Garden Safety and First Aid Certification

Hello, Gardeners!!

Do you want your garden to be a place where

·         the produce is nutritious to eat,

·         the paths are clear to wander,

·         the grounds are risk-free for picnicking and somersaulting,

·         the air smells fresh because it is fresh,

·         gardeners and visitors can retreat from our unrelenting urban environs,

·        and everyone departs from the garden feeling healthier and happier?

Green Spaces is offering its third work(ing)shop of 2010 to help you take steps in this direction!

Garden Safety and First Aid Certification

Saturday, July 31, 2010

9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Gardens of St. Therese, 906 W. Kentucky** (behind the Basilica of the Little Flower)

$15 for the first participant ($35 for the second)*

RSVP required!

The work(ing)shop will consist of:

1.       A garden walkthrough to give participants experience recognizing and addressing potential safety hazards.

2.       A licensed instructor to provide hands-on demonstration of the tools and techniques used to respond efficiently to accidents.

3.       Handouts that list ways to assess and make safety improvements to community gardens for the whole community’s benefit.

4.       One first-aid certification per participant so fellow gardeners feel at ease knowing that one of their own will be helpful in case of accident.

Please identify at least one of your garden members to attend this upcoming work(ing)shop and encourage him or her to RSVP as soon as possible. You, your fellow gardeners, your families and friends, and even the random passerby will greatly benefit from enlisting this representative to bring these lessons back to your garden.

Put it on your calendar and reply today!

Concepción Acequia

The San Antonio Express News reports on an archaeological excavation in our neighborhood this week:

Crews have found what they believe is part of the upper layer of a nearly 300-year-old acequia that provided water to Mission Concepción on the near South Side.
After digging 11 feet deep Tuesday just east of Roosevelt Park, near Roosevelt Avenue and Whittier Street, workers found a small section of what's believed to be the acequia, possibly confirming what historians had long suggested about its location. Crews also found about 20 unbroken bottles dating as far back as the late 1800s and a stoneware pitcher from about the mid-1800s.
Tuesday's archaeological work ... was done under a Texas Historical Commission permit as part of construction of a hike-and-bike trail of the Mission Trails project.
The 15-foot-long excavation trench, measuring just over 30 inches wide, was being refilled late Tuesday. Hindes didn't know if the discovery would affect the hike-and-bike project.

Read the entire report on the mySA.com website:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/dig_unearths_1700s_mission_acequia_98873934.html

Free Feral Cat Trap, Neuter & Return Workshops

This announcement is from the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition, a nonprofit that helps people with managing feral, outdoor, or free-roaming cats. Outdoor cats can reproduce quickly and so if you are concerned, and especially if you are feeding outdoor cats, the Feral Cat Coalition can help.

ATTEND A FREE WORKSHOP JUST ONCE FOR A LIFETIME OF BENEFIT!

In order for us to help you and to qualify for the advantages of access to low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, free trap loan and advice on how to control the outdoor cat population humanely - you must first attend a FREE Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) workshop. The workshop also gives safety tips on how to complete your TNR project without getting hurt. You only need to attend ONE workshop ONCE, to qualify to use our program. Once you attend, there is no need to attend a second time, unless you want to. Please refer to the schedule for dates and locations of upcoming workshops on the SA Feral Cat Coalition Events page.
The Workshop will answer most of your questions but you can also refer to the Coalition's Frequently Asked Questions.

July 10 is Free Landfill Disposal Day

July 10 is Free Landfill Disposal Day for San Antonio residents.

From 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the City’s Solid Waste Management Department in conjunction with the area landfills will host this event. Residents interested in taking part in this event must bring their most recent CPS Energy bill to show that they pay the City’s residential solid waste fee along with a picture ID when dropping off items at one of the locations below.Loads should be secured and covered in vehicles and trailers traveling to the landfill. Those individuals that do not cover their loads are in violation of City Ordinance #72272 Tarp-Law.

Residents are encouraged to make the pledge to recycle and separate out all items that can be re-used. Items that can not be reused or recycled should be brought to Landfill Disposal Day. No hazardous waste will be accepted at this event.

Drop-off locations:
*Allied Waste Services Tessman Landfill, 7000 IH-10 East
* WM-Covel Gardens Landfill, 8611 Covel Road
* TDS Starcrest Transfer Station11601 Starcrest Road
* Southside Drop-off Center (near Camargo Park ), 5450 Castroville Road

For brush material only, visit the following location:
* Bitters Brush Recycling Center, 1800 Bitters Road