The EssentiaList

Greetings!  I’m Steve Eisenberg, a member of the ESP community.

I recently attended the Swan Ecosystem Center event on Honeybees in the Ecosystem, and posted my notes from that event.  I went, in part, because a friend and local bee-keeper is interested in the problem known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

I met with my local bee-keeper friend who had shipped his hives to the Salinas Valley for the February almond pollination. His crew reported  that there is a major shortage of water in the Salinas Valley and that they are not expecting California to ship Montana much produce this summer.   My bee-keeper friend went as far as to rototill several acres of his lower valley property and to plant vegetable crops.

Based on this news, I’ve decided to purchase a share from a local organic nursery and am readying my greenhouse to deal with the expected shortfall in California produce.

If you, too, are concerned about the potential shortfall, you might consider joining one of the CSAs in the valley.  Or get involved in a community garden. Gardens.com has a listing of community gardens in our area, including Kalispell and Whitefish.  ESP is working with the Episcopal Church in Ferndale, to create a community garden on their property (Contact Cat or Edd for more information).

Another great resource is the Farm Hands Map, to locate local food producers in the Flathead.