ACGA Denver Conference Program - American Community Garden

2015
GROWING A NETWORK IN THE MILE HIGH CITY
August 13 –16
Denver Botanic Gardens & Denver Urban Gardens
36 th Annual Conference
table of contents
Letter from the ACGA President . . . 1
Denver Botanic Gardens Map . . . 2-3
Schedule Overview . . . . . . . . . . 4
Keynote Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Thursday, August 13 . . . . . . . . . . 6
Friday, August 14 . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Gala and Silent Auction . . . . . . . 11
Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
Saturday, August 15 . . . . . . . 13- 15
Sunday, August 16 . . . . . . . . 16-18
Post-Conference Tour . . . . . . . . 19
acga board of directors
Cordalie Benoit
CT Community Gardening Association
Treasurer
New Haven, CT
[email protected]
Bill Maynard President
Sacramento Area Community Garden
Coalition
Sacramento, CA
[email protected];
Joelette Crawl
Forestry Program Specialist
Epes, AL
[email protected]
Demetrice Mills
Brooklyn Land Trust
Brooklyn, NY
[email protected]
Brien Darby Secretary
Urban Food Specialist
Denver, CO
[email protected]
Charlie Monroe Vice President
Natural Resource Manager Dekalb County
Lithonia, GA
[email protected]
Cathy Walker
Metro Atlanta Urban Farm
College Park, GA
[email protected]
Lukan Paulus
Growing Healthy People
Grayslake, IL
[email protected]
Sandra Zuniga
Assistant Deputy Director of Operations
San Francisco Department of Public Works
San Francisco, CA
[email protected]
Nancy Kohn
Executive Director, Green Thumb
New York, NY
[email protected]
Maryanne Lucas Treasurer
Executive Director Kids Growing Strong
Westlake Village, CA
[email protected]
Sandy Pernitz
Seattle P Patch
Seattle, WA
[email protected]
1-877-ASK-ACGA
[email protected]
www.communitygarden.org
ACGA_CommGarden
American Community Gardening Association
Liat Racin
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Cambridge, MA
[email protected]
Kim Scott
City Planning Commission
Cleveland, OH
[email protected]
Staff
1-877-ASK-ACGA
Friends of ACGA,
On behalf of the American Community Gardening Association’s Board of Directors, and the
Denver Conference Organizing Committee, I welcome you to the ACGA’s 36th Annual National
Conference, “Growing a Network in the Mile High City.”
I would like to thank the Denver Conference Committee for their hard work to make this 2015
ACGA Conference a reality; also the volunteers and our sponsors for supporting the conference
as without you this conference could not have taken place.
I would like to thank the conference attendees that have traveled from all parts of North
America and many foreign countries to be with us to celebrate community gardening efforts
from around the world, share ideas and methods, learn from others, and to be part of the ever
growing ACGA family of community gardens and community gardeners.
We are excited that you have joined us - May your conference experiences be positive, your
networking connections ever growing, your gained knowledge inspiring, and the friends that
you make at the conference lifelong, so that when you return to your home towns, your efforts
will be bountiful and make a difference in your community.
Thank you for being with us in Denver to celebrate ACGA’s 36th anniversary and to lay the
groundwork for the next 36 years! ACGA continues to be the go to source on community
gardening!
Bill Maynard, President, ACGA
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Facilities
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Gardens for the West
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Boettcher Memorial Center
Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center
& Gift Shop
Cheesman Gate
Greenhouse Complex
Hive Garden Bistro
Morrison Discovery Center
Offshoots Café
Science Pyramid
UMB Bank Amphitheater
Waring House
West Terrace
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Internationally Inspired Gardens
Bristlecone Border
Cactus and Succulent House
Colorado Garden Show
Promenade Garden
Conservation Garden
Crossroads Garden
Darlene Radichel Plant Select Garden
Dryland Mesa
Dwarf Conifer Collection
Gates Montane Garden
Grant Family Cottonwood Border
Green Roof
Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden
Mordecai Children’s Garden
Ornamental Grasses Garden
Ponderosa Border
Roads Water-Smart Garden
Sacred Earth
Welcome Garden
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Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion
and Tea Garden
Boettcher Memorial
Tropical Conservatory
Ella Mullen Weckbaugh Tea House
Japanese Garden
June’s PlantAsia
Marnie’s Pavilion
Rock Alpine Garden
South African Plaza
Ornamental Gardens
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All-America Selections Garden
El Pomar Waterway
The Ellipse in honor of Nancy Schotters
Fragrance Garden
Gloria Falkenberg Herb Garden
Lainie’s Cutting Garden
Le Potager: A gift from the Ladd Family
Lilac Garden
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M
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11
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H
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G
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L
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D
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A Video: A Dialogue with the Artist
E Crane
I Tracery
B Charlo & Ahulani
F Red Forest
J Lucky
C Hawai’i
G Many Glacier
K Whitebark
D Willy
H Silver Bow & Cascade
L Luna
Ornamental Gardens (con’t.)
