Do brown mounds of fresh earth get you down?
Are your carefully tended flowers and vegetables drooping or disappearing? Learn how to get gopher problems under control at a workshop taught by Thomas Wittman, founder and owner of Gophers Limited. The workshop takes place on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Louise Cain Gatehouse on the UC Santa Cruz Farm. The workshop will be held rain or shine.
Wittman specializes in non-toxic techniques for controlling burrowing rodent pests. During the workshop he’ll discuss and demonstrate a range of solutions for dealing with gophers, moles, voles, and ground squirrels. “I’ll talk about wire baskets, fencing, and other exclusion options,” says Wittman. “I’ll also discuss liquid drenches, ‘urban myths’ like the legendary Juicy Fruit remedy, sound makers, pyrotechnics including the Rodenator explosive wand, and many kinds of trapping techniques.”
Following the lecture, Wittman will demonstrate the use of Cinch traps, the easiest and most effective way to control gophers and moles with a trap. Traps and plant protection baskets will be available for sale at the event.
Cost of the workshop is $30 general admission, $20 for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden, and $5 for UCSC students. Pre-register at http://gopher.bpt.me or pay at the door with cash or check the day of the event.
For more information, call (831) 459-3240, email casfs@ucsc.edu, or see http://gopher.bpt.me. Workshops are cosponsored by the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems and the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden; UCSC student participation is supported by UCSC’s Measure 43.
The UCSC Farm is located 1/4 mile up the gravel road above the Blacksmith Shop; free public parking is available in the parking lot at the corner of Coolidge Drive and Carriage House Road, near the main entrance to the UCSC campus. For directions, see http://casfs.ucsc.edu/about/directions-2.
