Gulkana Village To Launch Community Gardens
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash. Water sprinkling on new plants in a garden.
Allison Sayer - CRR Staff
The Village of Gulkana has received a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to start a community garden project. The $8,000 grant will fund materials, plant starts, training, gardening books, fencing, and some staff time. Tribal Administrator Robin Eleazer, bookkeeper Eveline Frank, librarian Tawny LeBlanc, and transit driver Louis Williams met on March 22 to discuss plans for the project.
There will be up to 10 raised beds in this phase of the program. The materials will come from fire fuel reduction programs, and the fire fuels crew will also build the beds. The beds will have drip lines, and simple row coverings with low hoops. Eleazer is open to applying for funding for additional beds, if there is sufficient demand within the community.
A children’s garden will be located in front of the Gulkana library, and the grant will fund some “gardening kits” for local kids. Benches will be built near the children’s garden to facilitate visiting between people. The hope is that the space can be part of a “rebuilding stage” for community togetherness.
At least four garden beds will be located near the Gulkana apartments, which also have convenient access to water. Additional locations will be based on village member interest. Beds can be built at people’s homes if that is the best place for them to garden.
Williams recommended the areas around the playground and the volleyball court, or between the bike trail and the boiler, because they have good light. There also has to be some consideration of where the snowplows need to travel in the winter when locating beds.
There is funding for people who adopt a community garden plot to have a consultation with Sammie from Sammie’s garden spot, during which they can learn what plants might work best for their locations and schedules.
A part time program manager position is also funded. This person can advise gardeners, organize tools and supplies, and work with children on the children’s garden.
