Regenerate Wheat Ridge

Regenerate Wheat Ridge Workshop Series

These workshops are in their third year and are the result of a partnership with the Jefferson Conservation District and funding from an urban agriculture conservation grant. We are grateful for the hard work and dedication to the developers of this program.

In 2023, Wheat Ridge will host seven (7) workshops open to the public and welcome for all ages. Workshops are from 8:30-9:30am, with coffee & pastries and a meet and greet with workshop hosts from 8-8:30am. Workshops take place at Happiness Garden (4226 Ammons St.), except for (July 12) Goats, @ Lewis Meadows.

Anyone that completes all 7 workshops will receive a Regenerate Wheat Ridge Certificate.

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2023 Workshops

Event	Date	Location	Registration Links
Seed Starting	4/12	Happiness Gardens Ammons & W. 43rd	Register Now.
Regenerative Ag 101	5/10	Happiness Gardens Ammons & W. 43rd	Register Now.
Peek into a Bee's Life	6/14	Happiness Gardens Ammons & W. 43rd	Register Now.
Goats @ Lewis Meadows	7/12	Lewis Meadows Swadley & W. 34th	Register Now.
Regenerative Farming Showcase	8/9	Happiness Gardens Ammons & W. 43rd	Register Now.
Preserving the Harvest	9/13	Happiness Gardens Ammons & W. 43rd	Register Now.
Putting the Beds to Bed	10/11	Happiness Gardens Ammons & W. 43rd	Register Now.

Regenerate Wheat Ridge in 2021 & 2022

The Jefferson Conservation District (JCD) and the City of Wheat Ridge (COWR) in Jefferson County, Colorado, were awarded an urban agriculture conservation grant for their collaborative agricultural project through a partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost technical capacity nationwide.

JCD was one of 20 conservation districts across 14 states to receive funding. NACD and NRCS established the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative in 2016 to help conservation districts and their partners provide much-needed technical assistance for community-oriented agricultural projects in both urban and rural contexts.

Urban Agriculture Partnerships

As a result of the urban agriculture conservation grant, Jefferson Conservation District (JCD) and the City of Wheat Ridge developed a project to increase regenerative urban agricultural production in Wheat Ridge. The work completed by the department provides many resources to residents and landowners interested in getting involved in regenerative agriculture practices. View the full Technical Assistance Guide for Growing Urban Agriculture Partnerships here (PDF).

Jefferson Conservation District (JCD) utilizes an educational, incentives-based approach as opposed to a regulatory approach in working with landowners, cooperators and partners in implementing Federal and State conservation programs. Along with forest restoration, JCD has grown to include specialization in noxious weed management and urban agriculture. Our energetic staff find implementing real and meaningful conservation projects a rewarding profession. Jefferson Conservation District has four areas of focus: Forestry, Noxious Weeds, Urban Agriculture and Native Seed Sales.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state associations and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices.

Regenerate Wheat Ridge Awarded Columbine Award for Programming

In the fall of 2022, the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) awarded the Columbine Award for Programming to the department for the "Regenerate Wheat Ridge” program which continued through its second year in 2022.

Department staff also led an educational session on the program during the conference. Councilmember Amanda Weaver, former Jefferson Conservation District employee and current Sustainable Wheat Ridge member Amy DePierre, and Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation staff accepted the award on behalf of the department.