The winds are blowing, the rain is falling and autumn is a upon us with all the harvest bounty and earnestness of purpose that the season brings to us in Interior Alaska. As the leaves turn to red and gold, there are many great events coming up in our community to put on your calendars:

September 5: Free Public Lecture: Connecting with Nature in a Virtual Age with author Richard Louv at 7 pm in Hering Auditorium with a book signing to follow. Look for both Boreal House and Week in the Woods at the Outdoor Education Information Fair in the Lathrop High School Lobby and cafeteria. The fair is hosted by the Alaska Public Lands Information Center and runs from 6-9 pm. 

September 7: A First Friday Event: TRAILWALK: July in the Boreal Forest. 5-7 pm in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Board Room, 520 5th Avenue. This exhibit will feature original botanical illustrations by participants of the first Fairbanks STEAM Institute that was held July 6-13, 2012. Families are welcome. There will be a hands-on botanical illustration activity. Books will be available for sale at this event. 

AND check out the Boreal House fall listing of classes. (To register for a course, email info@borealhouse.org.)  We are excited to be offering the following schedule of courses from talented and experienced teachers: 

September 15-16: Bowl Carving with John Manthei.
September 22-23: Blacksmithing of Knives and Tools with Mark Knapp. This class has only three openings left, so register NOW!
September 29-30: Intermediate Foreign Folk Woodcrafts with Phil Marshall.
October 6-7: Birch Bark Weaving: Scandinavian/Russian Style with John Zasada.
October 20: Whittle a Spoon from Greenwood with John Manthei
October 27: Shrink Boxes with John Manthei.
November 3: Birch Bark Boxes with John Manthei. 

With the class Birch Bark Weaving: Scandinavian/Russian Style, we welcome John Zasada, a former Fairbanksan back to the Interior from his home in Minnesota to share his mastery and passion for weaving with bark. We know this class will fill quickly, so register NOW. 

Continue to look for the Boreal House booth at the Wednesday Tanana Valley Farmers’ Market through September 19. And thanks to all who have stopped by to say hello and support our efforts. 

Been a busy but rewarding July. We have maintained a steady presence at the Sunday Tanana Valley Farmers Market, but are moving our efforts to Wednesday markets for August and September. Look for us in various locations there. 

Week in the Woods had a great year with 40 participants and a stellar program. Check out their site for a full report with photos on their 2012 experience. They are planning two sessions for 2013  (June 14-19, 2013 and June 28-July 3, 2013). Excitement is high for this camp.

Inside the botanical book created by STEAM participants

The first ever STEAM Institute: Illustrated Botanical Books was a huge success with twenty students from all over the state in attendance. The course centered around the creation of an illustrated botanical entitled Trail Walk: July in the Boreal Forest. Both students and instructors alike came away from the Institute stoked and anticipating more STEAM offerings in 2013. The Institute was a Boreal House collaborative effort with UAF’s School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (SNRAS) and the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District/Art Center.

In August Boreal House is offering the following classes with instructor Phil Marshall:
Chip Carving course on August 11-12. Class times are 9 am to 5 pm daily. Please email info@borealhouse.org by Sunday, August 5 if you are interested in taking this class. 

Whittling Workshop is scheduled for August 25-26. Class times are 9 am to 5 pm daily. Please email info@borealhouse.org before August 20 if you are interested in taking this class. 

We have exciting classes coming up in September. Check them out here. 
One course that is coming in October is a Birch Bark Weaving class with John Zasada. When we have all the course details it will be added to the website listing.  

Senator Mark Begich stops by the Boreal House table at the Market on May 12.

Boreal House has had a table at the market during May and will continue to have a table on Sundays throughout the summer. Last Sunday, May 27, Phil Marshall spent the day demonstrating his Swiss Chip Carving techniques and will be offering a two-class on August 11 & 12.

Mark your calendar for June 10 when John Manthei will be at the market demonstrating his spring pole lathe.

There is still room for students. If you want to register email info@borealhouse.org. The course runs from 9 am to 5 pm, and is held at 1600 Goldenview Drive. The instructor is John Manthei. Cost is $70.

Thank you very much for visiting. Right now things are very roughly hewn, but soon it will be crafted into a finely worked piece of web design, or at least a functional place where you can find the information you need. That’s the plan anyway. In the mean time, thanks for your patience.

-the boreal house web team