Introduction to Mushroom Identification
Dean Mullen
Fee: $109, 4 classes
Wednesdays: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
August 19 and August 26 (lectures)
Saturdays: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
August 22 and August 29 (field trips)
This is an introductory course on how to identify wild mushrooms. Students will learn about the delicious, gourmet mushrooms that grow wild in the San Juan Mountains, and the inedible mushrooms that should be avoided. Wednesday classes will view the mushrooms being hunted and Saturday field trips will take you to locations in the San Juan’s where Dean knows many of the good spots for collection. Discussion will include how to best preserve and cook the bounty! Dean Mullen is a Fort Lewis College graduate with a degree in Environmental Biology and a special interest in the use of fungi in bioremediation. He is an avid mushroom hunter and will share knowledge from other generous ‘fungiphiles’.
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Sustainable Living Now
Lissa Ray
Fee: $129, 8 classes
Mondays, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
September 14 – November 2
Choices we make today are shaping the world of tomorrow. How can we create the most sustainable society for ourselves and future generations? Explore the meaning of sustainability, consider ties between lifestyle choices and their impact on the earth, and learn steps to move toward ecologically sustainable communities and lifestyles. In addressing this critical subject matter, we will utilize materials from the Northwest Earth Institute as a course guide (a $20 workbook is included in the fee). The Northwest Earth Institute is recognized as a national leader in the development of innovative programs that empower individuals and organizations to transform culture toward a sustainable and enriching future. Guest speakers involved with local businesses and organizations will present information and workshops on actions that can be taken now to pursue a more sustainable future. Lissa Ray is a former public school teacher, a member of the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado and a certified Native Plant Master.
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Backyard Beekeeping
Katrina Blair, MA
Fee: $89, 4 classes
Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
September 15 and September 22 (lectures)
Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
September 19 and September 26 (field trips)
(Field Trips at Turtle Lake Refuge Organic Farm School - CR 205, and Honeyville)
This is a great time to learn about beekeeping because it is honey harvest time. This course will offer basic organic beekeeping skills. The lecture classes will meet at FLC and the field trip classes will be held at Turtle Lake Refuge and Honeyville. We will cover general knowledge about bees, their life cycles and community interactions. We will learn how to set up and manage the hives, collect a swarm of bees, and harvest honey. This course will also cover how to create a healthy ecosystem that supports bee colonies' ability to thrive, in addition to what flowers and plants are important for pollen, and bee forage. Recommended textbook, The How to do it Book of Beekeeping, by Richard Taylor. Katrina Blair grew up in Durango, and received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Colorado College. She received her Master's from JFK University in Orinda, CA, in Holistic Health Education. She founded Turtle Lake Refuge, a non-profit in Durango in 1997 with the mission to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands. She is the author of Local Wild Life - Recipes for Living Deep. She is passionate about the healthy ecosystem that is essential for bee health and has been a backyard beekeeper for many years. She also teaches a Sustainable Development/ Practices class at JFK University and San Juan College in Farmington, NM. For more info, go to: turtlelakerefuge.org
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Introduction to Permaculture
Chris Ricci
Fee: $79, 4 classes
Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 17 - October 8
Permaculture is the conscious design of living, sustainable systems. In this course, we will learn how to work using nature as a model and implement integrated solutions to local and global problems. After gaining a firm understanding of permaculture principles we will look at applications in energy, weather, soil and water systems. This includes wild and cultivated plants and animals, architecture, economics, and community building for the benefit of our homes and society. Specific topics include whole house, yard and farm design, passive solar, rainwater harvesting, perennial polycultures and food forests. This class may include field trips. Chris Ricci earned his B.A. in Mathematics at Colorado College, and received his permaculture training from Penny Livingston and Starhawk at the Permaculture Institute of Northern California. He has taught permaculture in Durango and throughout the U.S., as well as in southern and eastern Africa. He is a passionate permaculture practitioner, mycologist and co-director of Culture Brothers, a local non-profit dedicated to teaching permaculture worldwide.
