ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ

Contact organizer
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 9am – 4pm

The purpose of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Lumber Grading program is to expand ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñns&/ces/districts/anchorage/39; ability to use locally harvested and sawn lumber for homebuilding. It does so by establishing a lumber grading training and certification program that allows sawyers to self-grade dimension lumber, which may be accepted as an alternative for lumber identified by a grade mark to satisfy building code requirements in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.

Individuals who complete the one-day training and pass the associated exam will be issued a renewable 5-year certificate allowing them to self-grade dimension lumber for personal use or for sale.

Free. .

Location: Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, 11471 Kenai Spur Highway

For more information, contact Matt Labrenz, mtlabrenz@alaska.edu or 907-474-7192.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/anchorage/39;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ online/virtual event
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 12 – 1pm

Note: Dates have changed on some talks.

Celebrate ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Native Plant Month with a free webinar series dedicated to native plants and how they relate to and affect the environment and humans. Where: Zoom. or visit .

May 6 - Our Plant Neighbors with Lisa Strecker (ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Ethnobotany Program), Jessica Newton (Kenaitze Tribe): Some plants tend to grow well in places modified by humans. And, over time, people have developed relationships with their common plant neighbors. Our panel will introduce common ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ plant neighbors and how we can interact with them for our holistic well-being through the lens of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Native plant traditions and ethnobotany.

May 13 - Hummingbirds and Native Plants with Todd Eskelin (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service): The key to saving rufous hummingbirds, an important pollinator species, may lie with native plants. We will talk about the decline of rufous hummingbirds. The discussion will focus on which native plants are needed and how we might encourage range expansion. Bring your thinking caps.

May 20 - Pollinator Planting Guides with Maddie Dong (Pollinator Partnership): Pollinator Partnership recently released two new ecoregional planting guides covering ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, divided into Temperate Continental and Temperate Coastal regions. In this talk, Maddie Dong will share how these guides were developed in collaboration with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ-based plant and pollinator experts, and how they provide targeted native plant recommendations that support pollinators throughout the growing season.

May 27 - The Bad Seed: Unwanted Varieties in Wildflower Seed Mixes with Gino Graziano (Cooperative Extension Service): Wildflower seed mixes are sought after to add beauty to landscapes and provide habitat for a variety of pollinating insects. Some of the plants in wildflower seed mixes can be weedy, spreading beyond where they were planted, and in some instances become invasive. We will review wildflower species that have become invasive, and weedy species to look out for when you purchase a wildflower mix.

For more information, contact Molly Johansson at 907-786-6313 or mjohansson@alaska.edu.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/anchorage/8217;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Contact organizer
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 6 – 8pm

This hands-on class will teach participants how to plan and start a native berry patch, both from seed and cuttings. Josh Smith of Bear Mountain Forest Nursery will lead the workshop and help participants plant seedlings to take home. $5 materials fee. Tools and materials provided. Registration required.

Location: Seed Lab, 111 W. 6th Ave, Anchorage.

Register using the or visit .

For more information, contact Molly Johansson, 907-786-6313 or mjohansson@alaska.edu.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/anchorage/8217;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.