UAF Cooperative Extension Sitka District

09/28/2026

Did you know that October is the start of the year for 4-H clubs in Alaska and across the nation? Now is the time to sign up and get involved. At 4-H, we learn by doing. (Watch for more Alaska 4-H info throughout the month of October and beyond!)
If you are in Sitka, Alaska: enrollment for the Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club opens Thursday, October 1, ages 5-18. Come to our open house at Blatchley Middle School that evening from 4 - 6 pm. Youth and family members can enroll in 4-H and skate for any amount of time. Snacks and skates provided.

For more information contact the Cooperative Extension’s Jasmine Shaw at [email protected].

The Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension enriches the lives of Alaskans through research, education and outreach grounded in community needs.

Come skate at Sitka middle school and learn more about 4-H! Photo courtesy Jasmine Shaw.

07/13/2026

A Utah State University biochar expert will demonstrate how to produce the soil amendment on Thursday in Sitka.

Darren McAvoy, a USU Cooperative Extension associate professor of forestry, will use tree trimmings, scrap wood and plant material to produce biochar. The demonstration is hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service office in Sitka.

The demonstration, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, is an opportunity for participants to discuss biochar’s potential to improve soil quality and to sequester carbon.

The demonstration will be at the Mt. Edgecumbe High School ball fields at 1332 Seward Ave.

The event is weather-dependent and may be canceled or postponed in the event of elevated fire danger or heavy rainfall.

No registration is required, but lunch will be provided to those who RSVP in advance to Jasmine Shaw at [email protected] or 907-747-9440.

07/01/2026

The Alaska Lumber Grading program will hold a free certification course in Sitka from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15.

The program, part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, is designed to allow small and medium-scale sawmill operators to produce dimension lumber for home construction in Alaska. When the program conditions are met, the lumber may be accepted as an alternative to grade-stamped lumber for structural applications where required by residential building codes.

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

The workshop will be held at the University of Southeast Alaska campus in Sitka, 1332 Seward Ave. Register at https://bit.ly/SitkaALG.

For more information, contact Matt Labrenz at [email protected] or call 907-474-7192.

06/23/2026

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service in Southeast Alaska is offering food preservation, entrepreneurship and healthy living classes in Sitka from July 7-12.

Extension professor Sarah Lewis will lead the workshops in collaboration with Jasmine Shaw from the Sitka District office.

• On Tuesday, July 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Lewis will discuss Alaska’s homemade food rules. She will also introduce basic safety practices for produce growers and farmers. The free class is at the Sitka Public Library, 320 Harbor Drive.

• On Wednesday, July 8, from 6-8 p.m., she will attend the Sitka Community Garden Potluck. Sitka-area gardeners are encouraged to bring a dish to share, as well as their midsummer gardening tips. Lewis will demonstrate how to safely preserve berries, wild plants and garden harvests for the pantry shelf while preserving their quality and nutrition. In this class, Lewis will introduce pressure canning, water-bath canning, dehydrating, pickling and freezing. The free workshop and potluck is at See House, 611 Lincoln St.

• On Thursday, July 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Lewis will teach workshop participants how to dehydrate herbs and use them to create culinary salts, infuse vinegars and flavor sugars. The workshop is at Sitka Lutheran Church. The cost is $20. Register at https://bit.ly/HerbSalts.

• On Saturday, July 11, Lewis will be at the Sitka Farmers Market, 235 Katlian St., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to conduct free tests on pressure canner dial gauges. She will also answer questions about pressure canners and food preservation. Free food preservation publications will be available.

• On Sunday, July 12, Lewis will lead a menopause mocktail hour at See House from 1-3 p.m. She will discuss strategies and lifestyle changes that women can make before or during perimenopause to enable them to enter menopause with strength and confidence. The cost is $10. Register at https://bit.ly/MenoMocktails.

For more information, contact Lewis at [email protected].

06/11/2026

It's summer, and there's nothing better on a warm evening than sweet Italian treats.

A Sitka workshop will show participants how to make gelato and tiramisu, traditional Italian desserts.

Paula Veshti will lead the workshop, which is sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service office in Sitka. It is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, at the Sitka Lutheran Church kitchen, 224 Lincoln St. The cost is $40. Space is limited.

Register using the online form or visit https://bit.ly/SitkaTiramisu.

For more information, contact Jasmine Shaw at [email protected] or 907-747-9440.

04/24/2026

This conference is coming up fast! Don't miss it.

The 2026 Alaska Master Gardener Conference, hosted by the UAF Cooperative Extension Service in Juneau, will feature Alaska experts on such topics as peonies, figs, native plants and poppies. Internationally renowned gardening expert Joe Lamp'l, the Joe behind joegardener, is the keynote speaker.

The conference begins Friday, May 1, at 6 p.m. with registration at Harbor Mountain Brewing, 165 Shattuck Way, Juneau. Highlights from Lamp'l's public television series, "Growing a Greener World," will be shown.

Saturday, May 2, registration begins at 8 a.m. at Chapel by the Lake, 11042 Auke Lake Way. Speakers continue throughout the day. For a full schedule, visit https://www.uaf.edu/ces/garden/mastergardeners/.

Lamp'l will lead a gardening demonstration at the Juneau Community Garden, 5669 Montana Creek Road, at 4 p.m., followed by a meet and greet at 6 p.m.

The cost is $100, with an additional $25 for lunch on Saturday. Register using the online form or visit https://bit.ly/2026MGconference.

For more information, contact Darren Snyder at [email protected].

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at [email protected] 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 [email protected].

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.