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Meeting Minutes: March 10, 2020

Seed Savers 3/10/20 Meeting

 

Attendees: Pat Sullivan, Caroline Burch, Jen Ryan, Jessica Tatro, Sharon Wyrrick, Larry Potvin, Joseph Tracy, Stephen Greene, Helen Fields, Priscilla Tracy, Jane Potvin, Ruth West, Deb Darling.

 

  1. Slide show of last year
  2. Green-Up Day May 2, 2020 – 50th anniversary
  3. Seed Savers will have tables:
  4. Around start of time for Building Community Group to gather ROCKS for new town sign and benches, filled with stone rocks from Stamford, and will be collected.

NOTE: Pre-Green-Up Day program at library, Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 “Climate change and the future New England Forest”  Henry W. Art Director, Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College, Robert F. Rosenburg Professor of Biology & Environmental Studies, Emeritus

  1. Community Supper will be Saturday, 8/29/20   “HarveStamford Community Supper”

.      Possibility of a tent to be borrowed

  1. Financial report: $600
  2. Pat says Ben and Jerry’s gives grants for $500  or more. BCG asked $4000.
  3. We will also apply for another NEGEF grant. What direction do we want to take?

.      c. We did not get VCGN grant this year

  1. Joseph: can we ask for a grant to educate our members going to Permaculture workshops?
  2. Activities this year:

.      Annual seed swap event: popular, interactive, picked up a few new people,

  1.         We are not really saving seeds, but giving them away
  2.         We have a good file cabinet for the town foyer donated by Pam Tworig

iii.        Joseph: original idea is to save seeds and build a local seed bank; that is an important idea; we can see how quickly food distribution might be seriously disrupted; Joseph and Stephen will work on this as a project. They will look at seeds that are hardy for northern climates.

  1.         Larry has been purchasing heirloom non gmo organic seeds; he doesn’t know how to save seeds; he wants to learn to do that. We have books; Stephen has done one workshop; Sat 3/14 @ 1pm – ?
  2.         DATE: 4/4/20: Deb, Helen, Caroline, Priscilla; we need someone to ask for more seeds
  3.         Okay to put garlic in NOW
  4. 5/2 and 5/9 for workdays to continue building toolshed and getting beds prepared
  5. Classroom activities: end of April and then June: Jessica will help plan this
  6. Other workshops

.        Charlemont school ag teacher agreed last year; field trip possibility?

  1.         Joseph would want to manage a permaculture movie event
  2.         Several monthly series of film seminar on food security; April, May June July; Joseph and Stephen will figure out dates and movies
  3. Jen will ask the new chef if she is interested in preserving the harvest
  4. Larry and Joseph like the idea of preserving food by fermentation and dehydration
  5. Deb: gardening 101 early in season; during seed swap!
  6. Jane suggested Sharon do a pest control workshop
  7. Distributed garden beds

.        Need to do your garden in your own yard; do we want to teach and set people up at home.help with putting it together and planning and start it. Get them to purchase the parts first.

  1. Next meeting 3/26 at 6 pm in Town Library.