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May Bonfils-Stanton Memorial Rose Garden
Nexus Garden
O’Fallon Perennial Walk
Orangery
Romantic Gardens
Schlessman Plaza
Scripture Garden
Sensory Garden
Victorian Secret Garden
Conference Facilities
11th Avenue
Shady Gardens
Water Gardens
All-America Selections Garden Waterway
Four Towers Pool
Monet Pool
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A
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14
01
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07
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B
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Garden Types by Color
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Facilities
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Gardens for the West
Internationally Inspired Gardens
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Ornamental Gardens
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Shady Gardens
Water Gardens
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Symbol Key
Information
Restrooms
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Josephine Street
Stree
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York
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Josephine Street
Birds and Bees Walk
Oak Grove
Shady Lane
Woodland Mosaic
York Street
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Food/Beverage
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North
M Storm Castle
N Argus
SPONSOR
www.botanicgardens.org
SCHEDULE OVERVIEW
the horsebarn
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
Pre-conference at The Horsebarn
1:00 - 6:00pm
Welcome Dinner at the Horsebarn
6:00-8:00pm
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
denver botanic gardens and chatfield farms
Registration
8:00am - 5:00pm
Breakfast in Gates Lobby
8:00 - 9:00am
Opening Ceremony in Mitchell Hall
9:00 - 9:45am
Morning Workshop Session
10:00-11:00am
Opening Keynote Speech in Mitchell Hall
11:15- 12:15pm
Lunch and Regional Networking on the West Terrace
12:15-1:15pm
Afternoon Workshop Sessions
1:30-4:30
Optional Tour of the Denver Botanic Gardens Community Garden
4:45-5:30pm
Transportation to Chatfield Farms for Gala and Silent Auction, leaving from DBG
5:30pm
Gala and Silent Auction at Chatfield Farms
6:00-9:00pm
Buses Returning to Denver Botanic Gardens
8:30-9:00pm
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
denver botanic gardens, tour locations
Registration
8:00am - 9:00am; 1:00-6:00pm
Breakfast in Gates Lobby
8:00 - 9:00am
Tours, buses leaving from DBG
9:00am - 1:00pm
Lunch on the West Terrace
1:00pm-2:00pm
Afternoon Workshop Sessions
2:00-5:30pm
Evening on your own to explore Denver
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
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denver botanic gardens, colorado springs
Registration
8:00am - 12:00pm
Breakfast in Gates Lobby
8:00 - 9:00am
Morning Workshop Sessions
8:30-11:15am
Closing Keynote and Annual Meeting
11:30 am- 1:00pm
Post-Conference Tour to Colorado Springs
1:00-6:00pm
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Gary Oppenheimer
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
Gary Oppenheimer, a CNN Hero, World Food Prize nominee, lecturer and speaker (including a TED presentation), a Google Tech Talk, 2014 Yahoo! News/ABC News “Best Person”, 2013 Encore Purpose Prize Fellow,
Points of Light Tribute winner, Huffington Post’s “Greatest Person of the Day” and “ 2011 Game Changer”,
winner of the Russell Berrie Foundation’s “Making A Difference” award, Grace Communications Ecocentric
Hero, winner of the Glynwood 2011 “Wave of the Future” award, winner of the 2012 Elfenworks “In Harmony
With Hope” award, Echoing Green semifinalist and founder of the AmpleHarvest.org Campaign now makes
his home in the mountains of northern New Jersey after having lived on a boat on the Hudson River in
Manhattan since 1978. He is also a Master Gardener, Rutgers Environmental Steward, former community
garden director, Environmental Commissioner in northern New Jersey, an avid gardener, and long distance
cyclist. Aware of the increasing hunger problem in America and, in 2009, after seeing the amount of wasted
food in the community garden as well as other gardens around the country, he created AmpleHarvest.org - a
nationwide non-profit to enable America’s 42 million home gardeners who grow food to be able to easily
find a local food pantry eager for their excess garden bounty. Because AmpleHarvest.org works closely with
First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to improve fresh food access at thousands of food pantries
nationwide, he had the opportunity to meet the President and First Lady and she subsequently highlighted
AmpleHarvest.org in a speech in early 2012. In addition to helping AmpleHarvest.org continue its expansion
to food pantries and gardeners nationwide, Gary also does public speaking about wasted food, hunger and
AmpleHarvest.org, individuals making a difference in their community as well as a variety of environmental
topics.
