FALL SYMPOSIUM
Adapting to Our Changing Climate
“Building a Better World, One Yard at a Time”
Learn to cope with and adapt to our warmer climate, and all the influences it has on how we garden.
The WSU Master Gardeners of Yakima County will present four experts who will share ideas and techniques to meet the challenges facing us.
Come to enjoy the comfort of the modern auditorium at Pacific NW University to hear what they have to say. Visit with them and with an assortment of exhibitors who share in your quest for knowledge on these topics.
Four interesting speakers
Exhibitors
Art and Floral Gift Raffle
Lunch
Debra Kroon
The Resilient Yard
Battling Climate Change at Home
This presentation introduces some simple steps to help homeowners with designing and maintaining their yard to battle climate change.
Topics discussed include climate change, lawn maintenance, garden bed design & growing veggies.
Tim Kohlhauff
Trees and Climate Change
Trees and other woody plants benefit the environment in our communities. They can reduce the cost of heating and cooling, improve property values, and even improve human health and wellness. As we confront the impacts of a changing climate, trees can help us build more resilient communities, even in urban areas. This talk addresses how trees can be a part of community planning to offset the impacts of climate change.
Debra Kroon joined WSU Yakima County Master Gardener in 2003. She has served in many capacities and roles, including two terms as the president of the Master Gardener Foundation of Yakima County. She is also a longtime member of Toastmasters International, currently serving as the Program Quality Director. She is also a past District Director (2020-2021) for District 9 Toastmasters, which encompasses all of Central and Eastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle and NE Oregon.
She describes herself as a gardener and advocate for pollinators, using her Toastmasters skills to educate others. Since 1995, she and her husband have been working tirelessly to create a pollinator haven and habitat on their small property in Terrace Heights. Debra enjoys sharing the importance of creating and sustaining pollinator habitat.
Debra retired from the State of Washington Department of Ecology from a career as a Geographic Information Specialist/cartographer.
Tim Kohlhauff is the Urban Horticulture Program Coordinator for WSU Extension, Spokane County. He has led the local Master Gardener volunteer program since 2012.
He is an adjunct instructor at Spokane Community College where he has taught Arboriculture, Advanced Arboriculture, and related classes. For 10 years, Tim was the arborist and assistant landscaper at the Spokane Country Club, now Kalispell Golf & Country Club.
He has been an ISA-certified arborist since 2004.
Kris Moberg-Hendron
Waterwise Landscaping
We all want to reduce our water bill and minimize the time required to maintain a beautiful landscape. This presentation will provide residents with clever ideas, helpful resources, and research-based information that will teach them how to create a handsome landscape, protect natural resources, and reduce maintenance chores using appropriate irrigation and plant choices. Topics will include turf removal, drip irrigation installation, and drought-tolerant plant choices.
Kaitlin Deardorff
Lawn Alternatives
Tired of all the water usage, lawn treatments, and weekly maintenance of a traditional turf lawn? Join us as we dive into the subject of lawn alternatives. Learn how to plan your space and plants, reduce your water usage, and find new functions for where your grass used to be.
Kris is a Washington State Naturalist and WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer in Spokane County. She encourages the use of waterwise plants in home landscapes to improve the local environment and reduce summer water use.
There is an amazing variety of local native plants that can be used in conjunction with ornamental favorites that create beautiful landscapes using a fraction of the resources required by traditional landscapes.
Kris loves sharing this information!
Kaitlin became a Master Gardener of Kittitas County in 2023. She received her Bachelors of Sciences in Biology with a specialization in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Central Washington University in 2015.
After graduation she worked for a non-profit fisheries restoration company where she assisted in various data collection and stream restoration projects.
In 2019 she became a stay-at-home mom to twin boys. She and her family are now working to build a small family farm in Ellensburg.
Kaitlin spends her time in the garden where she is working to apply permaculture and restoration practices to create her own edible paradise. Outside of the garden, Kaitlin enjoys reading, cooking, food preservation, and hiking.
Exhibit Hall
Visit with folks who share your interest in adapting to climate change.
When: Saturday, October 26, 2024 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Where: Pacific NW University, 2000 University Parkway, Yakima, WA
Cost: $60
Included in your registration:
- All 4 presentations
- Box lunch
- Raffle ticket for one of four valuable prizes (additional tickets available for purchase)
Thank you to all who have contributed to this event!
WSU Extension Master Gardener Program
Pacific NW University of Health Sciences
Master Gardener Foundation of Yakima County