- Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program

Indoors this week!
by Molly Phemister 11 Jul '24

11 Jul '24

Good morning, my relatives, We will meet Saturday at our Plant Sciences building classroom to beat the heat and focus on Indigenous world views. Please bring your journals and have read / be ready to discuss two passages: 1. Allegiance to Gratitude on page 105. It examines the Indigenous concept of acknowledgement and thanksgiving to the natural world. 2. The Honorable Harvest on page 175 to page 190 (stop there). It examines Indigenous concepts of humility and respect to wamaskanskan ( all living beings). You are important to us! We value seeing you each weekend. Please make every effort to be there from 9 to noon. Wopila, Molly Ps- yes, there will be both Monday and Wednesday morning work opportunities (15th and 17th), 9-11 am, this coming week. As a heads up, Monday the 22nd and Wednesday the 29th, I have conflicts and won't be there. Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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Additional hour opportunities
by Molly Phemister 07 Jul '24

07 Jul '24

Hello my relations, There will be a second email later this week with specifics about next Saturday, but in the meantime, we've noticed that some of our youth are struggling to balance work and sports schedules with their garden time, therefore we are adding additional hours so that folks can make up their time if the Saturday group time is not working. Let's start with Monday and Wednesday 9-11, but let me know if neither of those work either, we can be creative together. See you soon, I hope, Molly [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Molly Phemister 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506

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YES, July 6 we will meet.
by Molly Phemister 03 Jul '24

03 Jul '24

Good morning, relatives, It's July 3, and I'm writing to you to say we will indeed meet in the garden on July 6. Between now and then comes July 4, which is a complicated mess of a "holiday" for most of the folks reading this email. With that in mind, I re-read chapter 27 in Braiding Sweetgrass, in which Robin tells the history of the Onondaga Confederacy and Onondaga lake. The lake is a true lake and the toxins that must be cleaned from it are true toxins, the work of cleaning it is true and specific to that lake, too, and yet the whole ecological saga unfolds as a part of (and even a metaphor for) the inter-cultural relations that surround that region of what is now New York State. She doesn't pull punches- she tells of exactly how brutal George Washington and other celebrated founders were, how careless and arrogant the later corporations were. But she doesn't leave us hopeless either: there's a path forward in her words, both for the people and for the land. In a future gathering, this is one things we can discuss- what is that path? - but we'll wait for the hot horrors of high summer to wrestle with that more directly. This weekend promises to be beautiful and we have a small patch of land to tend. I have ideas, you might too. Reminders: please plan to stay until noon. The community we build eating lunch together is an important component of this program. Long pants and close toed shoes are encouraged, as are sunblock, bug spray, and even a hat. We WILL be kneeling this weekend- shorts really wont be comfortable. Molly [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Molly Phemister 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506

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Saturday will be gorgeous!
by Molly Phemister 27 Jun '24

27 Jun '24

We will start this Saturday in the garden with our typical circle, greeting of the land, and setting of intentions, but for some portion of the morning this weekend, we will also be accompanied by a film crew from the local news. They would like to film y'all working in the garden a bit, and I think they would like to talk to several of you about the program . I will try to have red bandannas available for anybody who does NOT want to be on TV but just in case I don't have quite enough, wear some sort of red shirt if you do NOT want to be on TV. That will make it easy for the camera folks to recognize when they have the wrong people in the frame, and they can just move the camera over. I hope you are all still reading in Braiding Sweetgrass? We are coming to the end of the spring workaholic season, at some point soon there will be a hot gross Saturday on which we skip the garden and go back inside to talk about the things that we can learn from Kimmerer's words. If you have developed a favorite chapter or section, let Ted or I know. We can talk about that reading as a group Here is your standard reminder to wear a long pants, clothes toed shoes, a little bit of bug spray, a little bit of sunscreen. You're welcome to wear a hat, I will certainly be in mine. **NEW REMINDER: Please plan to be here until noon.** The act of sitting down to a meal together is a foundational community building moment that I promise will pay dividends in your life that there is no way for any of us to predict at this point. You might be 30 or 40 years old, and then somebody that you had lunch with here will suddenly be the person that says the thing, or has the skill, or knows the other person, and it absolutely pivots how things are going for you, for the better. Molly

