Events and past AccomplishmentsCommunity Food Assessment Report
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May 18 - 7 pm at Lee Metcalf Visitor Center - Native Bee Presentation and Workshop - led by Leah Grunzke, sponsored by SLS in partnership with the Bitterroot Audubon Society. Leah will present a slide show of flowers and native bee pollinators, going over the basics of pollinator gardening and habitat requirements (what types of flowers attract different pollinators, planting suggestions), the life cycle of native bees and how they differ from honeybees (in terms of biology, nesting, pollination, beekeeping, etc), and the specifics of building a variety of native bee nesting houses with handouts and a variety of bee hotels on display. She can also bring some mounted bees and some field microscopes to let people get a really good look at some of our common species. There will be booklets on bee identification to hand out.
Saturday, Sept. 20- Harvest Dinner and Pollinator Workshop - led by two native bee researchers, Marirose Kuhlman and Leah Grunzke. Held at the Corvallis grange, starting 5 pm. Lots of info re/ native bees given, pluse how to make bee hotels.
Events in 2013 (most recent first)
Events Accomplished 2011: (most recent first)
Sept 17, 9am - 4pm -SLS's Annual Bitterroot Green Home Tour (Guided Tour - w/ Vans) 4 homes, 1 business; viewing an Earthship under construction using a variety of techniques, also passive solar heating, solar power, strawbale, and ecological water systems, and a pyramid home/greenhouse. $10. Sponsored by: Home ReSource, GreenPath Properties, Birch Creek Timber, Oasis Montana.
Feb 26, 1:00 to 5:00 pm, Seed and Natural Products Swap & Sale and Music,at the Rocky Mtn Grange
Feb. 1 at 5:15 Bitterroot Food Cooperative steering cmte meeting at the RCEDA office talking about options for moving forward.
Oct 9 & 10 - Green Home Building Workshop and 'Root Food Dinner.
Events Accomplished 2009:
(most recent first)
Dec. 12, 7pm, Global Day of Climate Action re/ the Copenhagen Climate Conference - SLS
showing the movie/documentary: Food, Inc.at 1st Christian
Oct. 30, 7pm,6th Great Turning meeing -
Video: Killing Fields - about how GM soy is causing havoc in S. America
Sept. 19, 9:00 to 4:00-ish -Bitterroot Green Home Tour - a Guided tour - 5 homes all offering a variety of green capacities, including: passive solar heating, solar power, solar-water heating, earth berm and concrete block for thermal mass, composting toilets, recirculating gravel filter with wetland plants for gray water, local rock and strawbale construction, attached greenhouses, food storage and processing, R70 cellulose walls.
August 27, 7:00, Ham. Library-Herbicides in Compost or Potting Soil - Community Meeting There has been a rash of complaints this year about garden plants being killed after contaminated compost or potting soil was used. The herbicide Milestone is the culprit. SLS and the Fmrs Mkt Co-op are calling a meeting to collect stories, compile what we know, and identify the questions that need answers.
July 31,5th Great Turning meeting, Video "Home", potluck 6:00 pm; movie 7:00 pm. at the First Christian Church Meeting Room
July 20, 7:30 pm Baroque Orchestra Concert, at the Presbyterian Church, 1220 W. Main, Hamilton. Baroque Ensemble "BRANDHOUT"
June 12. 7:00 - 4th Great Turning meeting - book reviews and a video of Jill Bolte Taylor describing her "Stroke of Insight"
June 5. 7:30 - "Gentle Winds in the B'root" - Recorder concert by the Backyard Recorder Consort of Missoula
May 29, 7:00 - Bitterroot Food Co-op Annual Meeting - B'root Library
May 1, 7:00 - 3rd Great Turning meeting - discussion re/ these changing times - First Christian Church
April 23, Final Planning Meeting of CFP Coalition, to finalize the Strategic Plan for building a Local Food System. Visit
http://www.bitterrootvalleyfood.info/events.html to see the Plan in the Minutes of 4.23.09.
March. 27, 7:00 - 2nd Great Turning meeting - a public showing of the video: "Escape from Affluenza" organized by the Great Turning Group, with refreshments and discussion following.
Feb. 27, 7:00 - 1st Great Turning meeting- a public showing of "The Great Turning" video, an inspiring presentation by author David Korten about these troubled times and the solution is building local economies via local food and energy. At First Christian Church, 328 Fairgrounds Road, across from the high school. visit www.thegreatturning.net.
Monthly meetings of the CFP Coalition continued thru April when the Plan was established. See www.bitterrootvalleyfood.info
Events Accomplished 2008: (most recent first)
Monthly meetings of the CFP Coalition. See www.bitterrootvalleyfood.info
October 3 - 'Root Food for Sustainability
at the Hamilton City Hall - a local harvest dinner, fundraiser for SLS, silent
food auction, and educational event with speaker Bruce Smith speaking on
Food and What We are Doing About It". The board of SLS
prepared the dinner and it was raved about by all.
April 12 - Bitterroot Food Co-op - Members/Subscribers 1st Annual Meeting - at the Corvallis Grange
After eating, we elected a new 9 member board of directors, and adopted By-laws. This has enabled us to formally incorporate as a Cooperative Association and then we may "call in" the actual membership funds and begin implementing a new business plan.
Visit the Co-op Website for more information, the history of this project, and to download a subscription agreement.
