“You think winter will never end, and then, when you don't expect it, when you have almost forgotten it, warmth comes and a different light.” ― Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter
Announcements
Feature: Blooming on Bardstown Road
Soil Technician Paul Borntraeger (JCSWCD) and Urban Conservationist Nathan Lind (NRCS) recently met with Robby King of Dreams with Wings. The group explored options for growing the Dreams with Wings native pollinator garden on Princeton Drive with more intentional plantings and a focus on the educational aspects of native gardens. While seeking to expand upon the outreach in the coming months, the JCSWCD started with a “native plant garden in progress” sign and discussions with residents Marie and Linda (pictured with Paul above) about the growth of the garden. Dreams with Wings is a nonprofit agency focused on helping adults and children with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities or autism realize their strengths and contribute to the community, while pursuing their individual dreams. The highlights of the garden just off Bardstown Road include a pineal station, for giving away surplus produce or plant starts, a wheelchair accessible garden bed, and a hundred-foot stretch of native plantings to provide pollinator habitat and enjoyable native flowers all summer long.
The JCSWCD seeks to aid organizations like Dreams with Wings in an effort to bring equality of opportunity to all Jefferson County residents. Every one of us has a role to play in conservation and through these partnerships, even small changes in our landscape can result in a happier, healthier city for the diverse species of plants and animals which call Louisville home.
Conservation Spotlight
John William Mitchell was a pioneering African American extension agent and educator who became one of the most well-known Cooperative Extension agents in the nation. A native of Morehead City, North Carolina, Mitchell graduated from the State Colored Normal School (now Fayetteville State University), earned a B.S. in agriculture from the Agricultural and Mechanical College for The Colored Race (now North Carolina A&T State University) in 1908 and studied sociology in graduate school at Indiana Central University in Indianapolis (now the University of Indianapolis).
Mitchell, ever the conservationist, and focused on aiding black farmers, traveled three counties either by bicycle or horseback. He helped organize the Eastern Columbus Credit Union to empower African American farmers by buying their supplies together in bulk.
By 1950 Mitchell was renowned as one of the top agricultural experts in the nation. That same year Livingstone College awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities for his work in improving the rural life of farmers in the South. Three years later, United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson appointed him to the specially created post of National Extension Leader on the staff of the Division of the Department of Cooperative Extension Work.
Sacred Earth was founded in 2023 by activist and military veteran Velvet Welch. Welch engages the youth of Shawnee through her "Sprouts" program which brings grade school children into the garden for what is often their first exposure to hands on agriculture.
Sacred Earth is the recipient of a high tunnel grant from the JCSWCD and will be building a high tunnel this Spring. The garden currently features raised beds for cultivation and picnic tables for gathering in community and education. Sacred Earth produced a variety of veggies and fruits this year and hopes for a larger bounty in 2024 as the garden has become more established. The garden space is welcoming and open to the public and volunteers are needed for this spring and summer.
Welch hopes this garden will grow and lift the residents of the area both physically through nourishing food and spiritually through a sense of community.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please contact Velvet Welch via email at sacredearthcg23@gmail.com
The mission of the Jefferson County Conservation District is to conserve Jefferson County’s natural resources by coordinating financial, technical, and educational assistance that helps both rural and urban communities implement sustainable solutions.
Our mailing address is: Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District
