NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, May 20.
FORKS — Clallam Conservation District’s conservation efforts will be the topic of tonight’s Evening Talk at the Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks.
Jennifer Bond, who has served as a conservation planner with the district for the past 15 years, will speak about its programs, services and projects at 7 tonight in the Hemlock Forest Room at the center at 1455 S. Forks Ave.
Admission is free. Refreshments will be served and a dessert potluck is encouraged. The conservation district is generally viewed by partners as a quiet underdog with a reputation of getting the job done, according to Bond.
The district is not part of Clallam County government but instead is a non-regulatory subdivision of state government and operates primarily on grants.
The district has helped its partners with securing grant funding, technical and engineering expertise and project management for conservation programs and projects throughout the county.
Because it has no regulatory power, the district relies solely on cooperative relationships with farmers and landowners for all conservation efforts.
The district administers several grant programs designed to offset the cost associated with installing best management practices such as constructing fencing to keep livestock away from streams and wetlands. A cost-sharing program has been established recently to help homeowners install new onsite septic systems to replace failing systems that are posing a pollution risk to Dungeness Bay.
Other programs include farm planning assistance, on-site consultations, soil testing, low-impact development, natural landscaping, storm water management, water pollution identification and correction, and a variety of educational events throughout the year.
One of the district’s better-known programs is the annual native plant sale, which typically occurs on the first Saturday in March.
The pre-order sale provides bare root native trees and shrubs at a low cost.
The district was established in 1959 and is governed by a five-member volunteer board composed of local landowners.
Bond primarily assists horse and livestock owners in developing conservation plans for their properties, guiding landowners through best-management practices.
Bond also organizes educational events to promote best management practices and assists with the Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) program that identifies and remediates water pollution problems.
A 1996 graduate of Port Angeles High School, Bond earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Gonzaga University.
Prior to joining the Clallam Conservation District, she worked as a field biologist for the United States Geological Survey, focusing on salmon research in the Snake and Columbia rivers and as research biologist for Washington State University in Prosser. Evening Talks at ONRC is funded through the Rosmond Forestry Education Fund.
For more information, contact F. S. Hanson at fsh2@uw.edu or 360-374-4556.
