Believe it or not, spring is approaching — and Homer’s upcoming community events are starting to reflect that! Take part in a plethora of events and talks centered on gardening and growing things, from another installment of the bimonthly Know Your Land talks hosted at Kachemak Bay Campus to a new series of seed workshops to be held at the Homer Public Library. If you haven’t submitted to the 26th annual Kenai Peninsula Writer’s Contest yet, here’s your last reminder before submissions close on March 2! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be published! Finally, mark your calendars for the triennial Kachemak Bay Science Conference, coming up soon! For further info on all this excitement, check out these Best Bets!

BEST KNOW YOUR LAND BET: The Homer Soil & Water Conservation District partners with Kachemak Bay Campus for the 2024 Know Your Land talks on alternating Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. On Feb. 29, learn about crop rotation for successful harvests. Homer Soil & Water’s agriculture program coordinator Monica Kopp will present on how crop rotation can improve your soil health, help control pests and build organic matter in your garden. See examples of tested rotations and how to incorporate an efficient system into your garden plan. Learn about plant families, compatible plants and how to plan a crop rotation that achieves your goals. Join in person at KBC or virtually via Zoom. The “Know Your Land” series of talks is a free event brought to you by Homer SWCD, the USDA-NRCS Homer, AK field office, and the KPC Kachemak Bay Campus. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/homerswcd. 533 E Pioneer Ave.

BEST SUPPORT YOUR RESEARCH RESERVE BET: The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) Community Council is holding its next quarterly meeting on Friday, March 1 from noon to 3 p.m. at Kachemak Bay Campus’s Pioneer Hall. These meetings are open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend. The primary purpose of the Community Council is to support KBNERR’s research, education and training programs by providing an organized structure for dialogue and recommendations between staff and community members interested in natural science research and education. For more information, visit accs.uaa.alaska.edu/kbnerr/. 533 E Pioneer Ave.

BEST SEED WORKSHOP BET: Homer Soil and Water is hosting a series of free weekly Seed and Soil Workshops at the Homer Public Library. On Saturday, March 2 from 3-4:30 p.m., join for a presentation on Beginning Seed Saving and get the basics on seed saving so you know what to save and what not to save. Learn how to save the easy crops. For more information and to register, visit www.teachgardening.com/beginning-seed-saving. 500 Hazel Ave.

BEST WRITERS CONTEST BET: The 26th Kenai Peninsula Writer’s Contest is ending soon! Submissions are open until March 2 for all Kenai Peninsula residents for three writing categories and five age groups ranging from K-3rd grade to Adult/Open. Participants may submit unlimited entries in poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Submissions to the Adult/Open age group are $10 each. Submissions to age groups within K-12th grade are $3 each. For more information, call Homer Council on the Arts at 907-235-4288. 355 W Pioneer Ave.

BEST WEEKLY SPEAKERS BET: The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies continues their winter weeknight program, Tuesday Night Lights. This free, family-friendly rotating event series at CACS headquarters will feature a new special guest giving a talk or hosting an activity every week. On Tuesday, March 3 at 6 p.m., CACS hosts “Green Energy Makes Sense Now: Opportunities for Renewables and Efficiencies in Alaska.” Join this presentation by Peter Crimp, Erin McKittrick and Hig Higman about understanding green energy and why it makes sense in Alaska, both on the Railbelt and across the rest of our state. Make sure to check out the full schedule for other amazing speakers at www.facebook.com/ConnectingUwiththeNatureofAlaskasince1982/. 708 Smoky Bay Way.

BEST CLIMATE-SMART HOMES BET: Cook Inletkeeper and the Kachemak Bay Conservation Society are hosting a March meeting on Climate Smart Homer Homes at Kachemak Bay Campus’s Pioneer Hall. On Tuesday, March 12, join for a “soup and mingle” at 5:30 p.m., preceding the meeting at 6 p.m. Join other volunteers on an information-gathering mission and learn about existing resources and gaps, working toward creating a calendar of events and programs that provide the tools to make much needed energy efficiency improvements to Homer homes. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/411186511312409. 533 E Pioneer Ave.

BEST SCIENCE CONFERENCE BET: Mark your calendars for the 2024 Kachemak Bay Science Conference, coming up on March 17-20! Held at Kachemak Bay Campus, in person for the first time since 2018, this conference is a forum for presenting scientific and traditional ecological knowledge relevant to Kachemak Bay and its surrounding coasts and waters. The theme this year is “Cultivating Knowledge for Healthy Ecosystems and Communities.” For more information, visit kachemakbayscience.org/. 533 E Pioneer Ave.