April 2022 Newsletter
Earth Day
April 22-24, 2022
"Invest In Our Planet. What Will You Do?"
Friday, April 22
The Great Global Clean Up: 10am-noon, Manitou Park
Waste and plastic pollution harm wildlife and their habitat. Join fellow Naramatians as part of a worldwide campaign removing trash from our beaches, lakes, parks, rivers, and neighborhoods. Meet at Manitou Park at 10am to pick up a garbage bag and find an area to cover. We will have volunteers to guide people and pick up the full garbage bags. Be a part of this global initiative to remove contaminants and protect our lakes and streams.
Permaculture Garden presentation: 11am-2pm, 4th St. & Ellis
The Permaculture Farm Garden is a public space and community garden focused on observing and learning from nature while growing healthy food. The garden is a David Suzuki Butterflyway site, which recognizes and supports the garden’s efforts to provide habitat and food for pollinators and other species. This garden has won a national award, Greener Greenspaces, which showcase examples of ecologically-focused land care as a means to inspire others and to further the movement across Canada. Stop by the award winning permaculture garden and chat with a volunteer to see what's growing and get some gardening tips.
Planetarium presentations: shows running 4:00-6:15pm, Naramata School
BC Planetarium will be here with their mobile space simulation dome! They will be giving daytime astronomy presentations for students as well as evening sessions for the adults. Tour constellations, the Northern Lights, and go on a thundering rocket launch into Earth orbit before visiting planets, moons, comets, stars, black holes, and galaxies and learn why a dark sky is so important to the natural world. You’ll have lots of chances to ask questions and participate in live interactive portions of this tour with your presenter…all in 25-35 minutes!
Show Times:
4:00 pm
4:45 pm
5:30 pm
6:15 pm
(Ticketed Event – LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE)
Book your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/dark-sky-adventure-tickets-313944806367?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1
$10 per adult, kids 12 and under free when accompanied by paying adult
This presentation has been jointly sponsored by Naramata School Parent Advisory Committee and the NaramataSlow Community Group.
A look at the night sky: 9-10:30 pm, Manitou Park
Once the skies are dark, the public are invited to join Trey Wenger and Jane Kaczmarek from the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory for a chance to look at the stars and constellation through their telescope. This event is free, however, it is dependant on clear skies.
Saturday, April 23
Weed Pull: 9am, Manitou Park
Join the Naramata Citizens Association and Garden Club in this annual event as they get rid of burdock and other invasive weeds around the village. Bring your gardening gloves and meet at Manitou Park for instructions.
Tail Gate Swap N Shop: 10am-2pm, Manitou Park
Are you missing the annual Naramata Garage Sale? For just $5 you can set up and bring your garage sale items to Manitou Park for sale or swap. Sign up at naramataslow@gmail.com
Ellis Street 10am - 2pm
The Thrift Shop will be open during these hours to allow for bargains galore.
The Naramata Library will host fun Earth Day activities.
The Friends of The Library will have a book sale. All funds raised will be used to support library programs in your community.
The Naramata OAP will be selling hot dogs and drinks.
RDOS - OCP display and information on energy saving rebates.
FIRST THINGS FIRST/Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Display At Manitou
First Things First will be on hand at a booth with all sorts of interesting information about what they do along with a line up of electric and hybrid vehicles. Chat with vehicle owners to share their experience of owning an electric car.
Family Event - Birdhouse Building: 10am-2pm
Naramata Community Church lawn (inside if raining)
Bird houses courtesy of Penticton Home Hardware
Permaculture Garden Tours. 10:30am - 2pm
Visitors are welcome to drop-in, explore, and chat with the Garden Stewards about their adventures and on-going learning about growing food in partnership with nature.
Permaculture Garden Talk 11am - 11:30 am
Maybe you’ve noticed the garden space across from Columbia Hall and wondered about it? Catalina and Tomas will give a brief overview of its history, its theory, the stewardship, and the rewards of the Naramata Permaculture Farm Garden Community. This ecological journey is an exciting example of collaboration and synergistic relationships that build resilience.
A Speaker Series At The Church.
11 - 11:45 Tim Bouwmeester - ‘Those amazing bees’
12 - 12:45 Elaine Davidson - ‘Growing a meadow’
1 - 1:45 Kathy Davidson - 'First Things First'
THOSE AMAZING BEES
Tim shares his incredible knowledge about these important little creatures in our gardens.
Did you know that bees can give directions using the sun and a bee dance? Did you know that when bees are swarming, they’re relatively harmless? And did you know that without bees, we’d say goodbye to nearly one-third of the world's crops?
Two years ago, Tim gave us a fascinating peek into the incredible world of bees at a Seedy Sunday event. His talk was so interesting, we asked to bring him back for another talk about those amazing bees!
THE MAKING OF A MEADOW
Elaine Davidson, writer, blogger, backyard raspberry farmer and gardener extraordinaire shares her experience taking a bare patch of dirt to a Mother Nature's dreamland so full of life and colour.