Chef Ann Cooper
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
Chef Ann Cooper is an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of
healthy food for all children. In a nation where kids are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than
their parents due to diet-related disease, Chef Ann has been a constant champion of school food reform as
an important avenue through which to improve childhood nutrition. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of
America, Hyde Park, NY, Ann has been a chef for more than 30 years, including positions with Holland
America Cruises, Radisson Hotels, and Telluride Ski Resort before serving as Executive Chef at the renowned
Putney Inn in Vermont. She has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post,
The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and Time Magazine and has appeared on
NPR’s Living on Earth, ABC’s Nightline, CNN, PBS’ To The Contrary, the CBS Morning Show, and many other
media outlets. Ann has shared her knowledge and experience by speaking at the Smithsonian Institute, the
National Restaurant Association, the Heifer Foundation, Chefs Collaborative, the International Association of
Culinary Professionals and numerous conferences. She has been honored by SLOW Food USA, selected as a
Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, and awarded an honorary doctorate from SUNY Cobleskill for her
work on sustainable agriculture.
TRANSPORTATION
Your registration includes three day passes for local travel on light rail and bus. These passes can be
used to travel to and from the conference venues.
The Posner Center (aka, the Horsebarn) is located very near the D-line light rail. The Denver Botanic
Gardens is near the number 24, 10, 15, and 6 bus lines. For information on riding the bus from your
location, please visit www.rtd-denver.com.
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pre-conference + welcome dinner
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
The Role of Health in our Community Gardens and Green Spaces
Start: 1:30pm
Location: The Posner Center, aka, The Horsebarn
1031 33rd St., Denver, CO 80205
303.292.9900
Speakers
Schedule
1-1:30 Check-in Dr. Jill Litt
1:30 Welcome
Associate Professor
1:45 - 2:30 Panel: Gardening and Healthy Food in Schools
Andrew Nowak, Director, National School Garden Program
Colorado School of Public Health
Judy Elliot, Senior Education Specialist, Denver Urban Gardens
Anne WIlson, Farm to School Coordinator, Denver Public
Schools
2:30 - 2:45 Break
2:45 - 3:30 Cooking Demo: “How to host a healthy cooking demo
in a Community Garden,” featuring food from the Horsebarn
market
Michael Buchenau
Executive Director
3:30 - 3:45 break
3:45 - 5:00 Dr. Jill Litt & DUG Executive Director Michael
Buchenau: Community Gardens & Health, featuring research
by the Colorado School of Public Health & DUG. Screening of A
Garden in Every Neighborhood
Denver Urban Gardens
5:00 - 6:00 Happy Hour in the Horse Barn and visiting the
Horsebarn market; tours of the
6:00 - 8:00 Welcome Dinner & Games in the Horse Barn Parking
Lot
Conference Attendee Welcome Dinner
Start: 6:00pm
Location: The Posner Center, aka, The Horsebarn
1031 33rd St., Denver, CO 80205
303.292.9900
Conference attendees will meet to network and enjoy a great
meal served by food trucks! Meet the ACGA board, host
committee, keynote speakers and other presenters at this fun
mixer.
