Staff | GrowLaCrosse
Kari Bersagel-Braley
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Kari Bersagel Braley is one of the co-founders of GROW. She has worked in education for 12 years as a special education teacher, elementary classroom teacher and a literacy teacher. She is a mother and wife who feels passionately about buying and eating locally grown food. She believes in the benefits of educating her own children and the children in the community about healthy living and working to ensure that all children have access to healthy food. In her free time Kari enjoys hiking in the bluffs with her family, practicing yoga, and eating delicious food around the table with good friends and family.
Bonnie Martin
Communication & Outreach Coordinator
Bonnie brings skills from past experiences such as: marketing, event planning, volunteer organizing, and graphic design. She is passionate about enriching the lives of children through providing hands-on educational activities.
As a leader and volunteer in her children’s school PTO and 4-H club Bonnie has been able to help provide enrichment events and travel experiences for children. It was through these roles that Bonnie became familiar with GROW. She is excited to be a part of an organization that is making a positive impact on the lives of children.
Ana Skemp
Garden Educator & Farm Experiences Director
Ana Skemp’s background in biology/ecology allows the farm program participants to experience learning about their food and where it comes from an in depth level. For example children will learn how plants turn sun into energy during photosynthesis. Ana has experience teaching in a school setting and has led cooking classes for youth. She is a farmer and the owner of Deep Roots Community Farm.
Sam Petersen
Operations Manager
Sam is a nature lover who came to gardening through time working on an organic farm and a market garden. He has also worked at an organic orchard in his hometown.
He lives in La Crescent with his wife Hanna and their dog Cheech. Sam loves to run, bicycle, listen to music, and learn about the natural world. He is super excited to be part of the GROW team and to help make the gardens and greenhouse awesome places to learn and be!
Amy Sherrill
Garden Educator
Amy grew up on a family farm where gardening and a love of the outdoors were a part of life from her earliest years. She went on to earn a Bachelors in Animal Science from Iowa State University. Over the past five years she has gained experience as a substitute teacher. She loves helping children grow through experiential learning and watching their eyes light up with new information. As a mother she will often be found in the family garden with her boys. Providing fresh veggies for the family and neighbors and helping others grow is a favorite family pastime.
Shelly Staehly
Garden Educator
Shelly has always loved gardening and getting her hands dirty.
Gardening has been a learning experience for her as she continues to learn and grow along the way. She graduated with an education degree from UW-LaCrosse and from there, headed out west to Colorado where she taught second grade. She loved watching her students explore and always made it her goal to instill a love of learning in whatever comes their way. Moving back to the midwest with her husband, Chad and her two boys, Booker and Ethan, Shelly is excited to get back into teaching and Grow is a perfect fit for her. She believes that getting students excited about eating healthy while growing their own food is most important and so valuable for all children.
LaKiah McCallson
Garden Educator
LaKiah has a curiosity for the natural world and loves guiding youth in developing their own curiosity. She has over eight years of experience teaching with community groups, summer camps, and currently as a substitute teacher. LaKiah is a La Crosse native who graduated from UWL with a degree in Interpersonal Communication and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
She loves spending time in her own garden, backpacking, and continuously learning. She is excited to be a part of the GROW team!
Cameryn Koch
Garden Educator
Cameryn joined the GROW team as a Public and Community Health Education precptee in the summer of 2022. She found the work so fulfilling when the opportunity arose to join the team as a Garden Educator on staff it was an easy decision. During her internship Cameryn found a love for gardening! Especially, educating youth and seeing their excitement when the garden grows and blooms. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Community Health Education from UW – La Crosse. She tries to make each time in the garden a fun and educational experience. She loves to paint, hike, and generally spend time outdoors. Cameryn also loves to read, with her cat, Garbanzo, snuggled up on her lap!
GROW La Crosse connects students with gardening
GROW Executive Director Kari Bersagel Braley works with a student to harvest and save seeds to prepare a garden for winter.
La Crosse Community Foundation, Contributed
La Crosse Community Foundation
GROW La Crosse has been connecting youth to healthy food and nature for 10 years. Through school gardens and outdoor classrooms, GROW has educated thousands of local children using garden-based, hands-on teaching. But after 10 years, the original gardens are showing the wear and tear of weather and age. The gardens now need to be refreshed for future students, and GROW is seeking the community’s support to get the supplies and resources needed to renew the spaces.
Kari Bersagel Braley is the executive director and co-founder of GROW La Crosse.
What is your favorite food to grow and cook with?
I love to grow and cook with garlic.
