Spring/Summer 2002 The West View page 3 === Urban Edibles by Ginger Ogilvie, fresh food you and your family eat. Community and Volunteer Connor One of the great things about living on the west side is that there is a lot of _ for Wasatch Community Gardens I recently Community attended Council land. Even rental houses have ample space for growing flowers and delicious veggies. | a _ Fairpark meeting where they There is a movement in many cities would like to beautify their community. to promote ‘edible landscaping.’ This concept takes green spaces one step local residents mentioned that Taking the time to show pride in your home and your community is a step that many cities and neighborhoods have successfully taken to reduce crime and encourage people to stay in the further by using plants that are not only community. This inspired me, as a gardener, and as a community member. Many of you are already aware of the importance of having green space in our cities. Green spaces reduce heat, noise and pollution, add oxygen to the air, inspire creativity, and even help reduce crime. Residents of the west side are lucky to have the Jordan River Parkway that provides parks and natu- beautiful, but useful too! For example, planting a fruit tree instead of a honey locust or a maple tree, provides you with the same amount of shade, plus the bonus of fruit to share with your friends and neighbors. Instead of planting a shrub on the corner of your house, try a culinary sage plant, which you can use for added flavor in your cooking, or for craft projects. If you do not have space for growing plants at home, and you are interested in becoming a community gardener, ral spaces to explore. It is just as important to have green spaces at home. With the investment of a little bit of time and effort in the spring, you can make a big difference in the look of your home, the feel of please give me a call at the WCG office: 359-2658. If you would like to your neighborhood, and the amount of you. Happy gardening! start a garden in your neighborhood, we would be happy to send you a packet of information to help you get the ball rolling. I look forward to hearing from ee Fun with Federation for Youth _ by Troy Bennett going on throughout May The 14-18 year olds.. _ folks behind the campouts, paintbrushes and fishing poles are the Utah mental service projects. action, leadership ice projects young people have comKeep } Exciting things are happening this summer in Poplar Grove, Glendale and Rose Park for youth and adult volun- Earth Day (continued from page 1) rivers, animals in their habitat along the planned. between Groups of people, spread out 1700 South and 200 South, picked up trash and spruced up garden river, people cleaning up trash, and eleareas, such as the Alzheimer's Garden at ments of the water cycle. These were all things that were included in an Earth Day - 300 South. presentation given to all fourth graders at However, some actual river Sle -up Franklin and Riley by volunteers from the was accomplished that day. community, were able to extract a portion of the debris, shopping carts and broken limbs that were working in conjunction with Jeff Salt from the Audubon Society. In City crews about the water cycle, storm drain contam- identified on a detailed map, created by talented Glendale resident, Jeremy King. - inants, the five essential elements of habi- And, skilled kayaker, Barbara Rufenacht, tat, and the importance of keeping the Jordan River clean. Because of safety hazards, caused by slippery banks and heavy run-off, volun_ teers were advised to focus mainly on a trail clean-up instead of the more extensive river clean up that had originally been was instrumental in helping volunteers clean-up the area of river just south of Fremont Avenue at the outdoor educational site called "Bend-in-the-River". Another small group of residents and volunteers from the Utah Rivers Council these engaging lessons, students learned worked together to pull out shopping carts, the Glendale Peninsula of the Jordan River at about 1600 South. Come have fun and learn about environmental issues in your community, and the servpleted. working, and environmental and socie_tal stewardship. UFY believes in programs that focus on providing opportu- : A branch of UFY, WOW - Wonderful an eye out say "hi!". for Youth at 468-0699 or email us at web at www.ufyi.org. Due to the cancellation of the celebra- tion that was going to take place directly after the clean-up, most of the volunteers this, much of the work that Because of happened behind the scenes will probably go unrecognized. Adults and children, alike, were looking forward to canoe rides, games, prizes, food, live entertainment, fishing activities, and informational booths, which were planned by volunteers from the Bend-in-the-River project. The annual Earth Day Jordan River Clean-up has become an anticipated tradition in the Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods. It not only has a very pos- Utah Summer programs, volunteering, or getting a young person you know involved, contact the Utah Federation info@ufyi.org Park until late in the afternoon. the For more information about 8-12, to camping and environmental education through an overnight camp- bicycles, street signs and other debris at the 300 South bridge and at the 9th South for Federation for Youth this summer. When you see us, please come over and Outdoor World - introduces youth, ages left after they were finished. Day Out, an educational fair on June 15th at experiences, peer support, mentor net- teers: One of this summer's projects is Community -substance abuse and violent behavior - nities for youth to succeed. PeaceTrees. brings youth from different cultures, religions, ethnicities and backgrounds together to work, shoulder to shoulder, on environ- _ Federation for Youth (UFY). UFY is a twenty-one year old grassroots, non-profit, youth development agency. The mission of UFY is to provide constant support and opportunities for young people to measurably improve hope and skills, and to prevent. through community and June. Volunteers are needed to assist with campouts. Training is required so contact UFY for more details. PeaceTrees is a summer program for conquered a climbing wall or tried your at casting a fishing pole. Utah ing experience in a neighborhood park. June 10-16 has been proclaimed as "WOW Week" in Salt Lake City by Mayor Rocky Anderson. Campouts are You may have noticed a bunch of energetic kids camping overnight in Jordan Park, or maybe you visited a - service project or community celebration sometime in the past year. If so, you could have had your face painted, hand the Check us out on the | itive impact on the river, but on the people, themselves. It unites many diverse groups in the community, and gives residents a sense of belonging and a feeling that together, we can all make a positive difference in our environment. — Besides, it 1s a lot.of fun! Both the City and people from the community are committed to continuing these annual river clean-ups, but because of the unpredictable: weather in April, there is talk of moving the clean-up to mid or late August, when the river is low and the weather is warmer. So, please stay tuned for another attempt at a major clean-up and community celebration later in August. Thanks to all of the people who came (see Clean-Up page 7) |