Help Grow the Native Food Forest May 1
Bainbridge Prepares is joining Friends of the Farms this Saturday, May 1, to help sow the way to a native food forest on the island. This weekend's volunteers will pull ivy, remove invasive blackberry, and rake debris, among other things, to prepare the meadows at the old M&E Christmas tree farm on Charles Place for planting for pollinators. Friends of the Farms has already planted more than 600 native edible and pollinator plants on the City-owned property in a riparian zone that is key to the health of Manzanita Creek. The creek, which is one of the island's largest aquifer rechargers, could one day bear salmon. This educational ecosystem restoration project will showcase responsible agroecological practices, reestablishing native and primarily edible plants to benefit people, pollinators, wildlife, and the local ecosystem. In addition, friends of the Farms hopes to restore native trees and create a fungi forest on the 13 acres. Visitors will eventually be able to free-forage among edible hedgerows.The work party runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch will be served at 1.To participate, click here for registration info. A signed volunteer waiver is required. All ages are welcome. Please bring gloves, loppers, pruners, shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows.Limited parking is available at the road end on Charles Place off the east part of Lovgreen near Highway 305. Please carpool.Have questions? Email Volunteer@friendsofthefarms.org.