It is a delicious and resilient plant. Garlic is planted in the fall, withstands the harsh winter and is one of the first plants to start growing in the spring. You can eat the garlic scape or the flower and stem early in the season and then harvest the bulb later in the summer. In terms of cooking with it, it brings such amazing flavor with its strong aroma and taste. It pairs nicely with my other favorites to grow — tomatoes and basil.
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Why is it important for kids to have a connection to nature?
Nature itself is a fantastic teacher. We are in a technological age, which has its value in our world; however, I have watched children and adults become overly attached to their screens and devices. Children are spending less time outside exploring and playing in nature. It is especially important right now for children to experience nature and to be hands-on with the food they are eating in order to reap the physical and social-emotional benefits.
We have witnessed school classes who were overwhelmed and reaching their emotional limits within the confines of the indoors, come to a garden lesson and find calm and renewal. These moments demonstrate the power of nature. Watching students light up as they taste a vegetable for the first time during a garden taste test demonstrates the power of hands-on nutrition learning in a society that often leans on fast versus fresh.
What would you be happy doing every day for the rest of your career?
Having seen the organization from its inception and from several different angles as a volunteer board member, to a garden educator and now to executive director, I love to tell the story of the organization and its impact. I love to share my own stories from working with children in the gardens and all the “aha moments” students have, and the sense of wonder they bring to the learning. Now in my leadership role, I love to highlight the amazing job our staff and board of directors are doing to impact the lives of youth and families in our community.
In addition, quite honestly, if I can be around plants for the rest of my career in some capacity, that would be a bonus.
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Plant these tasty vegetables in early spring
Lettuce
Numerous varieties of lettuce can be grown in early spring, but if you live in a colder climate try romaine or butterhead. These types are resistant to cold and will yield plenty of salads throughout the season.
Peas
It’s best to plant peas in cool weather to give them time to mature.
Depending on the region you live in, you’ll want to sow this crop from late February to April.
Spinach
This iron-rich leafy green thrives in spring gardens. Plant spinach in cool weather, once the ground warms to about 40 degrees, so it has time to mature. The best time is usually around March but could be as early as February in some regions.
Beets
Beets are fairly cold-resistant and can be planted several weeks before the last frost date.
They typically take about seven to 10 weeks to mature, so you’ll be enjoying them by mid-spring if you start germination now.
Fava beans
Fava beans can be planted in late winter to early spring because they can germinate at just 36 degrees and withstand temperatures as cold as 14 degrees. So if you’re in a part of the country with frosty weather that lasts through the beginning of spring, fava beans are the perfect way to get started on your garden.
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Good Works is a feature provided by the La Crosse Community Foundation highlighting the work of area nonprofits that give back to the community. More information and opportunities to support these organizations can be found online at lacrossegivingcatalog.org.
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GROW Executive Director Kari Bersagel Braley works with a student to harvest and save seeds to prepare a garden for winter.
- La Crosse Community Foundation, Contributed
La Crosse Home Weather Stations
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I recently purchased a home weather station La Crosse WC9257 in your online store. I have a question for you: why does the reference point of relative atmospheric pressure set by me spontaneously change. And another question: which is better to set the city code in the settings if I live in Novosibirsk. I understand that these weather stations were produced for the European market, but still? |
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How do you determine that a point is changing? Unfortunately, I can’t tell you about the city. |
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As I understand it, relative and absolute pressure should change depending on the weather. It’s just that the relative pressure changes from the parameter you set (relative to the height), and the absolute pressure is calculated at sea level. For Moscow, the selection method determined that the most suitable city was Shwerin. For Novosibirsk, it is necessary to select the method of scientific poke)) |
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Here is a specific example: normal air pressure at sea level = 1013 hPa. Calculated normal air pressure at 138 meters = 997.2 hPa. PRESSURE already=999.6 hPA. Although, judging by the graph (history) of atmospheric pressure changes on the display of the weather station, the pressure is growing. |
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Is it supposed to be? So they should change “in pairs” – the relative pressure set by me, and the absolute atm. pressure measured by the La Crosse WS9257 weather station?
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Have you entered a relative pressure value of 997.2? The chart shows that the pressure rose and grew to 999.6? |
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Dima, absolutely right, the set relative pressure from 997.2 has risen to 999.6. So it should be, as I now understand, the set relative pressure should change in tandem with the absolute pressure, and that is not unimportant, this difference is constant. |
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For me it is exactly 14.3 hPa. Quick transitionLa-Crosse.ru online store forum… Questions to La-Crosse.ru store… Chargers…… Charger BC700… Batteries… Discussion of articles
La Crosse weather station WS6825-BLA
Weather station with high contrast LCD color display, 12 hour weather forecast, indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity measurement and USB port for charging mobile devices.
