Join us for our 25th Anniversary Celebration, a FREE community event dedicated to honoring the Water Conservation Garden and everyone who has helped it flourish.

GARDEN TALKS:
10:00am – 10:30am – Jose Rivera – Beneficial and Non-Beneficial Insects
This talk will cover five beneficial insects and five non-beneficial insects. Jose will have samples of each insect to pass around and will provide recommended treatment methods to manage the non-beneficial ones. It will be a fun, quick, and educational lecture for all attendees.

In 1980, the same year the Cuyamaca College Ornamental Horticulture program was established, a group of first-year students decided to form a club with the intent to raise funds for scholarships and beautify the campus. Thus, the Cuyamaca College Botanical Society (CCBS) was born.

11:00am – 11:30am – Is it a Horticultural Myth? – SD Master Gardener, Dawn Standke
Join us for some horticultural myth-busting as we cover topics including: Are banana peels a garden miracle? Do eggshells, Epsom salts, or Tums cure blossom end rot on tomatoes? Will a “penny ball” drive away snails and slugs? Can copper nails kill trees? Should I put gravel in the bottom of a container to improve drainage? Are bananas slightly radioactive? And what are some unsettling facts about the “ankle biter” or yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, our new invasive mosquito species?

Dawn Standke has been a Master Gardener since 2005 and is the founder and past chair of the Earth-Friendly Gardens committee.

12:00pm – 12:30pm – Fire Prevention on Your Property – San Miguel Fire Department
Fire Marshal Jon Newman and Rodney Blunt will discuss response capabilities and firefighting assets available to our constituents. Fire Marshal Newman will spend the remainder of the time discussing defensible space and fire-wise gardening.

1:00pm – 1:30pm – Plight of the Monarch – Ken Abernathy of Caterpillar Chow
This talk explores the real challenges the Monarch butterfly is facing and how these challenges relate to us. Ken sheds light on some of the mysteries and controversies surrounding Monarch conservation.

Caterpillar Chow Habitat Farms provides educational programs for schools and serves as a working experimental habitat farm for destination learning. They install school gardens and help develop educational programs for educators.

2:00pm – 2:30pm – Water Capture, Collection, and Conservation – Kim Ussery, Helix Water
This workshop will focus on creating a rainwater garden in your yard to retain water. The watershed-wise approach promotes healthy soil and reduces runoff. We’ll explore good locations for swales, site-specific considerations, and aesthetic ideas to beautify your yard.

Kimberly Ussery is the Water Conservation Representative at Helix Water District and is earning degrees in sustainable horticulture and water resources management from Cuyamaca Community College.

ART and PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUCED
-12:30pm Art/Photo Winners Announcement in the Plaza, followed by Guest Speakers acknowledging 25 years of community and conservation.

ANIMAL ENCOUNTER BOOTHS:
-SD Turtle and Tortoise Society
–SoCal Parrot Rescue
-Free Flight 
-ZoVargo (10am-12pm)
-Living Coast Discovery Museum 

LIVE MUSIC:
-Cuyamaca College Choir (12pm-2pm)
 view their Fall Concert Series HERE
-SILVERWOOD Music Ensemble (10am-11:30am)

PARTNER BOOTHS:
-Helix Water, Sweetwater Authority, Otay Water, SDCWA,
-Padre Dam Municipal Water-AWP Program (Advanced Water Purification Project)
-County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program
-Solana Center (interactive composting and waste diversion booth)
-SD Canyonlands
-Elementary Institute of Science 
-Mt. Helix Park Foundation 
-San Miguel Fire Department-Fire Truck
-Cuyamaca Botanical Society  
–Cuyamaca College Outreach

ACTIVITIES:
-Interactive Mosaic with community participation
-Historic Exhibit Talks with volunteers
-Nature Craft Area Sponsored by the Greater San Diego  Academy (GSDA)
-Stamp and Go Scavenger Hunt (pickup your map at the Info Booth)
-Gifts from the Garden, Volunteer run gift shop and specialty plant sales and holiday sales!

FOOD and TREATS:
–Frank’s Pizza Joint 
-The Go Go Truck 
-Simply Fresh Truck
-Baked Goods

The Heritage of the Americas Museum will be open and free this day with over 20 craft vendors.

Cuyamaca College Plant Nursery will be open for plant sales