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Saturday June 22, start in the garden
by Molly Phemister 20 Jun '24

20 Jun '24

Good morning relatives, You'll be meeting Ted in the garden this week, I need to take care of some family things so I will be missing. Last week we started on trellises, but we didnt get very far. We are doing trellises because your tomato plants are going to be about as big as you are Soon, but they will fall over without help. I am attaching some drawings. Notice how far into the ground the end posts go. On the drawing of the single string and the Florida weave patterns I've only drawn a single end post, but you could do two sticks Together to form a Triangle for your end post instead, that might be stronger in our wind. Ask each other questions, together You will be able to figure out many things even if they don't quite make sense to you immediately When you are by yourself. I am proud of you, the gardens are coming along beautifully. The only two weeds I would worry about this week are the amaranth and the velvet leaf, and that is because those two are going to go to seed very soon. Other than those two, I would focus all of your weeding efforts on clearing the space around the plants that you have intended to have. I'll be back soon, be kind to Lala and the Christians, Molly

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Starting in the Garden June 15
by Molly Phemister 12 Jun '24

12 Jun '24

Hello relatives! It's FINALLY trellis week!* Our trellising sister corn is coming up and the climbing sister beans are nearby. We may well add some more (can't have too many beans- stored properly, they can last decades), but I'll also teach you several different trellis systems and a couple of knots useful for a few other plants. I'm hopeful that you'll teach me some things too. Ask your elders- how did they trellis beans or tomatoes or other plants when they were young? What do they know about how their parents or grandparents did this? What was the material they used? How did they make sure it stood up to the weather? Did they like this chore? Or really resent it? I'm looking forward to your stories! We will start in the garden this Saturday. Long pants and closed toe shoes, please. Hats, sunscreen, and bug spray are all encouraged too. *Small caveat: at this point we are predicted to have a gorgeous morning Saturday morning after a thunderstorm the night before. If that prediction shifts the wrong way, we will adjust our plans and you will hear about it from Ted or I here before 9 pm Friday night. See you Saturday, Molly [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Molly Phemister 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506

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Saturday 6/8
by Molly Phemister 06 Jun '24

06 Jun '24

Hello relatives! Let's meet at the greenhouse on Saturday morning first to grab whatever remaining plants from in here we want to have go out into our garden. We can start fresh stuff for the autumn planting in early July, but that is easiest done with a blank slate. After we've selected what remaining plants need to go out, we will walk over to the garden and there we have a couple of tasks including trellis building, weeding, and some exciting selection opportunities between cover crop mixes. Saturday morning is going to be gorgeously cool, wearing long pants and closed toe shoes will go along way for keeping you comfortable as we move about the garden. A thin long sleeve shirt could be a good idea, if not, please do wear some bug spray. You always see me in my hat, and encourage you to wear a hat as well, the goal here is a bit of sun protection for your face and reduced strain on your eyes. This is the only face and the only eyes that you get, and you're gonna want them when you're 80 too. We got really great work done last week, I'm super jazzed about the way things are going, I hope you are proud of the work you've been doing. Each Saturday we end with a bit of lunch together, and I'm going to encourage you to add some lettuce or other herbs from our garden to your sandwiches this weekend. We asked Mother Earth to provide, and she is definitely responding well. Molly

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Keep 'bugging out' while Louise is away...
by Louise Lynch-O'Brien 02 Jun '24

