Tuesday, February 8th: Spruce Root Awards $50,000 to two Southeast tourism businesses. How to become a Master Gardener. How Juneau birds survive the winter.

A business boot camp is part of the Path to Prosperity competition. In September 2019, thirteen finalists gathered together in Juneau to learn about how to grow their businesses, while at the same time, develop a business model that also serves the community.

Twelve businesses in Southeast Alaska were selected as finalists in the Path to Prosperity competition, but only two received $25,000 each — Kasaan Arts, Museum, and Canoes and Fishability in Ketchikan. The winners were selected by Spruce Root, a program that promotes entrepreneurship and business development.

On Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, Bonnie and Stormy Hamar, owners of  Kasaan Arts,  and Jack Finnegan, who founded Fishability, talk about how they will use their prize money to grow their businesses.

Also in this program:

  • What it takes to become a Master Gardener in Southeast Alaska
  • How birds that winter in Juneau survive cold and hunger

Listen to the whole show:

Rhonda McBride hosts Tuesday’s program.  You can catch Juneau Afternoon, Tuesday through Friday, live at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO Juneau 104.3. The rebroadcast airs at 7:00 p.m. on KTOO. You can also listen online at ktoo.org.

Part 1. Spruce Root 2021 winners

Izzy Haywood, Spruce Root Program Manager. Bonnie and Stormy Hamar, who run Kassan, Arts, Museum and Canoes. Jack Finnegan, owner of Fishability.
You’ll hear from the winners of the Pathway to Prosperity program, who each won $25,000 to develop their companies. How Spruce Root selected two Southeast tourism businesses based on their feasibility, social and environmental impact.

 

Part 2. Southeast Master Gardener class

Darren Snyder, agriculture and horticultural agent for Southeast Alaska Cooperative Extension Service.
Love gardening and sharing knowledge about how to grow plants in Southeast Alaska’s challenging soils and climate? Maybe you’re a Master Gardener in the making?A new training program is about to get underway through the Southeast Alaska Cooperative Extension Service.  2022 SE AK Hybrid MG Class Flier

 

Part 3. Juneau Audubon Society: Winter Food for Birds

Brenda Wright, Juneau Audubon Society Program Manager
Juneau’s coastal waters, which never freeze, are what keep more than 70 species of birds here in the winter.  The tides bring in a constant supply of nourishment. Here’s a preview of the Juneau Audubon Society’s monthly presentation on Thursday, February 10th at 7:0o p.m. via Zoom.

Redpolls are finches that live year round in open, sub-arctic areas (Photo by Marc Schwan).

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