Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com January 19, 2022 Quartzsite Events Online: www.QuartzsiteCalendar.com Gardening with Dennis www.QuartzsiteVideos.com Watch Quartzsite Council meetings @ Music Jam Schedule Schedule Jam Schedule Jam Please contact Desert Messenger to list your jam session Please contact Desert Messenger to list your jam session www.QuartzsiteVideos.com Please contact Desert Messenger to list your jam session www.QuartzsiteVideos.com Please contact Desert Messenger to list your jam session 928-916-4235 Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 Editor@DesertMessenger.com QUARTZSITE, BRENDA, LA PAZ VALLEY SUNDAY: 1:00pm Wagons West RV Park, 1:00pm Wagons West RV Park, Brenda 6pm Black Rock Resort Park, 6pm Black Rock Resort Park, Brenda 6:30pm. Gold Star Gospel, Acoustic with Lee Black MONDAY: 88 Shades 6:30pm TUESDAY: TUESDAY: 1pm Brenda RV Park, Brenda 1pm Brenda RV Park, Brenda 7pm. Desert Gold, Brenda, Gospel WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY: 6:30pm. Holiday Palms RV Park, 6:30pm. Holiday Palms RV Park, Country Country 6:30pm Gold Star 6:30pm Gold Star 6:30pm 1st Baptist Church 6:30pm 1st Baptist Church 6:30pm 1st Baptist Church Gospel THURSDAY: 1pm Split Rail RV Park 6:30pm. QIA Jams 1st & 3rd; Watch Quartzsite Council meetings 6:30pm. QIA Jams 1st & 3rd; Watch Quartzsite Council meetings Country; 2nd & 4th Gospel Watch Quartzsite Council meetings Country; 2nd & 4th Gospel Watch Quartzsite Council meetings 7pm. Brenda RV Resort, Brenda @ 7pm. Brenda RV Resort, Brenda @ FRIDAY: 6:30pm JR's RV Park 6:30pm Mountain Quail RV Park SATURDAY: 1pm Desert Gold RV Park, Brenda 4pm Mt. Quail #2 RV Park for you! BONDED NOTARY PUBLIC • PICK UP & DELIVERY SERVICE • Courier Service • Mobile Notary Service • Professional Correspondence • Proof Reading • Copies Year Round Quartzsite Resident 562-682-7283 XERISCAPE By Alex Taft When I fi rst began this series of articles in June of 2020, I had no thought that the articles would con- tinue for this long. So, it is time for a refresh of the dedication of these articles. Dennis Wilskey was a part- time Parks employee for the Town and a Master Gardener since 1985. He also taught classes as part of the master gardener program for the University of Arizona La Paz County Extension Offi ce. Dennis was also an active member of the Quartzsite Garden Club and the Quartzsite Historical Society, Inc. and Museum. He passed away sud- denly from the effects of a major stroke in the town parking lot on a Friday afternoon in February of 2018. His knowledge and respect for his interests of gardening, ex- ploring the desert and trekking to museums and historical sites in the area fortunately were left behind in his notebooks and my dedication is to share his knowledge and experi- ence that were the result of his ded- ication to our area and community. I have used his notes, comments, planting logs, soil mixture recipes and countless clippings from Ex- tension Offi ce papers to create ar- ticles that pass on his knowledge and perspective. My fi rst exposure to Dennis was over a project with an Arizona Com- munity Challenge Grant for the pur- pose of promoting and enhancing the quality of Arizona's urban and community forests. The program aims to fund projects that might not otherwise be funded through exist- ing budgets. The project was to pro- mote Xeriscaping, or landscaping with low water use trees and shrubs. To quote from the brochure that Dennis still had, "Xeriscape from the Greek xeros, meaning dry or desert- like landscaping of native trees and plants promotes water conservation soil improvement, local culture and history. From the time of the Indian Americans to when the fi rst camels passed through Quartzsite to dry mining, to present, water conserva- tion has been a way of life. The com- munity sits in both arid desert and fl ood plain so clean water manage- ment has become a primary focus for the town as Quartzsite continues to grow. It is with growth in mind that xeriscape has become an important direction supported by the Arizona Urban and Community Forestry Community Challenge Grant Pro- gram." That project funded the wa- ter system to plant trees and shrubs in the area west of the parking lot in front of Town Hall. It also funded books on xeriscap- ing for the library and plant iden- tifi cation plaques. The trees were all donated by the community. The project provided for a small tri-fold brochure about xeriscaping to try to promote the knowledge and use of low water use plants as quoted above. I found all the paperwork from that project in 1999 in his pa- perwork. He was very invested in it. Since that project, the cemetery, the town park and other areas have all been planted with low water use landscaping. Xeriscaping has be- come a town practice and policy. 1999 was a long time ago, and it was pointed out by a friend that not ev- eryone knows who Dennis is. Good point. I will be including a small re- minder in each article in the future so the context of reference for these articles is clear. A garden featuring xeriscaping was started by Joanne and Paul Winer with support from the Quartzsite Garden Club in Ce- lia's Rainbow Garden, a memorial garden for their daughter in an area of the town park which has become a memorial garden for many and maintained by volunteers. DEADLINE DEADLINE : WED. WED. FEB FEB. . . . 4 TH TH TH for for FEB. 16 FEB. 16 th FEB. 16 th FEB. 16 FEB. 16 th FEB. 16 th edition edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

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