02 Jun '24

Greetings everyone! I hope you're all excited for the upcoming summer weeks of our program! I wanted to let you know that I will be out of town for the next four weeks. I know you’re going to have a great time and learn lots with Ted, Molly, Christian S., and Christian E. While I'm away, I encourage you to explore our garden and look for insect relatives. June is a busy time for many insects, so there's plenty to see. Pay special attention to the bee houses and observe the various insect activities around you. Bees are particularly active now, setting up their nests. If you look to the east of the garden, you'll see the white honey bee hives. Remember, honey bees are just one of the 4,000-5,000 bee species in North America. Keep an eye out for other bees visiting our herbs and flowers. Some may be gathering soil for their nests, while others might visit the large pine tree for resin. The mulch we use creates a nice humid microhabitat for them (termites, pill bugs, worms, earwigs, small beetles and true bugs, spiders, etc.). There will be insects in our greenhouse, too – so keep an eye out there as well. The lady beetle larvae feeding on aphids and/or other insects on the pine tree (and occasionally dropping onto our picnic table) will soon be pupating. If you find any larvae on the table, please move them back to the tree trunk so they can continue their work. Feel free to share some watermelon with them before moving them. I would really love to see what you discover! Please photograph any insects you find and share them on our iNaturalist page where I can help you identify them. You can also text the photos to me at 402-327-1574. FYI – there is a macro clip on lens hanging in the shed (to the right when you open doors) to help you take close up photos of what/who you see in the garden. Additionally, I wanted to encourage you to share your photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Ted, Molly, and I share photos there, and we'd love to see the program from your perspective as well. Enjoy your time in the garden and greenhouse. Happy planting, happy growing and happy insect hunting! Facebook: this is a private group. Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/298729175783366 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoopatunl/ iNaturalist project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/hoop-of-learning-garden-at-unl Kind regards, Louise Dr. Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien (she/her/hers) Assistant Professor of Insect Biology & Insect Science Program Coordinator, Nebraska One Health Extension Coordinator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Entomology ENTO 109E, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 llynchobrien(a)unl.edu<mailto:llynchobrien@unl.edu> Call/text: 402-327-1574

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Saturday June 2, Meet in the Garden
by Molly Phemister 29 May '24

29 May '24

Hello relatives! I hope last weekend was restorative, both because time with family and friends is nourishing, and because we have work to do. The gardens are really beginning to move. We have more to plant (and weed), we need to label what we have, and we need to make some decisions about the space that remains. This does push trellis construction back a week, but don't worry- we have that space at this moment. We'll begin this Saturday in the garden at 9 am. Rain is predicted both Thursday and Friday, so anticipate getting MUDDY. Long pants, closed toe shoes, and you may even want a long sleeve for the first hour- it almost always feels colder after a rain. We'll start with noticing and celebrating that which is going right, and then we'll make some decisions to help move things that are maybe not working out quite as well as we'd hoped in to a direction that we, the gardeners, like better. A side note to decode a term you may have heard being tossed about: Often, we are talking about the Turtle clan's quadrant of our garden, you are hearing us reference last year's milpa trial, but I don't know that we've explained that very well. Milpa is a Náhuatl word, Nahuatl being an indigenous trade language spoken by a wide number of peoples in central America, notably both the Aztecs and the Maya, of whom there are many in Nebraska now. Milpa actually means something more like "that which is sown in the field" or "the things we planted", but today the term milpa is a reference less to the specific crops and more to the planting technique / technology (know how) that allows (encourages!) the various plants to all grow together in a somewhat chaotic mini-ecology. Here's a Nebraska look at milpa gardening with Graham Christiansen of GCResolve (an environmentally oriented farmer education organization) and Luis Marcos of Pixan Ixim, the Mayan Community Center in Omaha. There's a link in here for free milpa seeds (in the future- if you want these now, I have them) https://youtu.be/zBDqQzqbyww?si=Gmm_VKBaCOsvYmkW And here's another look at a milpa project at one of the Wasatch Community Garden in Salt Lake City (Wasatch there is somewhat like Community Crops here): https://youtu.be/PEY8omjVlD8?si=1SwMOD6qjWs3uw_b See you Saturday, Molly

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NO CLASS MEMORIAL WEEKEND
by Molly Phemister 21 May '24

21 May '24

Good morning, relatives! Due to the Memorial Day weekend and the number of high school graduations that various families are attending, we're cancelling class for Saturday, May 25. I do encourage you to bring your family past the garden at some point over the weekend to show off your amazing work. Also, you can feel good about the plants that we have not planted in the ground yet- as you know, we sent several dozen to the retirement home on O St two weeks ago, then last week several dozen more went to the Turtle Island Earth Day Festival at Woods Park, and now today, a couple dozen are also going to be given away to families in the HeadStart program. We haven't even gotten into the harvest seasons yet and your work is already improving the health and wellness of a huge number of local families. What a great feeling, eh? Most of the clan groups on our site planted Hopi blue corn two weekends ago (except Bear clan, they planted Painted Hill, which is a hybrid child of Painted Mountain). Check out this video of Hopi farmer Michael Kotutwa Johnson explaining the millennia old traditional planting techniques that he uses to grow corn each year. Notice how the people, the plants, and the planting technique have adapted to each other- this corn is unique in a way that is very meaningful to the Hopi. https://youtu.be/28gAFESNGMU?si=wuU1k6bOmwaYY_Ya See you June 2 in the garden! Molly