Dinner will be accompanied by games and music in the
Horsebarn Parking Lot.
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ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
presentations
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
10:00 - 11:00
Municipal Strategies for Land Access and Tenure for Urban Agriculture
Mitchell Hall
Hannah Shulman, Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator
Elisa Ruse-Esposito, FarmPhilly Program Manager
Kenneth Williams, Outreach Coordinator
One of the basic needs for urban gardeners is gaining access to
land and obtaining preservation. This panel will present three
unique strategies to address those challenges from the municipal level. Representatives from San Francisco, Philadelphia and
New York City will discuss innovative policy for land tenure and
access.
Popeye Plus: Veggies and Techniques With A Big Nutritional Punch
Gates Hall
Don Boekelheide, Community Garden Mentor
Taste, freshness and variety are all great reasons to grow food
gardens, but what about peak nutrition? Learn about “powerhouse” vegetables and easy, organic-friendly garden techniques
to boost the nutritional impact of your plots and planters
throughout the growing season. Even better, these crops taste
terrific, too!
Community Gardens & Public Housing--A Companion Planter’s Guide
Plant Society House
Emily Grace Frost, Director of Garden Support
Mandie Ross Birchem, Housing Program Specialist
Join leaders of Denver Housing Authority and Denver Urban
Gardens who work closely with residents of public housing as
they develop leadership skills, healthy habits and meaningful
relationships in the community garden.
Starting a School Garden with Your Community
Cottonwood Classroom
Caroline Kiang, Garden Consultant/Educator
Joan Moran, Fifth Grade Teacher
Challenges and experience in starting a school-community
garden. Learn about garden management, food dontaion
programs, and setting up a farm to cafeteria program. Caroline
will connect teachers to valuable curriculum and other
resources to sustain school gardens.
11:15 - 12:15
Mitchell Hall
Opening Keynote Speech
Gary Oppenheimer of AmpleHarvest.org
12:15 - 1:15
Join us for lunch and regional networking on the West Terrace.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
presentations
1:30 - 2:45
How to Make Sustainable Change by Working at a Systems Level
Mitchell Hall
Michael Buchenau, Executive Director
Gordon Robertson, Director, Park Planning, Design, and
Construction
To sustain long-term change, it is important to envision how the
work of today’s residents, organizations, and agencies fits into
the big picture. This session brings together five participants
whose systems thinking has transformed the Denver landscape,
Laurel Mattrey, Sustainability Planner/Garden and Greenhouse
Program Coordinator
Mark Cassalia, Water Conservation Specialist
Horticultural Strategies for Improving Success and Sustainability of
Community Gardens
Gates Hall
Tamla Blunt, Ph.D., Extension Specialist-Diagnostics
Carol O’Meara, Horticulture Entomology Extension Agent
Mary Small, CO Master Gardener Coordinator
A panel discussion on the need and techniques for training
community garden leads in sustainable practices, troubleshooting, and post-harvest handling so they can better educate their
gardeners and help them make environmentally responsible
choices.
Jean Reeder, Ph.D., Soil Scientist
Regional Gatherings: Training & Networking Opportunities for Garden
Leaders
Plant Society House
Libby Weiland, Vermont Community Garden Network
Maria Hitt, Playful Nature Consulting
Sari Albornoz, Grow Local Program Director
Across the country, community and school garden leaders find
incredible benefit when given the opportunity to share ideas,
brainstorm solutions, and learn together. Join this panel
discussion, featuring a diversity of groups offering unique
‘regional gatherings’ for training and connecting garden
leaders. Take home resources and innovative ideas.
Little Green Fingers-Building Gardens with Evalutation Data as a Primary
Program Outcome
Cottonwood Classroom
Deborah Fryman, Senior Program Manager
Nicole Gatto, Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Glen Dake, Principal
Miguel Luna, Principal
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This session will provide an in depth look at the Little Green
Fingers program, a 5 million dollar initiative to address the
childhood obesity epidemic by building community gardens in
food deserts throughout LA County through an organizational
collaborative approach, and it’s extensive evaluation efforts to
date.