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Autumn in the Garden
Alison West-Scarpella
Fee: $89, 4 classes
Mondays, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
September 21 and September 28 (lectures)
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
September 26 and October 3 (field trips)
Are you puzzled as to what to do for your gardens in the Fall? This introductory course focuses on autumn in the garden. We will discuss fall pruning techniques, fall planting, cutting back of perennials, and overall putting your gardens to rest for the winter. Alison West-Scarpella has owned a local landscaping company, Down to Earth Gardening and Landscaping, for 9 years. She is a graduate of Fort Lewis College and a Colorado Master Gardener. Alison has several years of gardening & landscaping experience in the Durango area prior to owning her own company.
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Landscape Geology of the Greater Durango Area
Jeff Brame
Fee: $169, 5 classes
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (lectures)
September 22 - October 1
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (field trip)
October 3
The Durango Colorado area exhibits a fascinating variety of landscape scenery which is largely a function of the area’s underlying geology and geologic history. These scenic wonders have been created by the interaction of earth materials and earth processes over hundreds of millions of years. The objective of this course is to enhance your appreciation of the area’s landscapes by providing a basic knowledge of the geology behind the scenery. The course includes eight hours of classroom instruction and a one day geological field trip. Classroom handout materials and a field trip guide will be provided. Jeff Brame is owner and chief geologist of Brame GeoScience, LLC, in Durango. He has BS and MS degrees in geology and has been a working geologist for 32 years. Jeff has taught several courses on the geology of the Four Corners area, conducts La Plata County geological hazard surveys, consults to various oil companies, and leads geological seminars and field trips.
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Xeriscape Workshop
Cathy Cowles, Master Gardener
Fee: $45, 2 classes
Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
September 22 – September 29
Tired of high water bills and noisy lawnmowers? It might be time to give your yard a makeover! Learn how to design, install and maintain a landscape appropriate for the Durango area: one that uses water responsibly, is easy to maintain, suits your needs and is beautiful, too. This two-part class consists of an introduction to Xeriscaping (water-conserving landscaping) and a hands-on workshop where students will plan and design a water-wise landscape project. Cathy Cowles has gardened from sea level to above 10,000’. She is a Colorado Master Gardener, and has studied at the California School of Garden Design. She runs Funny Farm Garden Services and Cathy Cowles Landscape Design in Durango, Colorado.
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Food Safety 101
Kathy Bulow-Cohen, MS, REHS
Fee: $49, 2 classes
Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 23 – September 30
Yuck!!! I didn’t know that!!! This class will give you insights about how to keep you and your family safe and healthy in your kitchen. Helpful hints and interesting facts regarding food safety will be discussed. Information will include: proper holding temperatures for cold and hot food, pathogens, prep time and the #1 cause of food-borne-illness, among other topics. Bring a strong stomach for this class! Kathy Bulow-Cohen is a former health inspector and trouble-shooter for Los Angeles County Department of Environmental Health. She conducted over 3,500 restaurant inspections and numerous food-borne-illness complaints. She is also a Registered Environmental Health Specialist.
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Community Action Workshop:
Grassroots Solutions Leading to Sustainable Economic Recovery
Ali Sabeti
Fee: $49, 4 classes
Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
September 29, October 20, 27, and November 3
This class is designed to be an interactive community action workshop that will implement solution processes within the class itself. Students will have a two-week break after the first class to think about solutions for the issues raised in that class. The next 3 classes will include a joint effort to discuss and implement solutions about how to make changes in our individual lives, neighborhoods, and community. Theories abound in the present times about how to save the Earth and provide food, energy and other resources for the 6.5 billion people who share our planet, and achieve sustainable economic recovery in America. A simple and overlooked solution is the management of the excessive waste we generate with everything from print cartridges and computers to plastics, food and home furnishings. We are literally buried in our own waste, or “dirty gold” as some nations are beginning to call it. Waste is a resource, and there are economic savings, global ramifications, career developments and job creation that will literally impact the world on all the levels. For example, enough aluminum is put in the landfills in the U.S. every three months to completely rebuild the entire U.S. commercial airline fleets without much thought for productive use. This workshop will give students graphic awareness of the impact of waste on the world, how it impacts the lives of people here and around the globe, and provide interactive sessions and find solutions, both at home and in a broader context. Preserving and creating a world that can sustain quality of life for our children and grandchildren is the goal, and nothing is more critical than changing our consumer mindset to one of waste awareness, utilization, management, and responsibility. This may very well be the most important class you will ever take in your lifetime. Ali Sabeti is a retired World Bank senior staff who has a global view of the issues facing our planet. His global exposure and experiences give him a view of the bigger picture, which he is passionate about sharing with others for the sake of future generations.
