Healing Gardens

Body:

FALL 06 

Week 2

Thursday- 11pm did research on Prince's pine, the plant we will be transplanting to our site, along with looking through NW plant guide for other potential newcomers.

Friday-1pm spent roughly a hour at my space studying plants and journaling, used laptop to research dry woodlands habitat and assembled a list of plants I could see on my site in the future.

Saterday-2-3pm spent a hour with group documenting both beargrass savannah and dry woodlands, took pictures and tried to Identify plants. Discussed future plans for both sites.

Learning from documentation: It was hard for me to identify plants on the sites. Both are pretty small and on the lean side of a plentifull platora of plant diversity. The beargrass savanah is full of grass's, most to me common yet unknown. We plan to burn our small site and plant new usefull grasses for smudging, basketweaving ect. we also will be planting other native prarie grasses and plants. The dry woodlands is a beautifull spot I was originally drawn to by the chicken of the woods mushroom on a decomposing oak log. Tracy and I plan to take a specimin and culture it for inoculation in its sister site the savannah. we also plan to spread puffballs and try to inoculate the log further with another culture. Prince's pine was another hard plant to research, when I could find information it was conflicting, some say they need shade wich we are lacking and others say it likes open sun. All we have on our site is unknown common grasses, a lil trailing blackberry, 7 lodge pole pines, one dead, and a baby douglas fir. We plan on weeding and removing the dead lodgepole for basic maintinance. 

Total: 2 1/2 hrs.

Week 3

Friday-went on a walk /mushroom hunt in Burfoot park near Bosten harbor, found a Shaggy mane in excilent condition, but wouldnt grow well in my habitat. 2 hours.

Tuesday-4pm-After class meet with group Measured Beargrass Savanah and helped with Camas praire site for one and a half hours.

Learning by exploration: Dicided to check out my surroundings at evergrenn by walking the trails, brought guides but still had trouble especially with mushrooms. I think I need to be an apprentice to get real field identification skills. Went with friends to Burefoot park, a very beautifull old growth forest with trails and a pebble beach on the sound. I'm starting to recognize plants when I look around and I'm no longer afraid to ask what somthing is or why somthing is. Helping with the Camas prarie was overwhelming there are so many weeds and plants all mixed together and a lot of problem areas. They plan on cutting some branches to open the prarie back up. Laura is very helpful at identifying and explaining plants.

Total: 6 hrs.

Week 4

Thursday-Mushroom research\habitat research 1\2 hour

Monday- Typed up site discription and helped scan pictures on web page. Spent more time then I thought, web page still new and messed up placment of pics and editing paragraphs, 1 1\2 hours.

Tuesday- Butt crack of dawn went to work on prairie nursery for Nature Conservency on old rainbow valley site. Got to see alternative habitat and learn about prarie plants. Weeded heavly. Planted violas, a whole bed, got pics, and coverd with pebbles. 3 1/2 hrs.

Learning by experimentation: I was dredding the cold the morning of my first community project workday. When I got there the people were kind and I was amazed at how devoted the voleenteers were. When we started weeding I couldn't believe my eyes, thousands of clumps of mushies, dark brown fleshi fungi. That right there uplifted me. I honestly cant remember the last time I weeded or stuck my hands in the dirt and "tickled the roots". It was sort of a self teaching experience. How do you plant Violas? I didn't know but I was complemented on my technique by our leader Daeg. He was very kind and helpful. He showed us the site which ,suprise, was rainbow valley previously. I feel lucky to have been a part of this.

Total: 11 1\2 hrs.

Week 5

Tuesday- 8 am go to forestry department and tour prarie garden and hear presentation on prarie specialized internship there. Worked on expansion of the garden and dug up grass sod for 4 hours

Learning by touring: The tour was great, what our prarie lacked in the Long house Garden the other had. The signage in Misty's prarie garden was inspiration, I think its important for everyone to know what a plant is. The forestry department loved her experimental garden so much they are expanding it and offering another internship. We are helping set up the expansion. Grueling work you feel sore but satisfied and greatfull you got outside and helped. 