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
presentations
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
3:00 - 3:45
Transitioning to Micro Market Farms
Mitchell Hall
Henry Crews III, Executive Director
Julius Tillery, Farm Resources Coordinator
Ardis Crews, Micro Maket Farm VP
The objective of this workshop is to demonstrate how Urban
Gardens that transitioned into Urban Market Gardens, with the
help of USDA’s programs, can transition into Micro Market
Urban Farms (MMUF) growing organic produce year-round all in
Hoop houses.
Jesalyn Keziah, Community Food Coordinator
Horticultural Therapy as a Vocational Intervention for Offenders
Gates Hall
Jaime Haines, Doctoral Student in Counseling Psychology
This session looks at how horticultural therapy can help
offenders gain and maintain vocational skills. To increase the
success of offenders, prison gardens contribute to and partner
with community gardens, food shelves, and green space.
Successful prison garden programs, suggested horticultural
therapy activities, and applications outside of prison are
described.
How Community gardens in HOAs create Community and Harmony
Plant Society House
CiCi Kessler, President
Melissa Keithly, Treasurer
CiCi and Melissa manage community HOAs in Colorado. There
is a lot of bad press in regards to HOA’s. One of the bright lights
is our community gardens that flourish in our HOA’s
Communities. The gardens are examples of getting to know
your neighbors, sharing the love of gardening.
The Demographic of Community Gardens in Indiana
Cottonwood Classroom
Ashley Rose Newton, Graduate Research Assistant
“The Demographic of Community Gardens in Indiana” session
discusses Ms. Newton’s process of studying community gardens
across the state of Indiana, describing methods of obtaining
demographic information, what specific questions were
queried to gardeners, the processes of finding community
gardens, and preliminary results on the study before publication in May 2016.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
presentations
4:00 - 4:45
San Francisco, a Model Munincipal Community Garden Program
Mitchell Hall
Hannah Shulman, Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator
Melinda Stockmann, Community Gardens Program Manager
San Francisco has long been a city of individual and collective
action towards social change. The Recreation and Park
Department’s Community Garden Program features a unique
hybrid model of support for gardens. In this workshop, we’ll
explore some of the challenges and pleasures of maintaining a
municipal community garden program.
Shared Earth, a platform to connect Community Gardens, Urban Farms,
and Indoor Agriculture
Gates Hall
Jeremy Kranowitz, Executive Director
Attendees will learn about a new social media platform, Shared
Earth. Shared Earth is designed to help match those that want
to grow food with those that have available places to grow.
Learn how ACGA members can partner and serve as ambassadors to this important effort.time fun and educational.
Keeping Reciprocal Partnerships at the Forefront of Community Gardens
Plant Society House
Tiana Keith, Neighborhood Liason
Elizabeth Wall-Bassett, Associate Professor
Community garden managers will compare strategies for
identifying and cultivating sustainable relationships with
community organizations and volunteers! Participants will
learn about how asset-based community development (ABCD)
can help build a web of community connections, brainstorm
associations within their own communities, and explore and
address shared value within community garden partnerships.
How to Grow a Youth Garden Club
Cottonwood Classroom
Emily Gonzalez, Extension Agent II
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After 7 years of experience (read: trial and error) in leading
and developing youth gardening programs in Knox County, TN
Emily will discuss what works and what doesn’t when it
comes to developing, sustaining and evaluating youth
gardening programs and will present strategies for utilizing
Extension and other partner organizations within the community to make your youth gardening efforts a success.
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
GALA AND SILENT AUCTION
6:00 - 9:00
This year’s Conference Gala and Silent Auction will be held at the Chatfield Farms, operated by the
Denver Botanic Gardens.
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield is a working farm located along the banks of Deer Creek in southern Jefferson County. Attractions include a 5-acre working farm, native gardens, the butterfly house,
nature trails, historic farm buildings and the original Deer Creek Schoolhouse from 1874.
Join us for a festive evening of delicious food, local libations, musical
entertainment, and the world famous ACGA silent auction!
dining
entertainment
Catering will be provided by Mo’ Betta Green MarketPlace using
locally sourced ingredients and a menu focused on foods for
health and vitality. Thanks to Don Sebastiani and Sons for
generously quenching our thirst.
