Fewer than 10% of monarch eggs and larvae will survive to become adult butterflies, largely due to predation of the larvae. Raising them in an indoor habitat boosts survival to rates well over 90%. Last year alone, instructor Stephanie Jordan rescued and raised more than 100 monarchs, as well as several other butterfly species, she found in the gardens of the Commonwealth community. In this pollinator babies workshop, learn where and how to look for eggs and larvae and how to support them as they go through their amazing transformation.

For more information or to register for the pollinator babies workshop, visit the CommonWealth Urban Farms Garden School page, or contact CommonWealth Urban Farms by email or phone (405-524-1864).

Instructor: Steph Jordan, Beekeeper and Farm Manager of Organic Gardens

Join the founders of the Oklahoma Monarch & Pollinator Collaborative, and pollinator champions from across the state, for Rewilding Oklahoma, a day-long symposium highlighting statewide successes in pollinator conservation.

The event will include presentations from pollinator partners across Oklahoma, including Okies for Monarchs, The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and more. Benjamin Vogt will deliver the keynote address and will be available to autograph copies of his newest book, “A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future”.

This event is for everyone, from the least to most experienced in pollinator gardening and large-scale land management. Guest speakers will dissect the “why” of traditional residential and urban landscaping and challenge us to re-think development design for people and pollinators. Okie experts will delve into trees, tribes, the tallgrass prairie, and even tourism, as they explore Oklahoma’s role today and tomorrow in saving the monarch butterfly and help all interconnected declining native species.

Registration includes a catered lunch from the Oklahoma City Zoo. Vendors from across the state will be on site with materials and ways to engage in pollinator conservation in Oklahoma. Early bird registration costs $60 and ends after July 28th.

For more information or to register, visit the Rewilding Oklahoma symposium website or contact Katie Hawk by email or phone (405-858-8557).

The call for proposals for the Southern SARE Professional Development Program 2020 is now open. The pre-proposal application deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST, August 30, 2019.

The Professional Development Program provides sustainable agriculture education and outreach strategies for Cooperative Extension Service personnel, Natural Resources Conservation Service staff and others who work directly with farmers and ranchers. Professional Development Program Grants are available to help further those education and outreach strategies.

Professional Development Program Grants are competitive grants that provide sustainable agriculture education and outreach strategies for Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other ag professionals who work directly with farmers and ranchers. PDP grants are SSARE’s train-the-trainer grants.

For more information, please refer to the Call for Proposals at http://www.southernsare.org/Grants/Types-of-Grants/Professional-Development-Grants.

This workshop, originally scheduled for June 6, was postponed until September 4 due to heavy rains and flooding in the Ponca City area.

Join the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and several conservation partners for the FREE “Simple Steps to Healthy Soil” workshop and lunch on September 4 in Ponca City.

Workshop topics will include learning about new grazing technology, and more specifically a Grazing App.

Producers will also learn about crop and grazing management for healthy soil and healthy food. This includes simple steps for better forage and crop management.

Plus, those attending will hear updates about USDA programs.

NRCS partners for the workshop include the Oklahoma Tribal Conservation Advisory Council (OTCAC) and other USDA agencies and conservation groups. The Kay, Noble, Pawnee and Payne Conservation Districts are the district partners for the workshop.

Conservation program discussions will be led by Farm Service Agency, National Agriculture Statistics Service, NRCS, and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, and others.

The workshop will be held on September 4 and will start at 11 a.m. at Pioneer Technology Center in the Seminar Room, located at 2101 N Ash in Ponca City, Okla., 74601. Pre-registration beings at 10:45 a.m.

RSVP to Carrie Otto by email or phone (580-722-3008).

RSVP by August 29

Join this free conservation workshop to learn more about:

• feral hog management
• soil health management
• farm recordkeeping
• USDA programs

Lunch will be provided.

The workshop will be held on September 5 and will start at 10:00 A.M. at the Choctaw Nation Community Center, located at 1203 W. Liberty, Atoka, OK 74525. Pre-registration beings at 9:30 A.M.

RSVP to Tonee Wolf by email or phone (580-775-5229).