Total: 15 1\2 hrs.

Week 6

Tuesday- 8am returned to forestry department and helped spread bark. We also planted kinickinik and fescue. 3 hours.

Learning in the rain: This week has been wet and dark, Note to self, bark gets everywhere if your not carefull. I can recognize kinickinick and fescue now That I have seen and planted so much.  

Total: 18 1/2 hrs.

Week 7

Friday- 10:30am Work on Longhouse garden sites. Recieve donation from nature conservency of prairia plants, spend an hour labaling, taking photos, and documenting. Spent the rest of the time pulling up sod and wheelbarrowing it over to compost. Met with tracy and pulled out dead lodgepole and discussed plans for woodlands site. 4 hours

Saterday- Spent an hour after class de-soding savannah

Learning from kindness: Deag was more than gracious to donate the plants and deliver them to us Friday. He really cares about getting them around and raising awareness. He runs the Nature conservancy's prairie nursery at giddions landing. He stayed and wrote out recommendations for planting, helped us Identify and label. He was more then helpfull in giving us advice on our areas. I plan to enter in a complete list of plants and seeds donated by the nature conservency. Thinking about signage and how we must give thanks. Tracy was also kind enough to help out with the savannah and it was much appreciated. Laura came by and snaped a photo of me gitting down and dirty saterday, I hope it gets posted. Digging I saw signs of past plantings, it would have been nice to know what had been done in this area previously.

Total: 23 1/2 hrs.

Week 8

Saterday- Checked on plants behind Longhouse, not prepared for weather apparently bit off more than could chew. Much work still to do, but I just water a lil for now....Also worked on our longhouse garden presentation.

Total: 26 hrs.

Week 9

Tuesday- Last of my community service on the praire....Finished powerpoint with Kimberly and worked online with Tracy on presentation....Happy Turkey day.....I will miss you all over the break!

Total: 32 hrs.

Winter Break

Wednesday- Visist my freinds one week into break and give them a bit o water

Friday- There was a big wind storm and some snow , plants OK, removed fallen leaves and twigs ect. some are wilting a bit , what can you do its been so long since they should have been planted.

Wednesday- Researched sod cutters and compared prices between Oly's Lew rents and Sheltons Gateway rentals. Gateway asks for 40 dollers for two hrs. 5 dollars for every following hour, and 90 a day. Lew rents only wants 38 dollars for two hours and 60 for 4 hours, 90 a day. I have a freind at gatway so I might be able to swing a discount. I don't think we will need the sod cutter for more than 3 hrs. drive time included. so, although Lew is local and 2 dollars cheaper they have no discount and would ultimatly charge 60 dollars if we went over two hours. I would go with gateway.

Total: 35 hrs.

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Project log 1 and 2 Week 2

Tuesday Jan. 23rd- Go to Lew rents and purchase a sod cutter for 2 hours. Meet with Jay and Laura and work on prairie turf removal for 2 hours. Used 5 dollar cupon came to 30 dollars. Kimberly gave 25 to help out.

Friday Jan 26th- Purchase a ton of sand gravel mix from miles sand and gravel in lacy for 20 dollars. Slowly drive to Evergreen and meet Laura and Jay and remove and spread over soil in both areas. 11-3pm    *Note my 25 dollars towards class expenses

Saterday Jan. 27th- Before class rent a tiller from Lew rents with Kimberly and till prairies, prepare for planting today in class.

Learning by doing: when we finally got to it it was beautifull, we all worked together to plan the layout of the new revamped beargrass savannah and camas praiarie areas, Kimberly gave a prayer in her native tounge and people turned to me for what to do. I helped by connecting the questioners with the answerers and while observing could learn the answers. It was remarkable what a group of hands can do in a few hours, the site looks completly diffrent. The gals on their knees weeding the kinickinick, planting fescue, the fellas digging and tilling the new sandy gravelly soil deeper, a little boy came up to me and asked to help , he tickled the roots for us for around an hour, happy and content, we had quite the audience from the longhouse it was all a fasinating experience  

Total: 9 1/2 hours.