Features La Crosse WS6825-BLA
- LCD color display
- Weather forecast for the next 12 hours
- Measurement of internal and external temperature and relative humidity
- Temperature display in C or F
- Trend display for internal and external temperature and relative humidity
- Acoustic signal when the internal and external temperatures exceed the set values
- Automatic recording of minimum and maximum temperatures and relative humidity
- Outdoor and indoor comfort indicator
- Display of the thermal comfort index (Heat Index)
- Display dew point temperature (Dew Point)
- 12 or 24 hour time format
- Alarm clock with snooze function
- Calendar: month / day / date
- Possibility to turn on permanent display backlight when operating from the power supply
- Low battery indicator
- Signal level indicator from external sensor
- Ability to charge mobile devices from a USB port when the station is powered by a power supply
Specifications La Crosse WS6825-BLA
Weather forecast:
- Weather forecast for 12 hours
- Symbolic weather forecast .
The display shows pictograms (clear, partly cloudy, cloudy, rain, thunderstorm, snowfall) - Atmospheric pressure trend display (stable, rising, falling)
The display shows pictograms (clear, partly cloudy, cloudy, rain, thunderstorm, snowfall) Room temperature:
- Measurement range: 0C to +50C ( 32F to 122F )
- Measurement resolution: 0.1C or 0.2F
- Measurement accuracy: +/- 1C (+/- 2F)
- Temperature trend display
- Automatic registration of minimum and maximum temperature values during the day.
- Sound signal when the temperature exceeds the set values.
Ambient temperature:
- Measuring range: -40C to +60C ( -40F to 140F )
- Measurement resolution: 0.1C or 0.2F
- Measurement accuracy: +/- 1C (+/- 2F)
- Temperature trend display
- Automatic registration of minimum and maximum temperatures during the day
- Sound signal when the temperature exceeds the set values.
Room humidity:
- Measuring range: 1% to 99%
- Measurement resolution: 1%
- Measurement accuracy: +/-5%
- Update every 30 seconds
- Humidity trend display
- Automatic registration of minimum and maximum humidity values during the day
External humidity:
- Measuring range: 1% to 99%
- Measurement resolution: 1%
- Measurement accuracy: +/-5%
- Reading update every 50 sec
- Humidity trend display
- Automatic registration of minimum and maximum humidity values during the day
Indoor and outdoor comfort level:
- Indoor comfort indicator.
The indoor comfort level is a complex indicator that measures the relationship between air temperature and humidity and displays the overall comfort level in the room. During the period when central or stove heating is in operation, the air in the premises is strongly dried, and the humidity of the air can drop to 20%. Dry air has a very negative effect on the general condition of a person, leads to faster fatigue, drowsiness, exacerbation of allergies and diseases of the upper respiratory tract, and a decrease in immunity. The number of positive ions increases in a dry atmosphere, and affects both the physical and mental state of people. The mucous membrane of the nose and throat dries up, resistance to viruses and infections decreases, which increases the likelihood of acute respiratory infections.
Select the brightness level of the backlight when operating from the power supply: high brightness – minimum brightness – turn off the backlight.
USB port for charging mobile devices:
- Charges mobile devices while the watch is running on power supply
- Maximum allowable load current 1A
Communication from an external sensor:
- Communication frequency: 433 MHz
- Data transmission range: up to 90 m line of sight
Dimensions:
- Weather station: 150 x 42 x 123 mm.
- Thermo-hygro sensor: 40 x 20 x 130 mm.
Weight:
- Weather Station: 400g
- Thermo-hygro sensor: 44g
Weather station complete with:
- 1 outdoor temperature and humidity sensor WSTX141TH-BCH
- Two additional WSTX141TH-BCH sensors can be connected (sold separately)
Food:
- Weather station: AC/DC 5V 1.2A power adapter (included), 3 AAA LR3 1.5 V batteries (sold separately)
- Thermo-hygro sensor: 2 x AA LR6 1.5 V batteries (sold separately.
- Alkaline batteries recommended (Duracell, Energizer, etc.)
Wireless Temperature and Humidity Sensor Installation Recommendations
In order to get accurate readings and prolong the life of your sensor, we recommend that you install it in a sheltered location away from moisture and direct sunlight. Do not wrap the sensor in a plastic bag. We recommend installing it outdoors on the outside of a window as shown in the picture below or in any other suitable location.