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Saturday May 18th
by Molly Phemister 16 May '24

16 May '24

Hello relatives! I'm looking forward to seeing you out at the garden site this weekend. While long pants and close toes shoes are still very helpful, it's definitely getting hotter out. Consider sunscreen and bug spray and a water bottle as you prepare for your morning. There's more planting this weekend (tomatoes!!), including more direct seeding (beans!!), but we also have to talk about every gardener's low key nemesis: weeds. Don't worry, I have Ideas. So does Robin Wall Kimmerer: check out chapter 9 for her story about the swimming pond / duck pond puzzle. It's a relevant read this week. See you Saturday! Molly

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May 11 garden plan PLUS volunteer opportunity
by Molly Phemister 08 May '24

08 May '24

Hello relatives, our plant friends in the field look good, and our plant friends in the greenhouse would like to go out to the field! Some of them will be able to go to our garfen with us this Saturday. Let's begin at the greenhouse, but plan to mostly be in the field. The irrigation is on and we do not have enough mulch, so it will be a bit gummy on our shoes, please dress accordingly. We also have a wonderful opportunity this weekend to have a representative from each clan join me at a Senior living facility on O Street near 66th to tell them about our program, and to donate two or three dozen of our plants to their own gardening efforts. We will select what goes to them together Saturday morning, and then take them over after lunch. See you Saturday! Molly

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Pick up on 5/4 will be Plant Sciences
by Molly Phemister 04 May '24

04 May '24

Good morning, in case I don't catch you at drop off, I wanted to let you know that we will be ending the morning over at Plant sciences, which is where the students met commonly at the very beginning of the year. Although a picnic lunch in the field is Usually a delightful way to end, it is wet windy and cold out there, so we will be having lunch over at Plant sciences hall. Thank you! Molly

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Saturday is in the Garden
by Molly Phemister 01 May '24

01 May '24

Hello! We missed you last week. Hopefully all that was in turmoil last weekend has been set to rights now? Many thanks to all of you for your flexibility last weekend. The plants you seeded a few weeks ago and looking great! Are you excited to get them in the ground? This weekend we will begin in the greenhouse, working with our clans to make some very specific plans for the season. We'll select a few plants in there to come out to the garden with us, then walk over to the gardens, pin down our irrigation, and get some things in the ground- both the plants we selected, and hopefully some direct seed too. There may be some early weeds to take care of, so please plan to get dirty- long pants, closed toe shoes. We will also be discussing the excerpt Louise directed our attention to last weekend, so please plan to come with intention to listen to each other and make observations. (from Louise's note last weekend: "This is a great opportunity to spend some time with your copy of Braiding Sweetgrass. Please read the Maple Sugar Moon chapter, pages 63 – 71. After reading, please consider a question that Dr. Kimmerer (the author) asks: If we think about the earth bestowing us with a responsibility to harvest her gifts in honorable ways, how might you reimagine the production of natural resources in your area?”) See you soon, Molly

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Saturday Morning Class Cancelled
by Louise Lynch-O'Brien 26 Apr '24

26 Apr '24

Good evening! I hope this finds everyone well and safe. Because of weather forecasts tomorrow in the late morning and early afternoon, our Saturday morning class is cancelled. This is a great opportunity to spend some time with your copy of Braiding Sweetgrass. Please read the Maple Sugar Moon chapter, pages 63 – 71. After reading, please consider a question that Dr. Kimmerer (the author) asks: If we think about the earth bestowing us with a responsibility to harvest her gifts in honorable ways, how might you reimagine the production of natural resources in your area?” We’ll chat about your responses next week. Have a beautiful day! Kind regards, Louise Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien (she/her/hers) Assistant Professor of Insect Biology & Insect Science Program Coordinator, Nebraska One Health Extension Coordinator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Entomology ENTO 109E, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 llynchobrien(a)unl.edu<mailto:llynchobrien@unl.edu> Call/text: 402-327-1574