We will be joined by DJ Al Taylor aka “Al Your Pal”, who will
provide our evening’s musical entertainment.
silent auction
Be sure to check out the great silent auction prizes! Items were
donated by many of our sponsors, including Fiskars, Corona,
Gardener’s Supply, as well as donations from fellow conference
attendees. All proceeds benefit ACGA.
Guided tours of the property, including a portion of the CSA
farm, the washstand and outdoor kitchen, livestock buldings,
herb gardens, butterfly house, and historic buildings, will be
provided throughout the evening. Guests are welcome to
puruse the property at their own speed, as well.
Transportation will be provided to and from DBG Chatfield Farms from The Denver Botanic Gardens for
conference attendees.
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TOURS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
9:00- 1:00
Founding Gardens Walking Tour
What kind of community garden does it take to start a movement? Find out on this tour of Denver Urban Gardens’ three
original gardens. The entire walking tour is under 3 miles.
Gardens That Go Above & Beyond
Bountiful community, productive harvests, food donation
programs and more! Come take a look at the gardens that make
it look easy.
Sprouting a Love of Gardening: Gardens at Schools
Visit three different school-based community gardens, each
with a unique program that enhances education in the garden.
Urban Agriculture- Engaging the Whole
Community
Visit the heart of Boulder for a tour of Growing Gardens’ 11 acre
urban agriculture hub, including a 200 plot community garden,
The Children’s Peace Garden, Horticultural Therapy Garden,
youth run CSA, and newly established orchard.
Rooted in Tradition: Growing practices from
around the world
At three unique gardens, hear from gardeners about the
gardening traditions and techniques that they use to grow
produce and to renew cultural ties.
Mile High Urban Agriculture
Take a tour of some of Denver’s most innovative food producers,
ranging from unique land collaborations to hydroponics.
Reconnecting Through Growing
Visit DeLaney Community Farm and two community gardens
that provide opportunities for refugees to reconnect with the
land, healthy food and community.
1:00- 2:00
Pedals n’ Petals
Take a relaxing tour (less than 5 miles long) of select gardens in
Denver’s Five Points Neighborhood on bike, including Denver
Urban Gardens’ 150th Garden!
Lunch will be served on the West Terrace; all tours can head
directly to lunch upon returning.
* Tours will occur rain or shine * Wear comfortable shoes and clothing
12
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
presentations
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
2:00 - 3:00
Moving from Programming to Policy: Translating Issues into a Policy
Agenda
Mitchell Hall
Amanda Marie Edmonds, Executive Director
Erica Bloom, Program Director
This session will help attendees move from issues to articulated policy priorities. By sharing successes from Growing
Hope’s local to state policy work, participants will leave with
ideas of how to translate lessons learned at home. Participants
will use a tool to translate their issues into a policy agenda.
Insects--Kill Them All?
Gates Hall
Charlie Monroe, Natural Resource Manager, DeKalb
County Government
Kill them All, Insects focuses on the importance of being able to
properly ID insects and their impact on the garden. All insects
are not harmful--some are beneficial. Managing the insect
population of your garden impacts the harvest. Participants will
be insturcted on the basics of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
which is an environmentally friendly way to manage pests.
Networks to Coalitions, You are Not Alone
Plant Society House
Betsy Johnson, Steering Committe, Springfield, MA Food Policy
Council
Updated version of ACGA’s Growing Communities Curriculum
workshop on Building Coalitions. Outcomes: (1) understanding
the types of multi-organization relationships and (2) Steps to
determining the most effective relationship.
Parks as Community Gardens:Why and How to Do It
Cottonwood Classroom
Jimmy O’Connor, Director of Grants and
Partnerships
Brian VanPatten, Horticulturist
Nicole Ferguson, Park Naturalist
Parks provide extraordinary opportunity for community garden
programs. These public spaces offer the infrastructure, as well
as, a trusted hand in engaging the community. Local park and
recreation departments are teaching gardening skills, conducting healthy cooking classes, donating produce, and strengthening social cohesion through hands-on experiences with
children and seniors.
