The coronavirus has reinvigorated an interest in victory gardens (or virus gardens, if you will). WVU Extension has you covered if you want to try growing your own garden or starting small with something like pizza herbs. And you can download their ever popular 2021 Garden Calendar at home.
The free calendar, sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Adopt A Highway program, includes 12 pictures of West Virginia wildflowers growing naturally along state roadways or in Operation Wildflower beds. The pictures were chosen from dozens of entries submitted by photographers from West Virginia and surrounding states.
To order a calendar, visit https://dep.wv.gov/environmental-advocate/reap/ow/Pages/default.aspx, call 1-800-322-5530, or email dep.aah@wv.gov. If you call and get voicemail, please leave a message with your name and mailing address and you will be put on the order list. Requests are limited to one calendar per household. West Virginia residents receive priority.
The Adopt A Highway program is administered by the WVDEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP). REAP, whose new motto is ‘Keeping WV Clean and Green,’ was created in 2005 and strives to clean up West Virginia and rid the state of litter. The program empowers citizens to take ownership of their communities by providing technical, financial, and resource assistance in cleanup and recycling efforts. More information is available on the REAP webpage: https://dep.wv.gov/environmental-advocate/reap/Pages/default.aspx.
Wildflower Initiative
Fairmont State’s Facilities Department kicked-off their wildflower initiative during the celebration of Earth Day 2020. Wildflowers, beyond their beauty, provide a critical habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects and wildlife. They can improve the soil health, prevent erosion, and improve stormwater quality. Students would have been invited to help plant wildflowers on a hillside adjacent to the Library during this campus event.
The Roads & Grounds crew plans on moving forward with this initiative but we really wanted to include the students. So, the first 25 Fairmont State students who email Stephanie DeGroot, Construction Manager and MS4 Coordinator, will receive FREE wildflower seeds to plant in an area of their choosing. To be one of the first 25 students selected, simply email Stephanie.DeGroot@fairmontstate.edu the following information:
1. Name
2. Fairmont State student email address
3. Physical mailing address (this is where your wildflower seeds will be mailed)
4. And where you plan on planting your seeds (yard, pot, etc.)
Supplies are limited to the first 25 Fairmont State students only. When you receive your seeds information on best planting practices will be included. During or after you plant your wildflowers email or post a photo on social media tagging #SoarFalcons, #WVEarthDay2021, #WVCitizensScience2021