Jan 31 -- Climage Change Video - - Five Planets:
Montanans at the Crossroads of Global Warming. Hamilton Libray meeting room - 7:00 p.m., The Five Planets Video, made in Missoula, relevant for Montana, entirely locally
produced, with experts, leaders
and individuals from around the state, including Dr. Steven Running, Nobel
will have a discussion after the one hour film.
Jan 26 - - Co-op Social – “Last Best Food” by the Bitterroot Food Co-op Team ~ ~
Bedford Bldg (Hamilton City Hall, 223 S. 2nd St.), 6:00 – 11 pm ($5.00 adults, $2.00 children)
A Local Food dinner, prepared by Riversong Catering, with local beer and wine available. Local acoustic music while dining by the Crested Hens, and Local dance music later by Blue Melon. A power point presentation and discussion about the Co-op.
Events Accomplished 2007: (most recent first)
Nov 3 - StepItUp #2 - National Day of Action for Climate Change
Two speakers, ½ hour each, followed by
social hour and live celtic music.
Oct '06 thru March '07: Our Buy Fresh Buy Local project hosted 5 speakers events on the topic of food, titled "Food & Culture Series". Food & Culture Series Poster
April 14 - StepItUp #1 - National Day of Action for Climate Change, first initiated by Bill McKibben, to send a message to congress about the need for decisive action re/ global warming. Contra Dance at Corvallis Grange, Sponsored by SLS and The Crested Hens.
March 25 Hamilton City Hall - Bill McKibben reading from his new book "Deep Economy".
Partner Sponsors: Chapter One Bookstore, Bitterroot Good Neighbors Coalition, SLS
March 29 - Hamilton Library - discussion about a Montana-based food system with "Grow
Montana" - a coalition of state-wide organizations working toward food security in the state.
Jan 29: Jill gave a talk on GMO's - How Life Works via Cells and How GMO's are Made - to the Gardeners Collective.
Events Accomplished 2006:
Video Series -Theme: Sustainable Communities - - a series of thought-provoking documentaries about us and our society.
To be shown at the Hamilton Public Library meeting room, 7:00 p.m.
Feb 8 - - WalMart, the high cost of low prices - effects on communities, and campaigns to keep them out.
Feb 22 - - Ancient Futures and Local Futures - Documentaries by Helena Norberg-Hodge about the impacts of globalization on undeveloped countries, focussing on Ladakh.
Mar 8 - - The Future of Food – a stunning documentary about GMO’s and the patenting of life.
Mar 22 - - OutFoxed - Rupert Murdoch’s domination of the press and war on free journalism.
Apr 5 - - The End of Suburbia - about the unsustainability of our fossil fuel society.
Apr 19 - - Affluenza - about excessive consumption and materialism, and why many seek voluntary simplicity.
May 3 - - Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals - why genetically engineered foods are dangerous, how biotech
companies drive regulations, and the positive impact of healthy foods on kids.
May 17 - - The Corporation - a provocative study of the inner workings, history, and power of the modern
multinational corporations, with testimonies from corporate insiders.
Nov/Dec - - Jeffrey Smith came to speak in 5 cities in Montana, with our help. He is a speaker and writer on GMOs in food and is the author of the book, Seeds of Deception, exposing industry and government lies about the safety of genetically engineered foods. He spoke in Great Falls, Helena, Bozeman, Missoula and Pable during November 28 through December 2.
Jeffrey Smith, Seeds of Deception
- Bitterroot Valley Food Co-op - steering committee meetings ongoing
- Conversation Cafe's - citizens sharing about creating a sustainable economy in our community, with monthly meetings since the first one in December of 2004. The tenth and last meeting was October, 2005
- Seed Grower's Network Meetings in January and March:
- Herbology Workshop - Saturday, July 9, at SLS, with Lisa Classen on the making of Comfrey Salve,
- Sustainability (Green Homes) Tour - Saturday, July 23, 2005 - This year it was a self-guided tour in the Bitterroot Valley and in Missoula, featuring strawbale, earthship, super-insulated, recycled materials, passive and active solar, alternative gray water.
- Permaculture Workshop - Saturday & Sunday, Sept 10, 11 - with Michael Pilarski from
Friends of the Trees Society (see our links page). Theme: Permaculture Design for Small Properties - Increasing Biological & Economic Productivity.
- Salsa Festival with potluck dinner and live music by the
Crested Hens - Saturday,
Sept 17 we made somewhere around 16 gallons of salsa in about 2 1/2 hours!
- New members meeting, volleyball & potluck - Thursday, July 8, 2004
- Building an Earthship Workshop - Saturday, July 24, 2004
- Bitterroot Green Homes Tour - Saturday, August 14, 2004.
- Salsa Fest - Saturday, September 18, 2004
- Spinning & Weaving Workshop - Tues & Wed, Oct. 5 & 6, 2004
- Biodiesel and Used Fry Oil Applications Workshop - Saturday., Oct 23, 2004
- Helena Norberg-Hodge to speak: Globalization versus Community
in Missoula, Nov. 17, 7pm, at UofM, Science Complex Rm 131
in Hamilton, Nov. 18, 7pm at The Exchange Conference Room, 3rd & Main
in Pablo, Nov 19, 1pm & 7pm at Salish Kootenai College, Beaverhead Bldg, Rm 115
- Conversation Cafe's - citizens sharing about creating a sustainable economy in our community. first meeting was Dec 2, '04,
- Bitterroot Valley Food Co-op
- 1st Co-op Organizational meeting: Dec 7, 2004, Corvallis Methodist Church.