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Sustainable Life Practices
Katrina Blair, M.A.
Fee: $159, 7 classes
Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
September 29 – November 3 (lectures)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
October 17 (field trip at Turtle Lake Refuge Organic Farm School - CR 205)
This course will focus on the practical application of techniques for sustainable living. Sustainable living includes the long-term health of the individual, the community and the planet. We will learn how to build a solar food dehydrator, how to sprout and grow green produce indoor year round in our own homes, how to create and maintain an indoor worm composting bin. We will explore alternative fuels and bicycle powered appliances. This course will include the study of greenhouse and cold frame design, bicycle powered appliances, and green home building techniques. We will also cover the basics of permaculture and learn about the health benefits and global sustainability impacts of eating living, local and wild foods. Katrina Blair grew up in Durango, and received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Colorado College. She received her Master's from JFK University in Orinda, CA, in Holistic Health Education. She founded Turtle Lake Refuge, a non-profit in Durango, in 1998 with the mission to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands. She is just finished writing Local Wild Life - Sustainable Ways and Wild Foods of the Southwest. She has been teaching the class Sustainable Development/ Practices at JFK University and San Juan College in Farmington, NM, for the last 6 years. For more info, go to: turtlelakerefuge.org.
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Fermentation 101
Michael Freeman
Fee: $59, 2 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
October 6 - October 13
Microorganisms are our ancestors and allies helping transform food and extend its usefulness. Fermentation is found throughout human cultures and helps people stay healthy. Did you know coffee and chocolate are fermented foods? This is an introductory course on how to make fermented food and drink. Students will learn about basic fermenting history, biology, and general uses. Hands-on activities will include making Honey Mead, Kimchee/Sauerkraut, Kombucha, Vinegar and more (student materials are included in the fee). Michael Freeman graduated from Illinois State University with a B.S. in Environmental Health and was a student of the first Permaculture Design Teacher Training at Esalen Institute. He has led workshops in Durango, Fiji, and Jamaica and is Co-Director of Culture Brothers, a local nonprofit dedicated to teaching permaculture worldwide.
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Mushroom Cultivation
Chris Ricci
Fee: $79, 3 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
October 6 – October 20
A jar of oyster mushroom spawn ($10 value) will be provided to each student as part of this class. This is an introductory course on how to grow gourmet mushrooms at home. Students will learn about fungal tissue culture, spawn production, bulk substrates and fruiting techniques. We will also discuss mushroom cookery (mycophagy), preservation, medicine making (mycomedicinals), and fungal bioremediation techniques (mycoremediation). Chris Ricci grew up searching for mushrooms in parks, forests, mountains and valleys throughout N. America and beyond. He earned his B.A. in Mathematics at Colorado College, and received his permaculture training from Penny Livingston and Starhawk at the Permaculture Institute of Northern California. He has taught permaculture and mycology throughout the U.S., as well as in southern and eastern Africa. He is a passionate permaculture practitioner, mycologist and co-director of Culture Brothers, a local non-profit dedicated to teaching permaculture worldwide.
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Sustainability: Climate Change, Systems Thinking, and Local Resources
Dick White, Ph.D., and Tom Riesing, Ph.D.
