Hello wonderful local environmental educators, 

Happy start of the school year! The salmon are returning, the leaves are changing (sort of), and most importantly, the field trips are back! To kick off the new school year, as well as give people a chance to mingle and meet new faces, we'll be doing a fall EE gathering next Thursday, October 1st, from 4:30ish-7ish at Vic's Eastside! Let's plan to hang out in the covered outdoor area (make sure you go to the correct Vic's location!). 

Feel free to share with other local environmental educators not included on this email, especially any new staff or AmeriCorps members! We hope to see you there!

You are invited to attend Thurston Conservation District’s upcoming conference: Local Agriculture in the Time of a Changing Climate! This full-day conference will explore how local agriculture can adapt and build resilience in the face of a changing climate. 

United in Conservation: Local Agriculture in the Time of a Changing Climate

Friday, October 2, 2026

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Lacey Community Center

6729 Pacific Ave SE

Purchase tickets here on Zeffy

This event combines classroom presentations with practical, field-based learning for farmers, ranchers, gardeners, local leaders, policy makers, and anyone interested in local food systems, conservation, and climate adaptation.

The morning breakout sessions will each include topics regarding habitat conservation, farmer support, and agricultural innovations, with a narrow focus on assisted migration of wildlife, farmer mental health, agricultural plastics reduction, managing forests for bats, and more.

The lunch break will include a resource fair featuring over 15 local organizations and service providers.

The afternoon field session will include one of the following experiences:

1. Flower Farming in all Seasons (Centralia, WA) – Learn directly from local flower farmer and florist Betsy Levy as she shares her proven flower production methods.
2. Biochar and Alternative Forest Products (Lacey, WA) – Learn how biochar, agroforestry, and alternative forest products can enhance the health, productivity, and resilience of working lands.
3. Farmer Support: Farmland Preservation in Action (Tumwater, WA) – Visit Little Big Farm to learn about successful farm succession planning.
4. Ag Innovations: Demonstration of Electric Farm Equipment with E-Farms (Tumwater, WA) – Come learn and even test out electric farm equipment with E-Farms and PSE. Vehicles include the Ford F-150 Lightning Turck, Polaris Kinetic UTV, Can AM 4-wheeler, and a Fusion commercial utility cart.
5. Farming with ESA Listed Species (Tumwater, WA) – Participants will learn from nonregulatory staff from Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Jake Yancey from Tracking Y Ranch about practical strategies for farming alongside species like the Mazama pocket gopher and Oregon spotted frog.
6. Gardening for a Changing Climate: Practices and People (Olympia, WA) – Join staff from Garden-raised Bounty (GRuB) to tour their Olympia farm and hear and see the practices they are trialing to increase their resilience to a changing climate.
7. First Foodways & Indigenous Food Production (Lacey, WA) ­– Visit Nisqually Community Garden to see how their team supports their community, ensuring access to Indigenous foods, and facing the impacts of local climate change.

You’re invited to celebrate this year’s harvest with Thurston Conservation District at our annual Harvest Festival! This year’s Harvest Festival will be held on October 3, 2026, from 10-3 pm at the South Union Grange (10030 Tilley Rd S, 98501). 

This free, family-friendly event will feature the following:

• Pie Baking Contest: Enter your home-made pie(s) by delivering them to our pie contest booth between 10 and 11 am. Entries will be judged on taste and appeal, appearance, and creativity. This year’s esteemed Pie Judges are Fire Chief Nathan Drake from WTRFA, Representative Carolina Mejia, Withywindle Farmer Carissa Miller, and former TCD Board Supervisor, David Iyall.
• Apple Cider Pressing Station: Bring your own (washed) apples to press into delicious cider at our pressing station! A full 5-gallon bucket of apples should produce about 2 quarts of juice. Don’t forget to bring a bottle or jar to bring your cider home.
• Scarecrow Building Activity: Scare the birds away from the garden with a handmade scarecrow! Bring some (small) clothing to dress and build your own creation (while supplies last) and protect your crops from hungry visitors. Open to all ages.
• Kids’ Activities and Free Face Painting: Free crafts and activities to keep the littles busy! Climb our Hay Mountain (elevation ~4.5 ft), get your face painted, or settle down for a moment and craft something new.
• Farm Owners & Seekers Meet & Greet: Do you have questions about the future of your farmland? Are you wondering how to even get farmland? Join TCD and other farmland succession professionals in an informal mixer to discuss your questions and concerns over cider and light snacks. We’ll start the mixer at noon inside the grange. RSVP to Tina at twagner@thurstoncd.com or (360) 764-6273 (text is fine) to let us know how many chairs we’ll need.
• Knife and Tool Sharpening: Bring your gardening tools and knives for a fresh sharpening from Mark’s Sharpening Service!
• Soil Sample Drop Off Location: Need to test your soil? Bring your sample to Harvest Festival! Check out our soil testing guidelines on our website.
• Eat and Boogey to Live Music: Come out to see Briar Finch, Carl Tosten, and Dear Crow play throughout the day. Lunch will be served by the Grange (please bring cash, check, or Venmo!). We will also have a coffee truck and baked goods from Blue Heron Bakery on site to purchase.
• Fall Native Bulb & Seed Pick up: Pick up your pre-ordered bulbs & seeds from 10-3 pm!

 Please spread the word! Follow us on FB or Instagram to learn more about our United in Conservation events happening throughout the first weekend of October, including a full-day Conference and a Farm-to-Table Harvest Dinner.

At Oct 14th’s EcoNet meeting (10am-12pm), join us at Wolf Haven to carve and fill pumpkins, and have a chance to see some of the wolves. Please bring a pumpkin or two (we’ll provide the filling) as well as your preferred carving tools.
🔖 RSVP at https://forms.gle/1Aiq2ny9EcVzoQoVA
🍁 Be prepared to likely be outside for carving (or in a cold garage).