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Saturday morning, 4/27
by Molly Phemister 26 Apr '24

26 Apr '24

Hello, everybody! At this moment, the Saturday morning forecast looks clear, but I expect the field will be MUDDY. Please wear shoes and pants that can get muddy, really muddy, and please dress warmly. It will feel colder than you expect in the field this weekend. Good news: we're planting! We will begin in the garden pinning down the irrigation tubing and giving each clan time to make a starter plan for their plantings, then we'll walk over to the greenhouse and select our plants to take to the field, pause briefly to take care of a few other tasks, and then walk back over to the garden to do the actual planting. We'll finish up with a "mini-field trip" down the hill to visit some plant relatives that voted themselves onto campus and learn a bit about their important role in many of the indigenous cultures of the great plains (elders are welcome for the whole day, but may be particularly interested in this portion.) Then lunch and communing together: community building matters. Molly PS- yes, if the morning becomes rainy, we may make a collective decision to retreat to the greenhouse and work in there instead. Gardens do not like to be walked on in the rain.

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test message
by Molly Phemister 25 Apr '24

25 Apr '24

Trying this out Molly

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IYSFP Saturday April 20, 2024
by Louise Lynch-O'Brien 19 Apr '24

19 Apr '24

Hau Relatives! We’re looking forward seeing you all tomorrow morning. We will meet in the greenhouse at 9 AM to work on transplanting some of our plants. I think you’ll notice quite a bit of growth since you were last there. We will then head over to the garden and lay out our mulch pathways. Lunch will be in the garden as well. Here’s a gentle reminder of where we each are in our medicine wheel garden design: * Bear Clan – North * Sunflower Clan – South * Turtle Clan - East * Elder Clan – West It’ll be a little chilly tomorrow morning - low to mid 40s – please wear some layers so you are warm enough when we are outside. Also – the UNL Intertribal Exchange is holding its Annual Honoring of the Graduates Pow Wow on City Campus. Grand Entry is at 1 PM. Honoring of the Graduates is at 3 PM. Visitors are asked to bring their own chairs. See the attached image for more information. Kind regards, Louise [A poster for a ceremony Description automatically generated] Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien (she/her/hers) Assistant Professor of Insect Biology & Insect Science Program Coordinator, Nebraska One Health Extension Coordinator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Entomology ENTO 109E, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 llynchobrien(a)unl.edu<mailto:llynchobrien@unl.edu> Call/text: 402-327-1574

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Saturday's Class
by Theodore Hibbeler 12 Apr '24

12 Apr '24

Hau Mitakuyapi, I am glad that you chose to be buffalos last Saturday because buffalos don't shy away from adversity or storms; they head straight into it, and they circle around their young and elders to protect them when trouble is about. They are one of our natural teachers. As for this Saturday, we are going to be at the garden nourishing it with nutritious compost. Please wear long old pants, old shoes and an old shirt for Saturday. Before we do that, we will be making an offering of tobacco to the garden site for gratitude and good health along with a prayer. As Indigenous people, we have always been a prayerful people with a spiritual relationship with our grandmother earth (unci maka). Let's continue that tradition. Last Saturday, the Bear Clan chose the North Direction, the Sunflower Clan chose the South Direction, and the Turtle Clan chose the East Direction of the Garden to grow their food. I am going to create the Elder Clan to take care of the West Direction. So, the Medicine Wheel is complete. Take care, relatives. Pilamaya, Ted (La La) [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Ted Hibbeler (Lakota) Tribal Extension Educator University of Nebraska-Lincoln Tribal Extension Office 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506 Cell: 402-906-0439

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Saturday's Class
by Theodore Hibbeler 05 Apr '24

