A free, all-day event to educate and inspire people to welcome wildlife - such as birds and butterflies - into their backyards, gardens and communities
12th Annual Backyard Wildlife Festival
Saturday, May 12th, 2012
9:00am to 3:00pm
Tukwila Community Center
Can you imagine a world without wildlife? Neither can we! Join us as we celebrate wildlife and nature at the 12th Annual Backyard
Wildlife Festival with help. This event features presentations from local experts including Ciscoe Morris, Zsofia Pasztor,
Colin McCrate, Jayme Jenkins and a variety of exhibitors, vendors and nature enthusiasts.
Don’t leave the kids at home…there is plenty to keep the entire family entertained at this event! Popular highlights of the festival
include a guide bird tour along the Duwamish River and the Certified Backyard Wildlife Garden Tour. This year’s bird tour will be
led by Andy Waters, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Burien and meanders along the banks of the Duwamish River – where bird sightings
are numerous. The garden tour takes you on an adventure through backyards and gardens in the area which have been certified as
backyard habitats by the National Wildlife Federation.
Event Day Schedule
7:30am – Pancake Breakfast provided by Tukwila Sister Cities Committee
9:00am - 3:00pm - Art & Crafts Marketplace, Educational Exhibitor Booths and Native Plant Sale
9:30am – Guided Bird Tour along the Duwamish River
Presenter: Andy Waters, Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.
Website: www.southseattle.wbu.com
10:00am - 3:00pm – Kids Garden Party (view details here)
10:30am – At Home in a Habitat Garden – Important Elements for Inviting Wildlife in the Garden
Join us for this session to learn what to do and what not to do in an urban landscape to help wildlife of all sizes.
We’ll talk about how to easily create a backyard wildlife habitat and still maintain room for humans.
Presenter: Zsofia Pasztor, Innovative Landscape Technologies
Website: www.innovativelandscapetechnologies.com
11:30am – The Peak of Perfection: How to Harvest Your Edible Garden Like a Pro
Even after successfully building and planting a home vegetable garden, beginners can still be confounded by the development
of their crops. We are constantly answering questions like: How big should it be before I harvest it? Where do I cut? What
is that long, curly shoot coming out the side? A series of garden harvest photos and specific instructions on harvesting
your crops can help eliminate “harvest anxiety” and ensure that plants are picked at their peak and enjoyed to their fullest.
Presenter: Colin McCrate, Co-Owner of Seattle Urban Farm Co. & Author of Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard (Published
by The Mountaineers Books and available at Amazon.com and Seattle Urban Farm Company Online.
Website: www.seattleurbanfarmco.com
12:30pm – No Space, No Problem – Grow a Gutter Garden with Function & Style
Vertical gardens are all the rage, especially in urban settings where garden space is scarce and privacy seems non-existent.
On the other hand, you don’t have to be an apartment dweller to appreciate the benefits of vertical gardening. Growing up
provides attractive privacy screens, convenient spaces to grow edibles and divide larger outdoor rooms into smaller, intimate
retreats. In this DIY session, author and avid DIYer Jayme Jenkins will show you how to create a hanging gutter garden using
ordinary items found in a hardware store. Jayme will also share plant suggestions and maintenance tips to help you be more
successful in the garden. Regardless if you’re looking for more garden real estate or desire more privacy, a gutter garden
will provide you a custom solution that’s both stylish and functional.
Presenter: Jayme Jenkins, aHa! Modern Living
Website: www.ahamodernliving.com
1:30pm – Turn Your Backyard Into a Wildlife Sanctuary
Presenter: Ciscoe Morris, Master Gardener, certified arborist and teacher at the University of Washington’s
Center for Urban Horticulture.
Website: www.Ciscoe.com
3:00pm – 6:00pm – Certified Backyard Habitat Garden Tour