On Saturday, July 9, Seattle Tilth’s Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour will visit fifty unique sites throughout the Seattle area to showcase backyard animals and gardens.
Seattle Tilth has been organizing this community event for over a decade, originally to encourage people to raise chickens in the city. Since then, the event has expanded in both topic and turf to include urban and suburban sites, as well as a wide variety of animals and agricultural practices.
In Ballard, tour participants will get a look at mini dairy goats, chickens, vertical growing, rainwater harvesting, and more.
"Having chickens is absolutely doable in Ballard," said Ballard resident Wendy Barrington.
Nicknamed "The Barrington Farms" by their neighbors, the Burlington family has a flock of five chickens that they keep in their garage which has been retrofitted into a coop.
"We have a pretty small backyard so we used what we had to accommodate the chickens and make it aesthetically pleasing," Barrington said.
Barrington said she always wanted to "own a farm in the city" and that her children, age 10 and 7, wanted chickens.
"You don't save money by having your own animals. You should do mostly for the fun," she said.
The family has five chicken, some of which they've raised since they were only two or three day old. The newest member in their coop was adopted around Christmas time from the Humane Society.
"She was our little christmas bonus," Barringtonn said. "Not a lot of people know that the Humane Society sometimes has chickens but there are a lot of predators for stray chickens in the city such as raccoons and dogs."
Barrington said she found that having chickens to be a lot easier than expected.
"It's easier than having cats and dogs," she said.
In addition to giving the family fresh eggs, Burlington said the chickens are affectionate.
"They're social and affectionate. They each have their own funny individual personality," she said.
Barrington said the chickens like to crawl all over the family's chocolate lab and the cat has learned to "not
mess with the chickens".
Ballard resident Ingela Wanerstrand, expert in edible garden designs and tree pruning, has been leading the way in the urban livestock movement for years.
In 2007, Jennie Grant of Madrona wrote to the Seattle City Council and formed the Goat Justice League. With the support of Councilmember Richard Conlin, Wanerstrand and 1,000 others who signed a petition joined Grant in convincing Seattle that goats were pets, and they were tacked onto the list of allowed domestic animals.
Wanerstrand is one of about 12 people in Seattle who keep goats and the only one in Ballard. She also has chickens and grows fruit and vegetables.
She became interested in mini dairy goats after she discovered that was allergic to cow's milk but can consume goat dairy.
She now milks her four goats daily for fresh milk and makes her own goat cheese as well.
"Fruit and animals are my passion," Wanerstrand said.
Wanerstrand has converted her backyard in an urban farm filled with fruit trees, animals and other edibles.
"It's fun and beautiful," she said.
Wanerstrand said keeping an urban farm is "totally doable".
"I manage to maintain a house, a business, and all my animals," she said, adding that it takes her 45 minutes to an hour every morning to milk and feed her pets as well as do some minor cleaning.
"It's all in the design," Wanerstrand said, which is where her expertise as a landscape designer comes in.
"You want to make it as low maintenance, beautiful and productive as possible."
She said it was relatively low-cost to build the goat-shed and chicken coop as she used all recycled materials and enlisted her friends to help build it with a building party.
Wanerstrand said the best things about goats and chickens is that "they're pets but also productive".
"It's hard to quantify the love I get from my cat but the goats and chickens give me eggs, milk, cheese, and fertilizer," she said.
For Seattleites who have been thinking about converting their backyards into mini farms, the Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour might be the perfect way to see how it's done. Tickets are $12 each, with discounts for groups and families and Seattle Tilth members.
2011年6月29日星期三
2011年6月22日星期三
Dexter bear hasn't crossed into Jackson County, but we've had our share of past bear sightings
A four-legged subject of fascination has been riling up residents of one of Jackson’s neighbors to the
east.
A black bear that was spotted roaming around the Dexter area has achieved somewhat of a celebrity status
in the town since the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office confirmed its presence there last week.
The animal has its own Twitter account, Facebook page and has sparked specials at local businesses,
despite pillaging property in the area and raiding a backyard chicken coop, according to AnnArbor.com.
The bear, apparently content with its Dexter fame, has not made its way west into Jackson County. There
have been no recent bear sightings in the county, according to the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources.
However, Jackson has had its share of vagabond bears.
A black bear with cubs was reported in Leoni Township in 2009, but the sighting was never confirmed by
authorities.
A year earlier state wildlife biologists attempted to trap a bear near the Waterloo Recreation Area so
it could be fitted with a radio collar and tracked. The bear was first sighted in Henrietta Township
then made its way over to Manchester, where it was spotted foraging in a potato field.
Wildlife biologists estimate Michigan has 15,000 to 19,000 black bears, mostly in the Upper Peninsula.
Bears can be seen between Mount Pleasant and St. Johns and are rarely spotted south of that area, but
have been moving deeper into the Lower Peninsula.
