December 2024 Outlook
From Director Jodie Anderson:
It鈥檚 December! Looking back at last year鈥檚 column, I鈥檓 inspired by the progress we have made in moving our Institute forward. We just finished a fantastic week with visitors from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, helping them make connections with UAF programming and community and learning about ways we can better leverage our own work.
There have been so many positive changes in our Institute this year, and they are not going unnoticed. We are included in the governor鈥檚 proposed budget, and we received an equipment grant from the state of Alaska that will jump-start our research. We are gearing up to continue advocating for funding to help us grow our ability to reach all Alaskans.
Please enjoy your break. Get outside, laugh, eat yummy (local) foods and recharge. We鈥檒l see you back next year.
Be well,
Jodie
Georgeson Botanical Garden transformed into a winter wonderland
Take a stroll through a winter wonderland under the Arctic Lights at the Georgeson Botanical Garden. The garden, on the 海角论坛 Troth Yeddha' Campus, will be festooned with lights from 5-9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 19 through Jan. 18. The lights will also be on before and after the annual Sparktacular fireworks display at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Visitors are encouraged to take a walk on the paths between the garden beds, which are tucked in snugly for the winter. Wildlife may wander through as well, so keep an eye out for moose, porcupines and other creatures that may be stirring on these cold winter nights.
Please stay on the paths and take care, as they may be icy or uneven, depending on weather conditions. Donations are encouraged. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, contact Lacey Higham, Georgeson directing manager, at lrhigham@alaska.edu or 907-474-6291.
Crabs, elodea, climate change and the Biggest Invasive Species Geek highlight 25th annual workshop
More than 100 people participated in the 2024 Invasive Species Workshop at Pike鈥檚 Waterfront Lodge in 海角论坛 in November. Over three days, participants shared what the Alaska Invasive Species Partnership and its partners do to keep Alaska wild and free from invasive species. Topics included the 25-year history of AKISP, stories of its partnerships, ecology, research, elodea, worms, crabs and rat management, not to mention Padus perishing poop fungus.
Keynote speakers Dr. Terry Chapin and Dr. Katie Spellman discussed 鈥淗ow Do We Manage for Conservation When We Don鈥檛 Know How Alaska Will Change?鈥 Gino Graziano and Joey Slowik kept the conference running smoothly.
Gino also presented on choosing the right herbicides and Alex Wenninger described a project tracking pollinators鈥 preferences for native flowers over invasive sweet clover and vetch. A tradition of the Workshop is the Biggest Invasive Species Geek Challenge. The winner, Tim Stallard from Alien Species Control LLC, will keep the trophy for a year and host the next challenge.
Native flowers support pollinators better than invasives
Alex Wenninger, an entomologist with the University of Alaska鈥檚 Cooperative Extension Service, has found that many community members are hesitant to remove invasive plants, like bird vetch, because they don鈥檛 want to harm the pollinators they see visiting the plants.
To address this issue, she set out to determine how important these plants are to pollinators, compared to native flowers, and presented her results on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the 2024 Alaska Invasive Species Workshop.
Help us shape the 2025 Interior Alaska Farm Forum
Save the date for Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Pike鈥檚 Waterfront Lodge in 海角论坛 for an event connecting local farmers with other farmers and the resources they need to succeed.
Planning sessions for the inaugural Interior Alaska Farm Forum are in progress. To ensure interior farmers get the most out of this event, we want to hear what you want to see! If you are a farmer or a producer, . If you would like to present at the forum, . We will be prioritizing farmers as presenters.
Learn more, contact us, reserve an exhibitor table and register. Registration is free but space is limited.
Bristol Bay Native Corp. highlights regional 4-H
Holiday schedules for UAF Cooperative Extension offices
The Cooperative Extension Service offices will be closed on the following dates:
- Anchorage (): Dec. 20-27; Dec. 30-Jan. 3
- Bethel (): Dec. 23-Jan. 1
- Delta Junction (): Dec. 23-Jan. 3
- Dillingham (): Dec. 24-27; Dec. 30
- 海角论坛 (Forestry Building) (): Dec. 23-Jan. 3
- 海角论坛 (Tanana District Office) (): Dec. 23-Jan. 1
- Juneau (): Dec. 24-Jan. 3
- Kodiak (): Dec. 23-Jan. 3
- Nome (): Dec. 16-Jan. 10
- Palmer (): Dec. 23-Jan. 1; open from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 1-3
- Sitka (): Dec. 23-Jan. 10
- Soldotna (): Dec. 23-Jan. 1
We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday, and look forward to seeing you in 2025!
Upcoming events
- Georgeson Botanical Garden鈥檚 鈥淎rctic Lights鈥 will brighten the darkest days of the Alaska Interior winter from 5-9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays beginning Dec. 19 through Jan. 18. More information available on the GBG website.
- A Level 1 Rifle Instructor class for active 4-H leaders is scheduled in Kodiak on Jan. 18.
- A three-day Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) class is scheduled for Jan. 28-30 via webinar. .
- Tune in for a statewide webinar,, at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Glen Holt will lead a series of three statewide webinars in February, hosted by the Anchorage Outreach Center.
- Holt will discuss firewood efficiency on Wednesday, Feb. 5, from noon to 1 p.m. .
- On Wednesday, Feb. 12, from noon to 1 p.m., Holt will give an overview of safe chainsaw use and tree-cutting basics. .
- - On Wednesday, Feb. 19, from noon to 1 p.m., the topic will be the basics of chainsaw maintenance. .
In the News
- Jackie Hrabok is featured in a
- The Dec. 18 海角论坛 Daily News-Miner has a .
- Reina Hasting's Nov. 17 column in the News-Miner:
- Art Nash鈥檚 Dec. 1 column in the News-Miner:
- Leslie Shallcross's Dec. 15 column in the News-Miner:
- In case you missed it, Jackie Hrabok and George Aguiar are featured in this May 2023
(Note, if you don't subscribe to the News-Miner, you can read Extension columns on the )