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URBAN TILTH: NEWSLETTER
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July 2019
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 Wildcat Creek Visioning Project
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Illustration of Wildcat Creek Trail in the Future. Courtesy Mithun.
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We are proud to present our
Wildcat Visioning Project
. First, because the project will reconnect North Richmond residents with the only natural area in the middle of their city. And also because the creator and designer of this initiative is a North Richmond resident and our very own staff member Princess Robinson.
"Urban Tilth gave me a chance and I started learning, experiencing, getting to know my home in a different manner, and being put in positions that opened my horizons," Princess said.
When Princess went back to her own community to work at the Wildcat Creek in North Richmond, she noticed that the trail left much to be desired. It looked neglected, was surrounded by fences and felt more like a safety hazard than a place where the community could enjoy the outdoors.
This was her turning point. Princess rolled up her sleeves and designed the
Wildcat Visioning Project
, a campaign to create awareness about the need to improve the Wildcat Creek Trail in North Richmond. The goal is to turn this space into an inviting trail where the community can have a healthy outdoors experience.
Princess engaged with other like-minded community leaders and organizations. She created a steering committee to support the planning of community involvement. Her team has gone door-to-door with a
survey
to collect feedback from neighbors on how to improve Wildcat Creek Trail access and site amenities. Long time residents shared their memories when, back in the day, the creek was a place for family recreation.
The committee has led other efforts to engage North Richmond residents with the project. Within a year, Princess hosted a series of community outreach events near the creek, like an egg hunt, trick-or-treat, a softball game, and zumba. At these events the team uses the opportunity to talk
about the project and allow
residents to voice their opinion on the future for the trail.
This visioning process will help improve the trail to benefit the community and help provide safe connections to the Bay shoreline & Bay trail. We documented the development of this initiative in the short video posted here.
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News from the Farms, Gardens and Creeks
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The North Richmond Farm Keeps Moving Forward
We had big dreams for the
North Richmond Farm
since the very beginning. The process has been slow and steady. It's hard to believe that we have
been growing food for two years already!
Our goal this year is to install 20 new raised beds, which is 4,000 square feet of new production space at the farm. So far we have 18 completed and 6 in production!
Your volunteer help has been key during this process. Already this year,
ten
organizations -
universities and colleges, elementary schools and sister farms, and over 395 volunteers - visionaries, climate justice activists, local doctors, friends, family and neighbors have visited the farm to lend us a hand.
They helped with weeding and creating beds, and they even built some new benches for us out of old shipping pallets. It's amazing how much we can accomplish when we work together towards a common goal!
We also installed a pumpkin patch and marigold garden for our upcoming Harvest Festival and Día de los Muertos Celebration! We are also anticipating our first ever cut flower crop at the North Richmond Farm! When they are ready, we will be making beautiful bouquets for our CSA members, volunteers and guest. We want to thank First Generation Farmers for teaching us about the flower growing methods and all the tips and tricks they taught us! We also want to thank the Art and Ecology Class from Dominican University for helping us sow these beauties!
This summer our goal is to update our CSA wash and pack shade structure and hopefully create a new windrow area on the farm where we can make even more of our own high quality compost from farm green waste!
Last but not least, after a long wait, we are ex
cited to
begin for Phase I of farm construction.
This Fall we are planning to lay the groundwork to begin construction on all of our permanent utilities, site grading and interior roads so in 2020 we can begin Phase II,
building all of our food growing facilities, like a permanent greenhouse, tool shed, shade house, Watershed education center, the final 80+ trees in our orchard and over 60 new crop rows! Stay tuned for more updates, there is so much more to come...
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Richmond High Students Receive Visit
from Local Elementary School
This is the fourth year in a row that Richmond H
igh Students have made this field trip a success for the Dover class. The senior and junior students prepared and planned the whole event to share their knowledge with the little ones.
They set up stations with activities such as making salad with lettuce harvested in the garden. The salad was shared among all. Both the little children and the teenagers enjoyed eating healthy vegetables! They also made lemonade with freshly picked lemons from the site's tree. The drink was such a big hit that next year they are going to plant more lemon trees. They played a "guess the fruit" game. Blindfolded kids picked delicious fruit from dixie cups and guessed what they were eating. When harvesting, they were very excited to see purple potatoes and different colored carrots.
To top it all off, Urban Tilth staff member Marvin Parra had a screen printing station and the fourth-graders went home with posters that read, "Grow Food, Grow Minds."
Learn more about the Richmond High Garden and the Urban Agriculture Academy.
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Self-Pollination Summer
Staff Intensive Training
For the past 10 years, at Urban Tilth we have hosted a
Summer Youth Apprenticeship Program
. This summer, we decided to take a gap year and do something different. We are self-pollinating!
This summer, for six weeks, Urban Tilth staff members will work on our own expertise, filling knowledge gaps, strengthening what we already know and learning more!
The number one goal for the Self-Pollination Summer is to improve our knowledge
to better serve the community.
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Fruit is on at the Edible Forest on Richmond Greenway!