05 Apr '24

Hihanni Was'te Mitakuyapi, I hope you and your families are safe and well. We will be doing the following activities at tomorrow's class: 9:00 - 10:00 - At the greenhouse transplanting seedlings into larger pots to get them ready for our Farmers Market at the Lincoln Indian Center. 10:00 - 10:15 - Walk to classroom. 10:15 - 11:30 - Work in clans to design the garden site. We will use the medicine wheel design, and each clan will be given a direction to determine what they want to grow in it. We will also talk about making an offering (tobacco) at the garden site the following Saturday. What does that mean? 11:30 - 12:00 - Eat lunch. I want to say Wopila (thank you) to all the students who were at class last Saturday. You had an opportunity to learn a little about research and your traditional tribal foods. You can talk with me about that tomorrow in class. Finally, let me remind you of the Buffalo and the Spider story and the teaching that goes with it...accepting help on helps terms. Students, are you the Buffalo or the Spider? Let's find out. I hope to see you at the greenhouse tomorrow at 9:00 am. Take care. Wopila, Ted (La La) [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Ted Hibbeler(Lakota) Tribal Extension Educator University of Nebraska-Lincoln Tribal Extension Office 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506 Cell: 402-906-0439

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March 23rd Class Details - Welcome back!
by Louise Lynch-O'Brien 29 Mar '24

29 Mar '24

Greetings! We hope you had a lovely spring break. We are looking forward to starting things up again and meeting you tomorrow. If you cannot attend tomorrow, please email me and Ted. We will be doing some walking between location, so please dress warmly for a 10-minute walk outside. Where we will meet: This week we start in the greenhouse and have class / lunch in the Dinsdale Learning Center. * We will begin class in the greenhouse this week to start some additional seeds. We have several plants lined up for this. We may need to pot plants that are too crowded as well. * We will make quick work of this so that we can walk over to the Dinsdale Learning Center (the library on East Campus) where we will meet with Dr. Gabriel Bruguier and Dr. Toni Anaya. They have a fun, interactive and important session set up to help you research traditional foods with credible information sources. If you can, bring along a traditional food from your tribe that you would like to research. If you can’t think of one, ask a family member. * We will have lunches ready for you at the Dinsdale Learning Center. Before Class: Try to think of a traditional food from your family that you can research. There is no reading assignment this week, but by all means, keep reading the book! We will continue to weave in chapters when we can. Schedule for what we will be doing: * 9am: Meet at the greenhouse to check on your plants, start some more seeds and pot plants that need additional room * 10:20 am: Walk to the Dinsdale Learning Center * 10:30 AM: Research traditional foods with Drs. Bruguier and Anaya * 11:50/noon: Lunch & Pick Up Kind regards, Louise Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien (she/her/hers) Assistant Professor of Insect Biology & Insect Science Program Coordinator, Nebraska One Health Extension Coordinator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Entomology ENTO 109E, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 llynchobrien(a)unl.edu<mailto:llynchobrien@unl.edu> Call/text: 402-327-1574

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No Class on March 16th - Happy Spring Break!
by Skylar Falter 13 Mar '24

13 Mar '24

Hello everyone, Wow - we got busy in the greenhouse last Saturday! We learned more about propagating plants from stem cuttings and also started some more seeds! We got to know elderberry a bit more and the honorable harvest. If you want to hear more about the honorable harvest, I really like this short video made with Robin Wall Kimmerer (the Indigenous author of Braiding Sweetgrass): https://bioneers.org/the-honorable-harvest-robin-kimmerer-zstf0619/ There will be no class on Saturday March 16th! Have a lovely spring break! Class will resume on March 23rd, 2024. Important Announcement: I made the announcement in class last week that I will no be serving as the coordinator for this amazing program. My last day is March 21st. It is certainly with a heavy heart to make this decision but the commute (I live 1.5 hours away) and my inability to find consistent childcare have made this role unsustainable for me. These past few months, I have enjoyed meeting each and every one of you! I do hope to come back a couple times throughout the year to help out in the garden though! You can still reach me by emailing sfalter(a)unl.edu. You are in good hands with the Christians and Ted and Louise. I am wishing you gardening luck and a bountiful year ahead! Skylar [University of Nebraska – Lincoln] Skylar Falter Program Coordinator Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program<https://nativecoalition.unl.edu/indigenous-youth-food-sovereignty-program> University of Nebraska–Lincoln Tribal Extension Office

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March 9th Class Meets in the Greenhouse!
by Skylar Falter 06 Mar '24