The DNR is urging people to avoid feeding or trying to attract the bear.
east.
A black bear that was spotted roaming around the Dexter area has achieved somewhat of a celebrity status
in the town since the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office confirmed its presence there last week.
The animal has its own Twitter account, Facebook page and has sparked specials at local businesses,
despite pillaging property in the area and raiding a backyard chicken coop, according to AnnArbor.com.
The bear, apparently content with its Dexter fame, has not made its way west into Jackson County. There
have been no recent bear sightings in the county, according to the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources.
However, Jackson has had its share of vagabond bears.
A black bear with cubs was reported in Leoni Township in 2009, but the sighting was never confirmed by
authorities.
A year earlier state wildlife biologists attempted to trap a bear near the Waterloo Recreation Area so
it could be fitted with a radio collar and tracked. The bear was first sighted in Henrietta Township
then made its way over to Manchester, where it was spotted foraging in a potato field.
Wildlife biologists estimate Michigan has 15,000 to 19,000 black bears, mostly in the Upper Peninsula.
Bears can be seen between Mount Pleasant and St. Johns and are rarely spotted south of that area, but
have been moving deeper into the Lower Peninsula.
The DNR is urging people to avoid feeding or trying to attract the bear.
2011年5月25日星期三
Keep presidential frauds out of State House
Keep presidential frauds out of State House
It is no longer safe to dress like a sheep to enter the chicken coop. You could be stripped to expose the rot in the deep recesses of your conscience.
Reform pretentions did not work for judges who wanted promotion as Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, with Judicial Service commissioners asking dreaded questions.
False pretences should not work for presidential frauds scheming for the Kibaki Succession. They can buy the loyalty of your MPs, but tell them you need more than mere handouts. Tell them you want your country freed from the stranglehold of the impudent.
Presidential aspirants should be similarly interrogated to expose integrity frauds masquerading as new generation saviours. Some presidential aspirants are children and beneficiaries of impunity.
Some are working for ‘impunists’ to reclaim the past. There is a coalition against change expected to come with full implementation of the new Constitution.
Panelists to interrogate presidential pretenders shall be you — the electorate — who often eat fruits of bad leadership. It is this poor leadership that causes infectious sadness. Famine, unemployment, disease, drought, inflation, ignorance, and impunity romp the countryside with the rage of a randy bull. Someone of courage must slay this beast of impunity.
You have a chance to probe reform credentials of this clutter of wannabe presidents. With the new Constitution, and especially Chapter Six placing a premium on integrity, there is a detergent to sanitise public consciousness for greater civic responsibility.
The electorate — you and I — must resolve to ban change frauds from State House. You have to respect this resolution by registering as a voter and making informed choices. A single vote for a national cause counts. It counts because popular vote for change begins with individual citizens who are conscious of their civic responsibilities. You develop a critical mass of change agents by mobilising right-thinking individuals to buy into the cause.
The 2002 election fraud is a good reminder. The con was possible because fundamental questions were not asked. Change of guard at the top did not translate into change of values. Wolves were allowed to dress in sheepskin with impunity. The same wolves are grooming wolverines for succession.
The dream of a rainbow nation working for the national good was hijacked. Many politicians changed coat during the 2002 election, pretending to be what they were not, with promises they did not intend to keep. They signed accords they trashed at the first opportunity. They thanked you on day one, but locked the doors on your expectations once they entered the citadel.
"I feel extremely happy to address you today. I am overwhelmed by your love. I am emboldened by your support and enthusiasm. I am thrilled by your sense of dedication and commitment. You have renewed my hope and strengthened my belief in the greatness of this country. Now, all of us, both young and old, men and women, Kenyans of every ethnic group, race or creed, have embarked on a journey to a promising future with unshakeable determination and faith in God and in ourselves."
Easier said than done. They may not even want you to remember the glowing gratitude to an electorate that, within weeks became victims of unexamined leadership choices.
The sacred cows
If corruption had been slain as pledged, and impunity banished as promised, justice would not be stealing sacred cows from our midst about ten years into a regime that promised a new beginning.
First justice came for the ‘Ocampo Six’ to answer changes related to 2007 post-election violence. And now it is seeking rendition of the ‘Jersey Two’ to answer to multiple corruption charges and causing power outages.
"Corruption will now cease to be a way of life in Kenya and I call upon all those members of my government and public officers accustomed to corrupt practices to understand there will be no sacred cows under my government."
The mess is there for everyone with eyes to see, and ears to hear, about a decade into the new beginning. You know history is littered with leaders who promise new beginnings but end up drawing inspiration from the past. Silas the albino monk of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code cannot be in a safer company.
It is you to decide whether to continue doing the same things the same way, and still expect different results. A people get the leaders they deserve. Several times bitten, we should know better.
