The Extension Connection
Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
What’s Coming up in Extension?
Lawn to Prairie – June 20th 11am-12:30pm
Heavy Metal for a Cause
Explore Grasslands through Art
1st Quarter 2026 (Jan – Mar)
Inside this Issue:
- WSU Master Gardener & Master Recycler Composter Program
- Agriculture Program
- 4-H Youth Development Program
- WSU Water Resources and Native Plant Salvage Program
WSU Master Gardener & Master Recycler Composter Programs
Cori Carlton & Jenni Post
Master Recycler Composter (MRC) training graduation day.
Master Recycler Composter Training for new volunteers started in October 2025. Since then, they have been participating in monthly classes and field experiences. On March 20 they graduated from the classroom portion of their training. They will become certified volunteers after their 25 hours of community service is completed.Congratulations to our new Master Recycler Composter Interns!
Volunteers have been busy in the gardens with spring garden tasks. In March two new arbors were installed at the Olympia Farmers Market – Gallacci Garden. We would like to thank Lakeview Contractors, Inc., for their generosity as they donated all the materials and labor for this project. The next time you’re at the Olympia Farmers Market be sure to check them out.
Volunteers have been serving at community events sharing gardening and waste reduction information. Some highlights include the Lacey Cultural Celebration, Thurston Conservation District Native Plant Festival, and Fred Meyer Fuchsia Saturday. We also hosted a weekend of Q & A clinics at the Capital Mall and held a workshop at REI. Our events schedule for 2026 is posted on our website. You can also email any questions to us at master@co.thurston.wa.us
The Master Gardener Foundation of Thurston County twice a month plant sales began in April and runs through October. Visit the Master Gardener Foundation webpage for more information.
Community engagement events were the top priority for the Ag team January through March. On March 17th, we joined with the Board of County Commissioners and community ag partners to recognize 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, March 20th as Frog Day and March 24th as National Ag Day. Later that month we convened an advisory committee meeting at the County-owned, WSU-managed Early Blue prairie. We refined management plans to demonstrate grazing and prairie habitat integration. And recently we welcomed a herd of Belted Galloway cattle for the spring grazing season in collaboration with partner business Weeping Willow Ranch.
A lot of our spring work has focused on the 2026 SW Washington Grazing School, which was sold out again. We had 30 great students from around western Washington, and put in about 60 hours together over four days at the Skookumchuck Grange and Riverbrook Ranch for this hands-on course.
In the months ahead we’ll be initiating projects on 16 farms in the region with funding from the Sentinel Landscapes program and in collaboration with Thurston Conservation District, Ecostudies, the USFWS Partners program, and Agroforestry NW; with a focus on increasing grassland diversity and resilience.
Agriculture Program
Annie Salafsky, Sierra Smith, Taylore Straight, Amanda Leoni, & Stephen Bramwell
4-H Youth Development Program
Kris Shackley
In January, 4-H Dog Project members participated in Pawlympics, a fun-based dog knowledge bowl event focused on teamwork, leadership, and hands-on learning. Youth competed in mixed-age teams led by senior members, giving younger participants the chance to learn from experienced leaders while building confidence and communication skills. Teams rotated through engaging challenges including an anatomy relay, a dog-themed escape room, and a Jenga trivia game that tested canine knowledge in a fun and interactive way. Members also practiced oral reasons, ranking fair favorites—kettle corn, curly fries, cotton candy, and pizza.
Justin Grimm, President of the Nisqually River Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), visited the Thurston County 4-H Shooting Sports Club’s February meeting, focusing on our “almost national bird”. Justin discussed biology, habitat, conservation and threats facing wild turkeys. He also provided information on hunting tactics and taught the youth to “talk turkey” on pot calls the youth made themselves. Everyone learned how to make various sounds from their glass or slate topped calls, including clucks, purrs and yelps. The youth will use this skill during the upcoming spring hunting season, as well as the Thurston County Youth Turkey Calling Contest at the 2026 Thurston County Fair.
In March, 4-H poultry project leaders hosted a Youth Poultry Clinic. The 40 4-H youth who attended learned about overall poultry health, nutrition, brooding hens and hatching chicks, and judging and knowledge contests. They also practiced showmanship and learned how to prepare for poultry shows and the upcoming Thurston County Fair.
One arm of the WSU Water Resources/Habitat Program is the “Native Plant Salvage Project,” which launched in 1994 with volunteers eager to make use of plants in our local forests prior to clearing for new development. Each year, community members look forward to spending weekends in February and March — when the plants are dormant and therefore easier to transplant — supporting this effort. While volunteering, most participants also gather native plants for their own local projects: making their landscape more sustainable, creating learning landscapes at schools or local churches/houses of worship, and along public waterways that they steward as volunteers.
This program depends on the support of our local development community, and this year our program collaborated with two Thurston County land developers to recover small native plants prior to clearing for new construction. Over 250 community members volunteered for both digging the plants and potting them at the WSU/Native Plant Salvage Foundation nursery so they will be available for future use.
The plant species rescued from these projects change each year, depending on what is available and successfully transplants from the sites where we have permission to work. Volunteers save as many as they can, including common species of trees, shrubs, trees, ferns, perennials, and even mosses. Each year, a few thousand plants are rescued, with the majority going home with volunteers for them to put out into the community projects that are helping create wildlife habitat while displacing invasive plants; slowing and cleaning stormwater; recharging groundwater; protecting local waterways; and demonstrating both the resilience and beauty of native plants in our landscapes!
New volunteers are always welcome! Explore learning resources and sign up for classes or volunteer events on the Native Plant Salvage Foundation webpage.
WSU Water Resources & Native Plant Salvage Program
Erica Guttman
