Natural Connections July
Join us for Natural Connections on Saturday, July 22. Come for the full event or just stop in for the portions that interest you.
This month’s event will be inside due to high outdoor temperatures.
Here is our schedule for the day:
10 AM: Connecting via Two-Way Radio
Even if the internet and cellular phones fail, you can still connect with your neighbors or across county or state lines (and even with other countries). From walkie-talkies to ham radio gear that can reach around the world, the tech of radio has never been more accessible and affordable. FRS, GMRS, MURS, Ham… which of this alphabet soup is the right radio service for you? Come learn some of the options, see expert demonstrations, and get hands-on experience communicating on two-way radio.
Presentation and interactive demonstrations facilitated by members of:
Bonner County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®)
ARES is a corps of trained amateur radio operator volunteers organized to assist in public service and emergency communications.
Bonner County Emergency Management (BCEM)
BCEM provides for the coordination of disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery activities on behalf of all Bonner County agencies. In coordination with the Sheriff’s Office, BCEM develops and maintains Public Safety procedures to provide communications and warning support when requested.
Bonner County Amateur Radio Club (BCARC)
BCARC is a club of amateur radio hobbyists and provides communication support for such local events as the annual Lion’s Club 4th of July Parade and the Long Bridge Swim.
12 PM: Water! Slow it, Spread it, Sink it.
Dive into the lubricant of life, water! Explore strategies and techniques to harvest, manage, utilize and preserve our most precious natural resource.
Water is arguably the most essential element in our world, and without it, life as we know it would not exist. Despite that fact, it is taken for granted by large swathes of our current civilization and by civilizations past, often to their detriment. It is presenter Ryan Oeschger’s belief that through individual empowerment, observation and appropriate actions we can become the pebbles that send ripples through the proverbial pond and be the example for an ethical and regenerative relationship with our most precious resource.
We will explore a variety of water management strategies and techniques to capture, distribute, utilize, enhance and conserve water. This presentation is meant to inspire and empower homesteaders, ranchers, backyard gardeners, broad acre farmers, municipal planners, landscapers, foresters and enthusiasts of liquid life. Topics will include water cycles, rainwater catchment, grey water systems, earthworks, soil building and more.
About the presenter:
Ryan Oeschger of Breakaway Design has been practicing permaculture and designing regenerative human ecosystems since 2018 when he received his Permaculture Design Certification from Alan Booker at Wheaton Labs in western Montana. His path into a regenerative mindset started in professional kitchens where his love for great food turned into a quest for the highest quality ingredients he could find. After much research he had determined that almost nothing available met his standards as the consolidated systems of distribution favored uniformity and quantity over quality and nutritional density.
Disenchanted by the increasing industrialization of the food system he realized that taking responsibility for the nourishment of his family and himself was the only way forward. His desire for clean healthy food led him to the world of permaculture where he discovered the tools he needed to make his idealistic vision a reality.
Ryan now lives with his family on a small homestead in North Idaho where he is co-creating, with nature, a regenerative human ecosystem that will provide the highest expression of nourishment, wellbeing and quality of life possible for generations to come. His desire to spread the knowledge he has gained led him to help others design and plan their own versions of paradise.
“It’s a long road to become truly regenerative, it goes way beyond sustainability, but the desired outcome will change the way we relate to each other, ourselves and the world we inhabit. We cannot count on someone else to do it for us, we have to do the hard work and be at peace with the fact that we will not likely see the fruits of all our effort, but our descendants will and their lives will be all the better because of it.”
2 PM:
Meet The Medicine All Around You: Discovering & Engaging North Idaho’s Medicinal Plants
Learn about the medicinal herbs, aromatics, and trees growing in North Idaho, discover some of their properties and applications, learn how they are prepared/processed for medicinal use, and experience their many expressions from fresh & dried plant material to infused oil, essential oil, and hydrosol. Take a tour of the Library garden to discover what common plants are growing in the garden that have medicinal value and then create your own spray to take home.
About the presenter:
Kristina Bauer has engaged herbs, oils, aromatics, crafts, and creation with curiosity, wonder, and a maker’s spirit since her first enchantment with chamomile in her grandmother’s garden. While she identifies first and foremost as an alchemist and creatrix, Kristina is most easily recognized as the grower, distiller, formulator, and facilitator behind Untamed Alchemy’s natural botanical skincare products, herbal/ aromatic formulations, farm gardens, and workshops; she has engaged herbalism, aromatherapy, and intentional relationship with nature for over thirty years.