The culmination of the greatest leadership fraud was the nation-wrecking violence that followed the mangled 2007 presidential election. Wolves had discarded sheepskins.
Status quo established its dominance, with security agencies defending party and ethnic interests. Impunity had stamped its authority. Corruption and abuse of office become the dominant ways of life.
There is hope the past could be locked out, with probity gaining momentum to wash out wet wax from the ears of the voting masses.
Rank outsiders are gaining acceptance as antidotes for impunity and the Judiciary could admit two fire-spitting reformers to the Bench. It is the turn of wananchi to interrogate reform credentials and integrity of politicians nursing presidential pretentions.
Never again should we allow ourselves to be manipulated.
Writer is The Standard’s Managing Editor, Quality and Production.
It is no longer safe to dress like a sheep to enter the chicken coop. You could be stripped to expose the rot in the deep recesses of your conscience.
Reform pretentions did not work for judges who wanted promotion as Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, with Judicial Service commissioners asking dreaded questions.
False pretences should not work for presidential frauds scheming for the Kibaki Succession. They can buy the loyalty of your MPs, but tell them you need more than mere handouts. Tell them you want your country freed from the stranglehold of the impudent.
Presidential aspirants should be similarly interrogated to expose integrity frauds masquerading as new generation saviours. Some presidential aspirants are children and beneficiaries of impunity.
Some are working for ‘impunists’ to reclaim the past. There is a coalition against change expected to come with full implementation of the new Constitution.
Panelists to interrogate presidential pretenders shall be you — the electorate — who often eat fruits of bad leadership. It is this poor leadership that causes infectious sadness. Famine, unemployment, disease, drought, inflation, ignorance, and impunity romp the countryside with the rage of a randy bull. Someone of courage must slay this beast of impunity.
You have a chance to probe reform credentials of this clutter of wannabe presidents. With the new Constitution, and especially Chapter Six placing a premium on integrity, there is a detergent to sanitise public consciousness for greater civic responsibility.
The electorate — you and I — must resolve to ban change frauds from State House. You have to respect this resolution by registering as a voter and making informed choices. A single vote for a national cause counts. It counts because popular vote for change begins with individual citizens who are conscious of their civic responsibilities. You develop a critical mass of change agents by mobilising right-thinking individuals to buy into the cause.
The 2002 election fraud is a good reminder. The con was possible because fundamental questions were not asked. Change of guard at the top did not translate into change of values. Wolves were allowed to dress in sheepskin with impunity. The same wolves are grooming wolverines for succession.
The dream of a rainbow nation working for the national good was hijacked. Many politicians changed coat during the 2002 election, pretending to be what they were not, with promises they did not intend to keep. They signed accords they trashed at the first opportunity. They thanked you on day one, but locked the doors on your expectations once they entered the citadel.
"I feel extremely happy to address you today. I am overwhelmed by your love. I am emboldened by your support and enthusiasm. I am thrilled by your sense of dedication and commitment. You have renewed my hope and strengthened my belief in the greatness of this country. Now, all of us, both young and old, men and women, Kenyans of every ethnic group, race or creed, have embarked on a journey to a promising future with unshakeable determination and faith in God and in ourselves."
Easier said than done. They may not even want you to remember the glowing gratitude to an electorate that, within weeks became victims of unexamined leadership choices.
The sacred cows
If corruption had been slain as pledged, and impunity banished as promised, justice would not be stealing sacred cows from our midst about ten years into a regime that promised a new beginning.
First justice came for the ‘Ocampo Six’ to answer changes related to 2007 post-election violence. And now it is seeking rendition of the ‘Jersey Two’ to answer to multiple corruption charges and causing power outages.
"Corruption will now cease to be a way of life in Kenya and I call upon all those members of my government and public officers accustomed to corrupt practices to understand there will be no sacred cows under my government."
The mess is there for everyone with eyes to see, and ears to hear, about a decade into the new beginning. You know history is littered with leaders who promise new beginnings but end up drawing inspiration from the past. Silas the albino monk of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code cannot be in a safer company.
It is you to decide whether to continue doing the same things the same way, and still expect different results. A people get the leaders they deserve. Several times bitten, we should know better.
The culmination of the greatest leadership fraud was the nation-wrecking violence that followed the mangled 2007 presidential election. Wolves had discarded sheepskins.
Status quo established its dominance, with security agencies defending party and ethnic interests. Impunity had stamped its authority. Corruption and abuse of office become the dominant ways of life.
There is hope the past could be locked out, with probity gaining momentum to wash out wet wax from the ears of the voting masses.
Rank outsiders are gaining acceptance as antidotes for impunity and the Judiciary could admit two fire-spitting reformers to the Bench. It is the turn of wananchi to interrogate reform credentials and integrity of politicians nursing presidential pretentions.
Never again should we allow ourselves to be manipulated.
Writer is The Standard’s Managing Editor, Quality and Production.
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