Fee:$89, 4 classes
Wednesdays, 6:00p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
October 7 – October 28
Climate change is a symptom of an unsustainable model that divorces economic activity from the people it serves and the environment that sustains it. To flourish in the long term, communities must systemically integrate the environment, society, and the economy by understanding their interconnections and building on them, imitating natural systems. In this way, a community can address the needs of humans and other species, relying on local resources and eliminating waste. Local sustainability efforts build self-reliance, stressing local economic activity, food, and support networks, thereby minimizing external footprints. The class includes lectures and hands-on activities, with local, national, and international examples. Dick White left a long career as a professor of astronomy to become a sustainability advocate. He served for three years as the founding Chair of the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado (SASCO). He continues as a SASCO Board member, as well as participating in other local sustainability efforts. Dick is a certified practitioner of Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI). Tom Riesing left a financial career on Wall Street to found the Oakhaven Permaculture Center in Hesperus. He served for three years as the founding Treasurer of SASCO. He continues as a member of the Sustainable Local Economic Development Committee and on the steering committee of Local First, the new alliance of local independent businesses that produced the Be Local coupon book. Tom holds certificates from ZERI and as a Permaculture practitioner.
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The ABC’s of Uranium
Kathy Bulow-Cohen, MS, REHS
Fee: $39, 1 class
Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
October 13
Information is Power! Get informed about uranium in this introductory class. Exposure routes, illnesses, physical and chemical properties, radioactivity, and radon gas as a product of decay and its pathways, will be discussed. Kathy Bulow-Cohen was an Environmental Health Specialist for Los Angeles County.
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Environmentalism – From Tragedy to Policy
Kathy Bulow-Cohen, MS, REHS
Fee: $39, 1 class
Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
October 28
Did you know that the first environmental act occurred way back in 1273 in England? How have "trigger events" shaped environmental policy? Did Richard Nixon and Rachel Carson really jump-start environmental policy in the United States? These are a few of the interesting topics that will be discussed in this environmental primer. Kathy Bulow-Cohen acquired her BS and MS from California State University at Northridge. She also received Biological Warfare and Terrorism Training through the Los Angeles County Public Health Department and the United States Army Medical Research Institute.
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Compost Kitchen Scraps with Worms
Jennifer Craig, Durango Compost Company
Fee: $40, 3 classes
Saturdays: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
November 7, 14 and December 5
This is a hands-on course! In the first class, students will learn the basics of home-scale vermicomposting. Information includes container set-up, bedding material, feedstock do’s and don’ts, moisture, maintenance,
harvesting and, finally, use and benefits of worm castings. Students can construct their own worm box at home or purchase a starter kit after the class. In either case, students should begin collecting food scraps a week before the first class. Students will bring their worm compost bins to the next class. The second class is a field trip to the Durango Compost Company facility, after which students will take home a pound of composting worms. The final class is a worm box clinic. Students will bring their worm composting bins to class for a “check-up”, to ask questions and to share their experiences with fellow students. Kits and worms are not included, but will be available for purchase at the first class. Jennifer Craig is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has10 years experience in small-scale vermicomposting. Co-owner of the Durango Compost Company, Jennifer is enthusiastic about all forms of organic and inorganic waste diversion.
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History and Geology of Uranium Mining in Western Colorado
Jeff Brame
Fee: $39, 1 class
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
November 11
Uranium and other radioactive elements have been mined in western Colorado for over 100 years. In fact, this area was the birthplace of the U. S. uranium raw materials industry. Uranium ore production here peaked in the early 1960’s and decreased to little or no activity in the 1990’s. Mining efforts have surged recently due to a sharp rise in uranium prices. This lecture presents the geology of uranium deposits and the history of uranium mining activities in western Colorado. Jeff Brame is owner and chief geologist of Brame GeoScience, LLC, in Durango. He has BS and MS degrees in geology and has been a working geologist for 32 years. Jeff has taught several courses on the geology of the Four Corners area, conducts La Plata County geological hazard surveys, consults to various oil companies, and leads geological seminars and field trips.
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