Prescott News – On February 10, the Citizens Water Advocacy Group will host a presentation by Ashley Fine on how to garden and grow food while using less water. Ashley Fine is a LifeLab Certified School Garden Educator and teacher at Skyview School in Prescott. In her talk, Ashley will discuss water saving strategies, including:
- active and passive rain harvesting,
- drought-tolerant crop selection,
- mulching and soil-building,
- subsurface irrigation with ollas and watering stakes, and
- intentional use of shade.
She will also highlight some of the work her students are doing as they learn the importance of water stewardship for their future.
The presentation will start at 10 a.m. at the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation building at 882 Sunset Avenue (two blocks behind True Value) in Prescott. Individuals wishing to view the presentation via Zoom can register at the “Next Event” link at www.cwagaz.org.
Ashley teaches an integrated, garden-centered science and social studies curriculum to kindergarten through eighth grade students. She works with students and parent volunteers to maintain several edible school yards, and a food forest/native plant garden. During the growing season, she helps facilitate a weekly student-run farm stand at Skyview School. In addition, Ashley also coordinates after school clubs, summer camps, and a gardening program at the Launch Pad Teen Center. Ashley serves on the Steering Committee for Slow Food Prescott and helps organize events and professional development opportunities for the Central Arizona School Garden Educators Collective. Ashley has been a classroom teacher and school garden educator for over 15 years. As a long-time resident and teacher in Prescott, Ashley believes that people gardening in the desert Southwest must be conscientious about their water use and make every effort to conserve and protect this most vital ingredient of life.
About CWAG: Founded in 2002, the mission of the Citizens Water Advocacy Group is to protect the flow of the upper Verde River and to protect the long-term water supply for the Quad Cities region. CWAG develops science-based positions on critical water issues and educates citizens and elected officials on sensible water policies.