Project log 3 Week 3

monday Jan. 29th-spend an hour looking up plants donated that need to be planted still.

Wednesday Jan. 31st-Check on plants at LHG prairie site, water, and look at some of the work done around in other habitats. 1 hour

Saterday Feb. 3rd- Fieldtrip with Lorn, Tracy, and Kimberly to skok areas, went to brown creek, and national olympic forest. Did some mild hiking and documented large amounts of Oregon Grape, Salal, bigleaf maples, cattails, kinickinick, and wild ginger. We traveled to a site that had the allusive prince's pine. we also spotted a large moist area full of huge clumps of beargrass. We learned alot about wetlands aswell. 5 hours

Learning by seeing: Little have I known about the big leaf maple till this weekend, now I am in awe. I could actually point out plants off trail, wow, I am retaining plant knowledge. I had no idea either that beargrass in this area con live in basically wetland areas, whoops, I guess I didn't have to change ill draining soil at LHG. While in the area we visited tracy's house where she and here husband cultivate mushrooms in there guest room. Seeing how easy a setup can be is inspiring. It was altogether an encouraging experience to get me started in growing mycelium. 

Total: 16 1/2 hours

Project log 4 Week 4

Wednesday Feb. 7th-meet with Laura and plan prairie planting, catogorizing plants, drawing map, and coming up with signage ideas 2 hours.

Friday Feb. 9th-work on computer paint map to send to laura for planning planting the rest of the prairie donations 2 hours

Learning by listening: Its been getting harder and harder for my group members to meet, We all have diffrent lives and schedules, it can be frustrating. It was nice to talk with laura and set some goals and plan. After our meeting I felt uplifted by just listening and talking problems out. Saterday Laura, Kim, Jay and I all got together and planted the majority of our plant donations, the few remaining un identified but will be planted soon. You can get to know people by just being around them, listening, this is similer in how I finally got to know the rest of our plants, not by pics, but by voice.

Total: 20 1/2

Project log 5 Week 5

Saterday: With all of us together we plant almost all of the donated plants and label whats what. 2 hours.

Tuesday Feb. 12th- check and water plants we put to earth on saterday during the latter part of class still need to soe seeds and there are 3 unknown specimens that need planting 1hour

Learning fast: we quickly with little planning accoumplished yet again quite a bit in a small amount of time. Recognizing what was in front of me for tagging and labeling stakes tested my short term memory. Helping to decide where they should go with Laura was fun, it was like solving a plant puzzle while being timed.

Total: 23 1/2 hours

 Project log 6 Week 6

Monday feb. 19th- Brainstorm ideas for signage and for prairie sites. Do research on new plants that need to be planted, we still need to sow seeds too. It is hard to meet with everyone at this time. We might have to wait or keep seeds for future use. 2 hours

Thursday- sit at site, check on plants and contimplate its future. 1/2 hour

Total: 26 hrs.

Project log 7 Week 7

Sunday-Text, plans, and initial presentation work research 4 hrs.

Total: 30 hrs

Final Project log week 8-9

Thursday- spend the Afternoon spreading compost around Savannah, nourishing the newly planted members. The Camas is starting to pop up ang it is absolutly beautifull. 1 hour

Saterday-Tuesday:Work on dry woodland presentation with Lorn and Tracy meeting three times this final week, do more savannah research, and updating the web...Learning with drupal: so remember to submit frequently or else youll end up erasing everything you just worked on for so long because you pressed a wrong button or whatever...so frustrating.....then lastly decide to have an end of the quarter bon fire and scatter burnt wood around savannah to signify native burning practices. 9 hours easy...

dun da da  Total: 40 HOURS

Total 40 hrs