Valley City  (Chamber) A water trail with accessible landings from the north end of Lake Ashtabula covering 199 contiguous river miles to the east end of the Sheyenne National Grassland- that’s the goal of the Sheyenne River Water Trail Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of partners of the Sheyenne RiverFest in response to the interest of paddlers to have an organized trail with safe landings along the scenic Sheyenne River. The Advisory Committee has been meeting for almost two years putting together grant applications and a water trail management plan. Grant awards of almost half a million dollars are bringing the trail into reality. Funds will be used to enhance existing landings by adding amenities and to create additional landings that will provide designated routes ranging from 1 – 8 hour paddle times.

Designated routes will provide varying degrees of difficulty with the goal of providing a unique recreation opportunity for all users. A tentative plan is ready and the Advisory Committee is looking for input from the public and also in gauging interest in forming a paddle group at two meetings at the end of the month. Meetings will include a presentation of the trail and group discussion. The first meeting was held  at Fort Ransom State Park Visitor Center on March 29th at 7pm.  For more information contact vcmarylee@gmail.com or call 701-840-1580. 

Past topics covered:

Feb. 16: Turn any Balcony, Patio, or Small Space into a Vegetable Garden – Don Kinzler, Extension agent – horticulture, NDSU Extension – Cass County Feb. 23: Tips on Growing a Great Vegetable Garden – Tom Kalb, Extension horticulturist, NDSU March 2: Good Gardening Practices: Safe and Healthy Produce – Barbara Ingham, professor and Extension food safety specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison March 9: Honey: Safety and Use – Shannon Coleman, assistant professor and Extension food safety specialist, Iowa State University March 16: Let’s Not Waste Food: From Storing to Composting – Julie Garden-Robinson, professor and Extension food and nutrition specialist, NDSU March 23: Share the Bounty: Gardening to Fight Hunger in Our Communities – Esther McGinnis, associate professor and Extension horticulturist.

NDSU March 30: Developing Safe Food Products – Byron Chaves-Elizondo, assistant professor and Extension food safety specialist, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Upcoming Topics:

April 6: Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden – Janet Knodel, professor and Extension entomologist, NDSU April 13: Farm to School: Getting Started and Best Practices – Londa Nwadike, Extension associate professor and food safety specialist, Kansas State University and the University of Missouri, and Anna Barr, South Dakota State University Extension farm-to-school nutrition field specialist April 20: Preserving Food Safely: Home Food Preservation. Update – Karen Blakeslee, Extension associate, Kansas State University North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension again will host the Field to Fork “Wednesday Webinar” series.  Experts from across the region will provide information about growing, preserving and preparing specialty-crop fruits and vegetables safely in this seventh annual webinar series that has reached thousands of people. The webinars will be held online from 2 to 3 p.m. Central time through April 20. They also will be archived for later viewing; however, participating in the live webinar allows participants to interact with the presenter. The webinars are free of charge but preregistration is required. The webinars will be held on Zoom.

The NDSU Extension Field to Fork website (https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/fieldtofork) has a link to register for the webinars. Participants will be sent sign-in reminders with the link for viewing if they are unable to attend. “We are pleased to have faculty from several universities providing this learning opportunity for people across the region,” says Julie Garden-Robinson, NDSU Extension food and nutrition specialist. “This is an ongoing collaborative effort with the North Central Food Safety Extension Network.” This project is made possible with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. To register, visit NDSU Extension’s website at www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/events/2022-field-fork-webinar-series or contact Garden-Robinson at 701-231-7187 or julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu.