Access At CVUHS

Join us as we learn more about pollinators, and growing pollinator friendly landscapes. Creating pollinator gardens doesn’t just help the bees; it also helps your fruits and vegetables. We will cover the key local and regional native perennials that provide pollinators with nectar and pollen throughout the season. This course also highlights host plants for caterpillars of butterflies and moths, and plants that provide for other pollinating specialists. Participants will take home plant lists and a greater understanding of strategies to incorporate these plants and techniques into your own garden space. This is a workshop for all levels, beginner to professional. "Jacob is so full of information, he is bursting at the seams." "Excellent class, absolutely love Jacob’s lectures! My husband and I look forward to them all month."

Have you ever thought about keeping bees? This course offers a wonderful opportunity to learn about these vital and fascinating pollinators that play a crucial role in our food system. Taught by Vermont-based apiarists with over 40 years of combined experience, instructors will share not only essential beekeeping knowledge but also practical tips gained from decades of hands-on work in the field and in the beekeeping business. Across three informative sessions, students will gain a solid foundation in beekeeping, with plenty of time for questions and discussion. Whether you’re simply curious or considering starting a few hives of your own, this popular Access class provides the insight and confidence to take the next step. An optional on site class will be offered in May, with date, time, and location determined by weather and instructor availability. Deborah and Rick tending to bees at a hive.

Have you wanted to de-clutter your home, and just don't know where to start? Have you started the process, only to feel overwhelmed, and then get stuck? Ellen will share her tried-and-true methods for organizing a home, and developing systems to keep it that way. Come ready to ask her for the best approaches to purge your worst clutter spots! You'll go home with renewed motivation and a page of Timely Tips.

Do you share your life with a dog and wish you had a stronger bond built on clearer communication? This engaging two-part course is designed to help dog owners better understand how dogs communicate—and how we, as humans, can respond more effectively. Join veterinarian Dr. Viola Chu for an informative and practical presentation that explores the differences between canine and human communication. If you’ve ever felt frustrated or confused when your dog doesn’t seem to “get” what you’re asking, this class will help you see behavior and signals from a new perspective. In the first session, Dr. Chu will explain how dogs communicate through body language, behavior, and instinct, and why misunderstandings between dogs and humans are so common. Participants will learn strategies to bridge this communication gap and build mutual trust. In the second session, these concepts will be applied to real-world situations such as common behavior challenges, training frustrations, and everyday interactions at home and on walks. Ample time will be provided for questions and discussion. While the sessions complement one another, each class can be taken independently. Please bring your curiosity and questions—but kindly leave your pets at home. “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” - Aldo Leopold

Learn why we graft apple trees and the technique of how to graft to reproduce your favorite apple varieties. A valuable tool for the propagation of plant cultivars, grafting is a technique of joining two plants to continue their growth as one on a single plant. Grafting is particularly useful in the preservation of heirloom apple varieties. This is a hands-on class — participants will graft trees to take home, and care of seedlings will be discussed. Additional materials fee of $20 includes all supplies including rootstock, scionwood, handouts, as well as 3 apple trees to take home. "Jacob is so full of information, he is bursting at the seams." "Excellent class, absolutely love Jacob’s lectures! My husband and I look forward to them all month."

Are you looking to update the look of your home or business? A new paint color can be one of the most dramatic and cost effective ways to achieve that. Color expert, Betsey Dempsey, will briefly guide you through the basic steps to consider when choosing paint colors. Some of the topics will include intensity, value, undertones, and how light affects paint colors. We will also discuss color trends as well as many tips and tricks to make picking paint colors easier!

Have you always wanted to start your own seeds? Join Mary for this 1-night class where you'll not only learn all the tips and tricks from her years of experience, you'll also start your own seedlings and make your own seed tape, a convenient way to plant veggies with pesky small seeds like carrots, lettuces and more. Each student will get to: plant their own 6-pack of mixed tomatoes and peppers that they can then take home for planting in their own garden when the temperatures warm up. In Mary's experience, a 6-pack with a mixture of varieties is ideal for a small or average sized garden. make seed tapes and then plant seeds in a small box inside a domed plastic container to create the ideal humidity. For students aged 13 and older. Children aged 8 and up are welcome to join with an adult caregiver who is also registered.

Join us for a hands-on workshop where you'll discover how to identify the trees that make up our local landscape. Through interactive lessons and field-tested techniques, you'll gain the skills to confidently recognize and differentiate a wide variety of native tree species. This class will meet inside CVU to start and then move outside. Please dress appropriately for the weather, as the class will take place outside CVU and may involve walking over some muddy and uneven ground. This class will meet rain or shine. "Jacob is so full of information, he is bursting at the seams." "Excellent class, absolutely love Jacob’s lectures! My husband and I look forward to them all month."

Just a few steps outside your door lies a world of plants waiting to be discovered! Kelley Robie, of Horsetail Herbs, will guide you on this introduction to identifying common and abundant “weeds” that make some of our very best wild foods and medicines. Here in Vermont, for at least half of the year, we can find dozens of nutritious and healing plants to incorporate into our meals! We will identify local plant species, discuss parts of the plants used, when to harvest them and even do some taste-testing. You will go home with wild food recipes and a new appreciation for Vermont’s local wild plants. Local eating at its best, both fresh and free! This class will meet inside CVU, before moving outside. In the case of extreme weather, the class may move to a rain date of June 4th. "Kelly opened my eyes to a whole new world just outside my doorstep."