06 Mar '24

Hello everyone! How's your week going? I'm sorry I was unable to attend class last week and am looking forward to getting to work in the greenhouse this week! We will hold class in the greenhouse again this week to start some more seeds and learn about propagating plants using stem cuttings. Then we will walk over to the classroom for lunch. Where we will meet: This week we will be meeting in the greenhouse and having lunch/ending class in the classroom. Before Class: There is no reading assignment this year, but by all means, keep reading the book! We will continue to weave in chapters when we can. What we will be doing: * 9am: Meet at the greenhouse to check on your work last week, start some more seeds and learn how to propagate plants with stem cuttings * 11am: Walk to the classroom and eat lunch * 11:30/noon: Lunch Skylar [University of Nebraska – Lincoln] Skylar Falter Program Coordinator Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program<https://nativecoalition.unl.edu/indigenous-youth-food-sovereignty-program> University of Nebraska–Lincoln Tribal Extension Office

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March 2nd Class Meets at the Greenhouse!
by Skylar Falter 02 Mar '24

02 Mar '24

Hello everyone! My heart has been singing these past couple of days as I feel the warmth from the sun and get excited to start seeds! By growing our own food, we are building connections between ourselves and each plant we tend. This week we will be in the greenhouse - mixing up our own potting mix and starting seeds. Where we will meet: This week we will be meeting in the Greenhouse and having lunch/ending class in the garden 🌿🌻 (see location in map attached or click here<https://www.google.com/maps/place/40%C2%B049'51.5%22N+96%C2%B039'29.4%22W/(a)40.8312533,-96.6587992,19.52z/data=!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d40.8309716!4d-96.6581564?entry=ttu>)!!! Helpful Notes: * When choosing clothes to wear to class this week: * We will be working with the potting soil - wear clothes you feel comfortable getting some dirt on 🙂 * Dressing in layers may help you stay comfortable! * The greenhouse will be warm again, but when we walk to the garden you may want a light jacket (high for the day is 73 degrees). Before Class: There is no reading assignment this year, but by all means, keep reading the book! We will continue to weave in chapters when we can. What we will be doing: * 9am: Meet at the greenhouse to start onions, strawberries, leafy greens, and some herbs! We will be mixing up (with our hands) our own potting mix and starting seeds. * 10:30/11am: Walk to the garden, visit the site, and eat lunch. * 11:30/noon: Lunch See you on Saturday! Skylar [University of Nebraska – Lincoln] Skylar Falter Program Coordinator Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program<https://nativecoalition.unl.edu/indigenous-youth-food-sovereignty-program> University of Nebraska–Lincoln Tribal Extension Office

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Reciprocity with Bees
by Louise Lynch-O'Brien 24 Feb '24

24 Feb '24

Good afternoon! Thanks everyone for participating in today’s bee-focused session. Attached, please find the slides I used for the presentation – the colored afterimage slides are in there if you wanted to try that again. The bee houses are looking great – you will see these again in the Hoop garden, where we will be able to observe who takes up residence in them. As I mentioned today, I wanted to send a friendly reminder that I am always happy to chat and/or answer questions about college – entomology or otherwise, UNL or otherwise. Hopefully everyone who was interested in a hard copy of the solitary bee habitat and bumble bee publications received one. They are also available online. Here are the links: * Creating a Solitary Bee Habitat (Free PDF): https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/9000016369591/creating-a-solitary… * Conserving Bumble Bees ($5 online… if anyone really wants one, I can track a couple down): https://marketplace.unl.edu/extension/ec1587.html Have a beautiful day and rest of your weekend! Kind regards, Louise Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien (she/her/hers) Assistant Professor of Insect Biology & Insect Science Program Coordinator, Nebraska One Health Extension Coordinator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Entomology ENTO 109E, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 llynchobrien(a)unl.edu<mailto:llynchobrien@unl.edu> Call/text: 402-327-1574 Connect with Dr. L’s Civic Entomology Lab & Partners entomology.unl.edu<http://entomology.unl.edu/> civicentomologylab.unl.edu<http://civicentomologylab.unl.edu/> nebraskaonehealth.unl.edu<http://nebraskaonehealth.unl.edu/> ticktaggo.unl.edu<http://ticktaggo.unl.edu/> communitysciencene.unl.edu<http://communitysciencene.unl.edu/> nativecoalition.unl.edu<http://nativecoalition.unl.edu/>

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Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program