Sequim Gazette staff

The Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is going green in April.

 

On Saturday, April 16, Scott Chichester of Nash’s Organic Produce will discuss “Seeds, Soil and Sustainability” from 1-3 p.m. at the Dungeness Schoolhouse, 2781 Towne Road, Sequim. Chichester will speak on how soil and seed, key elements in food production, are utilized in local agriculture to increase sustainability while creating a local food system.

 

“In the past, agriculture worked with natural systems, farmers observed nature and developed crop and animal cycles based on those observations. Our modern version of agriculture has deviated largely from that in favor of maximizing cash return,” said Chichester, a Sequim native who began working at Nash’s 13 years ago and is now vegetable production manager.

 

“By looking back at how farmers worked within the constraints of nature and incorporating those principles in a more modern way, we can improve our sustainability in the future.”

 

Admission for the presentation is $5 for MAC members and $8 for nonmembers. Registration is not required, and payment — cash or check — will be collected at the door.

 

This continues a series of Earth Day-inspired MAC events in April. The nearly 70-piece exhibit “The Art of Sustainability,” which explores the environmental, economic and social consciousness of local artists, is on display through April 30 at the MAC Exhibit Center, 175 W. Cedar St., Sequim.

 

For more information about upcoming MAC programs and events, call 683-8110 or visit www.macsequim.org. For more information about Nash’s Organic Produce, visit www.nashsorganicproduce.com.

Genetically modified foods topic of forum

A free educational forum “What Do You Know About the Food You Eat?” is from 2:30-5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525. N. Fifth Ave., Sequim.

 

The focus is genetically engineered foods, possible related health issues and the impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on local farmers.

 

The speakers are Michelle Simpson, citizen advocate; Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties; Patty McManus-Huber, who with her husband, Nash Huber, operates Nash’s Organic Produce; and William Aal, Washington Biotechnology Action Network member and co-chairman of Agra-Watch. A question-and-answer period follows the presentations.

 

League of Women Voters Clallam County, North Olympic Land Trust and North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development sponsor the event.

 

For more information, call Lounette Templeton at 360-504-2060.