Now is a good time for Richmond residents to take a stroll through their
Edible Forest
on the Richmond Greenway. The first fruits of the season are ripe and ready! The community can take as many plums, pears, cherries, apricots, peaches, and more as they like... grown with zero chemicals, from 78 fruit trees!
"The families that live here love that there's a garden," said Bruno Lara, Site Manager for the Green Way Unity Park.
An Urban Tilth initiative, the
Richmond Greenway Garden
has been up and running successfully since 2017. There are two sites, the Edible Forest and the 6th Street Community Garden, where produce is planted all year around, free for the community to harvest.
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More Healthy Food for ALL!
The Farm to Table CSA is Expanding...
The mission of our
Farm to Table CSA
(
Community-Supported Agriculture)
is to give access to all West Contra Costa residents to locally grown, fresh, and organic produce. So we started a venture where every week members receive a 10-lb. box of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
The produce comes from Urban Tilth gardens and farms in collaboration with other local farms. We now have 168 members and, through our
Pay-it-Forward Membership
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we are able to provide our produce to more than 100 low-income member families at an affordable price. We are expanding and we want to get our member numbers to at least 250 by fall.
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Shout-out to Soul Fire Farm
In June we received a surprise gift that left us full of appreciation for Leah Penniman,
Soul Fire Farm founding co-executive director and the folks at
Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC). Instead of keeping the proceeds for her own amazing project, Soul Fire Farm, Leah chose to direct them to
Urban Tilthas a donation. This shows the generosity, solidarity, and support that are characteristics of kindred spirit organizations like Soul Fire Farm, Urban Tilth and OAEC. We hope we have the opportunity to return the love one day!
We would also like to give a shout-out to Soul Fire Farm for its
Reparations Map for Black-Indigenous Farmers. The initiative for this map comes from recognizing that the food system was built on stolen land and stolen labor of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and other people of color. The Reparations Map for Black-Indigenous Farmers has made it easy to locate mission driven farm projects led by a majority of people of color so these farming and food justice projects can receive the support they need to thrive!
Learn more about the Reparations Map for Black-Indigenous Farmers.
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Accepting Applications
for 2019
Basins of Relations Watershed Technician
Training Program
Our
Watershed Technician Training Program
engages a crew of 10 young adult 'apprentices' from West Contra Costa County and provides them with the background information and skills necessary to begin a career in environmental stewardship. Over the course of the 15-week program, the apprentices develop a set of skills and expertise that will help them support their local watershed, their community and their own career.
This paid apprenticeship ($15/hour) is ideally suited for young adults ages 18-24 interested in developing their careers and supporting their community.
We'll start receiving applications in August and September.
For more info email: [email protected]
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The Healing Movement at Richmond High
Introducing Youth to Plants that Heal
We are offering one Herbal Workshop every season. We aim to learn more and pass on the knowledge of plant-based medicine to the community of Richmond & San Pablo. This summer we learned how to make infused oils with herbs.
In addition, we are planning an herbal after school program at the Richmond High School. Knowing that mental health disorders in teenagers are at an all-time high, and that many turn to substance abuse to deal with stress, depression, and anxiety, we want students to find inner peace working at the garden and to find ways to heal themselves through herbs.
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| Wellness Club - The Healing Movement at Richmond High School |
For more info email: [email protected]
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Urban Naturalists Program at Richmond High School -Starting Fall 2019!
Through the Basins of Relations
Urban Naturalist Program
,
Richmond High School
students will deepen their understanding of the natural world-and our place within it-while immersed in the complex, wild and enthralling ecological theater that is playing out right under our noses.
This extra-curricular program provides a new year-long apprenticeship for high school students interested in learning about natural history and watershed ecology through hands-on activities, including field trips to local natural areas to support their learning and to practice environmental stewardship.
For more info email: [email protected]
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Take it to the Stage, Saturday, August 10, 2019
Come ready to put your hands together for the young Richmond folks that will participate at Urban Tilth's first talent show. For more information
click here.
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Save the Date: Harvest Festival at the North Richmond Farm! - Oct 26, 2019
Ready to get a pumpkin? Come to our farm here in the middle of the city. We'll have a straw maze, bouncy houses, and guaranteed fun for your family. For more info email: [email protected]
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Save the Date: Día de los Muertos at the North Richmond Farm! - Nov 2, 2019
Come to the farm to participate in this Mexican tradition to remember our ancestors. We'll have a big altar and crafts for the children. For more info email: [email protected]
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GET INVOLVED!
REGULAR VOLUNTEER DAYS
When: August 3
from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.
Where:
1st Street Sol Garden,
1876 1st St.,
North Richmond, CA 94801
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When: August 4 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Richmond High Garden,
1250 23rd Street,
Richmond, CA 94804
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2nd Saturday Volunteer Day @ Greenway Gardens
When: August 10 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Greenway Gardens, Richmond Greenway Trail & 6th St., Richmond, CA 94804
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3rd Saturday Volunteer Day @ Adamscrest Farm
When: August 17 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Where:
Adamscrest Farm,
5000 Patterson Circle,
Richmond, CA 94805
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When: July 27 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Where: North Richmond Farm, 323 Brookside Dr., Richmond, CA 94801
For more info
click here
or email:
[email protected]
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