can keep up. 

For those of you who are not sure if this class is for you (i.e. if your gardening skills are more advanced), you are more than welcome to attend the first class and decide then.

Please indicate your preferences by Friday, August 20th so that I can get back to everyone with the final details as well as all the important registration information.  Please also pass this email along to anyone you think may be interested.  In the event that there is a huge response to this email, I will be limiting registration to the first 25 people.  Below is a brief overview of the program as well as a description of the Level 1 course.  The cost for the level one course is $115, with $50 being refunded after fulfilling a 20-hour volunteer commitment.  The class fee covers a textbook, “The Montana Master Gardener Handbook”, facility fees and other handouts provided throughout the course.     

How does the program work? 
Montana State University Extension staff, State Extension Specialists, and local gardening professionals teach a series of classes to train students in research-based home horticulture practices. There are three levels to the Master Gardener Program. The eight-session, Level 1 Master Gardener course will teach basic yard and garden installation and maintenance. Level 2 is an advanced Master Gardener course for those that have prior gardening knowledge and/or experience. The Level 3 Master Gardener course will be an intensive three day training on the Montana State University campus available the summer of 2011.

Classroom participation enhances your educational experience as students are encouraged to network and share their own experiences, thereby also learning from each other.  While not mandatory, it is recommended that students have internet access in order to use some class materials.  Upon completion of your training, you will receive a certificate and be asked to volunteer community service time through the Montana State University Extension Service or other community activities.

Level 1 Master Gardener:
This eight-session course (16 hours) will be taught by the local Extension agents, plant professionals, volunteers or via Adobe Connect and the Internet. During the beginning of the Level 1 Master Gardener course you will receive the Montana Master Gardener Handbook and other informative handouts pertaining to the class. In the Level 1 Master Gardener course you will learn about:

Montana State University Extension and the Master Gardener Program

• Soils, nutrients and fertility
• Plant growth and development
• Growing vegetables
• Annual, Perennial and Biennial Flowers
• Trees, shrubs, vines and pruning
• Lawns and irrigation
• Small fruit and fruit trees
• Composting
• Integrated pest management (IPM)

Following completion of the Level 1 Master Gardener course, you will be required to pass an open-book exam with 80% or higher and fulfill your volunteer commitment of 20 hours of volunteer commitment. The cost, time and location will be determined by the county Extension agent or Master Gardener coordinator.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING MASTER GARDENER LEVEL 2…For now, the plan is to hold the first level 2 class in Whitehall starting in late February or early March 2011.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  Thanks,Andrea~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Andrea Sarchet MSU Extension AgentMadison & Jefferson CountiesWhitehall, Montanaasarchet@montana.edu(406)287-3282 office(406)596-1349 cell~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings to All!

The Ruby Watershed Council will host the regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 18 @ 6:00pm in the Alder Community Center, Alder, Montana. 

Tom Hinz, Montana Wetland Legacy Partnership Coordinator, will be doing a power point presentation on the Tumpeter Swan.  Check out this link to the article in the most recent edition of Montana Outdoors Magazine about the Trumpeter Swan reintoduction in the Blackfoot: http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/2010/swans.htm. 

Why should we care about this issue?  Because the swans have been spending time in Southwest Montana, specifically the Ruby Valley, and there have been several swan mortalities in the Ruby Valley as well.  Come find out more about this majestic, sensitive, iconic species - including idenification, habitat, and what to do if you encounter one…

This will be a potluck dinner event!  The RWC/RVCD will provide sloppy joe sandwiches made with local beef, lemonade, wine and paper products… please bring a side dish, salad, dessert or assorted beverage to share with your neighbors…

I hope you are all having a great summer, and that we’ll see you in Alder on the 18th!  Feel free to contact me with any questions,

Rebecca Mayfield Ramsey
Ruby Watershed Coordinator
Ruby Watershed Council/Ruby Valley Conservation District
PO Box 295, Sheridan, MT  59749
406-842-5741 x106
406-843-5257
rubywatershed@gmail.com

Hello all:

Take a look at the following info on the Rural Community Conference to be held in Bozeman at the end of this month.  Each Horizons community receives two paid registrations for the RCC and 1-2 nights lodging.  They are really encouraging people to attend and I can say that it is really a great conference.  Not only are there great speakers, but the other people at the conference are awesome.  They are just like you all – leaders with very busy volunteer and professional lives.  They are full of excitement and GREAT IDEAS!  If there are not many adults interested, what about sending some youth?!?  You can of course, use any remaining Horizon’s $$ you may have available if there are more that want to attend.  If you send youth, I am guessing that they might give you a couple more free spots if you asked (I would be happy to ask for you.)  Registration is open now!

Conference details are as follows:

The MSU Horizons Program is hosting its third annual Rural Community Conference (RCC) on the MSU-Bozeman campus on August 31 and September 1, 2010.  Last year’s conference drew about 200 participants.  The conference is currently supported by the Northwest Area Foundation, Rural Dynamics Incorporated, the Montana Community Foundation, Triangle Communications, the Montana Office of Rural Health, and Montana State University Extension Service.

The Rural Community Conference brings together small communities from Montana and neighboring states to discuss ways to increase prosperity and address rural concerns.  Our goals for the conference are to provide our participants with new ideas and strategies to decrease poverty and to increase local assets. 

We will be providing 16 breakout sessions during the two-day conference.  The breakout sessions will take place on the afternoon of August 31 and the morning of September 1.   Breakout session topics include a plenary session on Service as Solution, and workshops on Urban/Rural Partnerships, Building Capacity in Rural Food Systems, Saving our Rural Grocery Stores, Transportation Options for Rural Communities, Farm to Table, Revitalizing Rural Communities by Bringing Home our Youth as Future Leaders, Engaging and Creating On-line Communities, and more.

The keynote speaker will be Joseph Marshall III, author of The Power of Four: Leadership Lessons of Crazy Horse.  Joseph’s keynote will take place on Tuesday afternoon, September 1.  A full biography can be found at www.ruralcommunityconference.org. 

Each of the 35 Montana Horizons communities will receive two registration scholarships and lodging for the conference being held on the MSU-Bozeman campus.  Please contact your community coach for information.  For more information, please visit our website, or contact Betsy Webb at elizabeth.webb@montana.edu or 406-994-6680.

Registration is $125.00.

Tara MastelMSU Economic and Community Development Extension Agent for Jefferson CountyJefferson Local Development CorporationP.O. Box 1079Whitehall MT 59759406.287.3282tara.mastel@montana.edu

Hello all,

This is a reminder that Congressman Denny Rehberg will hold a “listening session” at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 6 at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Boulder.  It would be good for him to hear from constituents regarding MSTI at this event.

I understand that Congressman Rehberg will also attend the important upcoming public forum on MSTI, sponsored by Keep It Rural and Beaverhead Outdoor Association, to be held Thursday, August 5th at 6:00 p.m. in the STC Great Room on the University of Montana Western campus.  A big showing there is most critical, but it will not hurt if Representative Rehberg spends an additional day listening about MSTI on Friday.

Don Kronenberger

• 5915 Hwy 41
• Whitehall, MT  59759
• 406-490-5332

agenda_2010.pdf

2010 Watershed Symposium: Connecting Communities

The deadline for early bird registration and scholarship applications is
5pm Friday, August 6th.

Save time and register online HERE
See the attached Draft Agenda for more details.

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For questions about the 2010 Symposium please contact
Alicia Vanderheiden, Montana Watershed Coordination Council
info.mwcc@gmail.com or call 406.244.4420