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COLVILLE – This year will mark the 21st year of the Big Tree Contest at the NE Washington Fair, set for Aug. 22-25 in Colville. The Big Tree Contest is a youth education experience run by Stevens County Conservation District (SCCD), in coordination with Stevens County WSU Extension Office, which focuses on raising trees, an important aspect of our local timber industry.
In March, contestants received seedlings from the Conservation District and care for them until late August when they’re entered in the Northeast Washington Fair. Participants must also create an educational poster on a Forestry topic of their choice. Members from FFA Clubs, 4-H, Granges, and local schools enter trees for individual prizes and ribbons. Each group then enters their tree with the highest score in the Biggest and Best Auction. Industry leaders, business owners and the general public bid on the club’s trees, with funds benefiting the club as a whole.
Last year Boise Cascade bought the Grand Champion Tree from Panorama 4-Paws for $1,200.
For more information on the Big Tree Contest, go to the Stevens County Conservation District Website at www.stevenscountywa.gov/sccd and click on Education. You’ll find the complete list of rules and applications. The Stevens County Conservation District can also be reached by phone at 509-685-7579.
Drop-in garden clinic and tour Friday
NEWPORT – The Garden Clinic and Tour at the WSU Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden and greenhouse will take place Friday, Aug. 16. People are invited to drop in anytime between 9 a.m. and noon and visit with local Master Gardeners about gardening in Pend Oreille County. There will be a brief demonstration, repeated on the hour. People can see a wide variety of gardening techniques and what’s growing in the Demonstration Garden, which they may be able to duplicate in their own gardens. Tours will start every 15 minutes. Most importantly, ask the Master Gardeners who are ready to answer all your gardening questions.
The Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden is located just northwest of the WSU/Pend Oreille County Extension Office at 227 S. Garden Ave., in Newport.
