Spokane CC Cultivates Local Students’ Green Thumbs

The Fairwood, Wash., club hosted a learning session for 50 kids about planting, soil types, water testing, identifying plants and golf course management.

Spokane Country Club has taken on the task of creating the next generation of ecologists and agronomists.

For the past 12 years, the Fairwood, Wash., club has invited about 50 students from local schools to learn about planting, soil types, water testing, identifying plants and golf course management on the club’s grounds, the Spokesman-Review reported.

Students from Spokane Community College’s Introduction to Greenhouse Management class also attended.

Golf Course Superintendent Jeff Gullikson co-founded the First Green foundation, which created the event. Students learned how to plant seedlings from Head Landscaper Teresa Riddle.

“You will be planting about 2,000 annuals in the beds around the clubhouse,” Riddle said to the group. “This is a huge help for us, because there are only four of us on staff to do it.”

Students then attended a lecture on soil types, given by Tim Magney from Wilbur-Ellis. They also observed a demonstration on water testing for excess nitrogen, a test the course does every three months to be certain runoff is not going into the ponds or aquifer.

Gullikson wrapped up the day with “Fertilizer 101,” a presentation about the nutrients plants need, how to calculate necessary fertilizer quantities, and when to apply them.

“This program is wonderful because everything’s provided, so it’s not a burden on the school,” agriculture teacher Becky Strite said. “They have wonderful workshops and my students get to interact with kids from other schools. They see the relevance between what I’m teaching and what they’re doing here.”

Gullikson enjoyed the day as well.

“The kids have a fun day of learning even though they probably don’t think they’re learning,” he said. “They’ve probably never been to a golf course before. They laugh, have fun and create a memory.”

Tags: Becky Strite Fairwood Wash. Jeff Gullikson Spokane Community College Spokane Country Club Teresa Riddle Tim Magney Wilbur-Ellis