From Elaine’s Blog (@naramatablendblog)
"10 weeks from planting to transform a bare patch of poor soil to a magical meadow alive with bees and birds…a sun kissed field of beauty…our making of a meadow project has been one of the most satisfying garden projects we have ever undertaken.”
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The mission of First Things First Okanagan is to promote awareness of climate change and work to find solutions for a better future.
We acknowledge that we live on the unceded traditional territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and value Indigenous ecological knowledge and worldviews.
We are named First Things First Okanagan because above all, we value preserving life on this planet through a respectful relationship with the natural world.
We have a responsibility to find local climate solutions that promote social and economic justice and stewardship of the environment.
We seek to advance climate action by working in a productive, cooperative and non-partisan manner.
Bike Tune up Demonstration: near Bike Park, Manitou Park
Freedom Bikes will be on hand showing you how to get your bike ready for the season. Time to be determined.
Used Clothing Sale: near Naramata Community Church
Did you know the fashion industry produces 100 billion garments annually – for 7 billion people on Earth? Yanti will be holding an extended used clothing sale at her usual spot behind the church.
Trash to Treasures:
Take part in an upcycled/recycled “Trash To Treasure” art show. All visual art mediums are welcome: sculpture, collage, murals, and more. Get creative at home by crafting a one of a kind art piece made almost ENTIRELY out of found/recycled objects! Entries will be on display on Saturday 23rd near the permaculture garden with a peoples' choice award. Register by emailing mynaramata@shaw.ca.
Musical entertainment will be provided at various locations along the route between Manitou Park and the church.
Sunday April 24th
Special Naramata Church Earth Day Worship. 10am. Columbia Hall.
Join us to celebrate and to reflect upon how we are called to care for creation. We will hear a presentation from First Things First, we will go on a silent prayer walk and we will offer prayers for the Earth. No church experience required. All are welcome!
Naramata Initiative to Reduce Food Waste
Did you know 58% of all food produced in Canada goes to the land fill?
With the cost of food rising exponentially and food security becomes a regular conversation, our food choices are becoming more important. However, we also realize life gets in the way and that perfect lettuce mix you purchased froze at the back of the fridge.
When food waste ends up in a landfill it produces methane gas which is 25 times more damaging the the environment than carbon dioxide. We want to reduce food waste in Naramata village with an alternative that contributes to the environment versus the landfill. Bringing your food waste to us continues to feed the food chain by using Mother Nature's natural recyclers (our pigs and chickens).
From April-October there will be bins for food waste at the bottom of the Bella Winery driveway, 4320 Gulch Road. Instructions as to how to leave your contributions will be provided on site.
*As we are feeding animals we have the following caveats:
~ Only fruit and vegetable waste (absolutely no protein). The fruit and veg can be bruised, over ripe, all shapes and forms, a little past its prime, but if the regenerative process has already started with lots of mold then the animals cannot have that.
~Obviously, please no elastic bands, twist ties/metals, store produce stickers, or other non-organic items on the fruit or vegetables.
~This is not compost - e.g. we prefer not. to caffeinate the animals with coffee grounds or paper.
~We will have a separate section for "other" which could include garden trimmings and weeds appropriate for animals.
The last two years we have had great success collecting kitchen trimming from three local Naramata village restaurants and this year we wanted to expand this program to individuals in the community who may be interested.
PLUS: In addition to the expansion of our food waste reduction program, this year we will also begin weighing how much we receive to measure how much food and garden scraps we actually recycled back into healthy soils by feeding farm animals!
Third and Final Survey Round for OCP
The final visioning survey for the Naramata Official Community Plan (OCP) Review is now open.
The goal is to measure your preferences between five stylized scanrios for the future of Naramata to help create the community vision.
To take the survey and get entered to win, please visit: https://bit.ly/3J8QAfh or visit us at the Earth Day event on Saturday, April 23, 10am-2pm by the Library and Thrift Shop in Naramata.
For more information, including paper copies of the survey, is available at: http//rdosregionalconnections.ca/area-e-ocp
Naramata Community Farmers Market
SAVE THE DATE!
The 2022 Naramata Farmers Market starts June 1st from 4-7pm at Manitou and all of us here at Naramata Slow are so excited for this year’s line-up of new and returning farmers, food vendors and artisans! More details on vendors and other exciting things happening at the market this season coming in the May newsletter…stay tuned and we can’t wait to see you there! For more information, contact us at naramataslowmarket@gmail.com
Kevin's Korner
What did Obi Wan Kenobi say to the tree on Earth Day?
May the Forest be with you.
Interested in getting involved?
Drop us a line at naramataslow@gmail.com
Follow Naramata Slow on Facebook and Instagram or visit NaramataSlow.com.
NaramataSlow is part of the International CittaSlow Society. Our goal is to raise awareness & create conversations around Naramata’s designation as a Cittaslow Community.
Naramata is only one of 3 communities in Canada to receive the Cittaslow designation from Italy.