Measuring the Good Things Growing in Your Garden
Morrison Center
Mara Gittleman, Director
Sheryll Durrant, Director of Outreach and Training
Megan Canning, Deputy Director
Data collection matters. Join gardeners and farmers from the
Farming Concrete team for a hands-on workshop exploring the
free Farming Concrete Toolkit, developed by community
gardeners, urban farmers, and school gardeners, that helps
gardeners set goals and evaluate their work.
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presentations
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
3:15 - 4:15
Building and Managing a Community Garden Donation Program
Mitchell Hall
Ana Tolentino
Teri Connolly
DUG master community gardeners, Ana Tolentino and Teri
Connelly, will discuss initiatives in their communities to grow
extra produce for donation to local charities including Project
Angel Heart. Ana will also discuss the process of creating,
implementing and managing a successful community donation
garden with her church in Littleton, CO.
Growing Safely to Produce Healthy Crops-Community Gardens on
Previously Used Sites
Gates Hall
Ganga Hettiarachchi, Associate Professor of Soil and
Environmental Chemistry
Sabne Martin, President
More and more community gardens are being established on
brownfield sites. In this interactive session case studies will
highlight the latest Kansas State University research on contaminant uptake by food crops grown on such sites and associated
best management practices. Q&A to follow.
Creating Access to Healthy Food with Free Seeds and Transplants
Plant Society House
Jessica Romer, Director of Horticulture
Peg Alt, Community Development Outreach Specialist
You can get a lot of bang for your buck from a vegetable garden,
however the cost to plant a garden can be a barrier to participation for many individuals. For 19 years, Denver Urban Garden’s
Free Seeds & Transplants Program has provided resources to
residents so that they can start their gardens at no cost. Learn
how this program addresses food access on a metro-wide level
and how to provide such resources in your community.
The Youngest Gardeners: Growing Food in Pre-K
Cottonwood Classroom
Maria Hitt, Playful Nature Consulting
Learn tips and tricks for working with little one’s in the garden.
Hear ideas for making it easier to manage young children in a
garden setting and basics of gardening with kids. Hands-on
materials and resources to help excite young children about
gardening will be presented.
High Raised Bed Gardening: Providing Ease-of-use and High Yields
Morrison Center
Victoria Ferguson-Kramer, Research Director
Eamon Mackenzie, Operational Director
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In this interactive science-meets-storytelling session, food
sovereignty via our system of “chiropractic free” gardening is
discussed. This is a high raised bed system which incorporates
high levels of good quality compost and (green) manure. Our
yields are much higher and the workload is much lower, less
time consuming, and easier.
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
presentations
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
4:30 - 5:30
How Creative Partnerships Built Two Gardens on Challenging City Land
Mitchell Hall
Sari Albornoz, Grow Local Program Director
Meredith Gray, Conservation Program Coordinator
Sustainable Food Center and City of Austin Parks and
Recreation will present a dual case study on the development
of two community gardens in Austin on underutilized City of
Austin land through a cost-match with the Public Works
Neighborhood Partnering Program.
Growing Connections: Partnering to Transform Food Systems
Gates Hall
Eileen Gallagher, Senior Program Manager
Julianne Schrader, Director of Gardening Programs
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society works with partners to
establish neighborhood-based education and resource hubs for
150 community gardeners who transform our food system by
distributing produce to neighbors in need. Together with
participants, we’ll share strategies and stories for building
community and empowering growers with assistance and
supplies for urban food production.
Rogue vs. Consistency!
Plant Society House
Stacy Spriggs, Community and School Garden Coordinator
Erin Alvarez, Plant Science Lecturer
Kathi Rader-Gibson, Parks and Recreation Specialist
In 2011, community gardens were sprouting up throughout
Sarasota, with no clear guidance on how to operate them. Come
learn how collaboration was crucial in bringing the gardens
together under a consistent management system. Additionally,
hear an overview of the creation of our practical Integrated Pest
Management plan.
Aubrey Phillips, Operations Manager
Solitary Pollinators in Community Gardens
Cottonwood Classroom
Carla Meyer, Community Garden Facilitator
Anecdotally, the solitary pollinator populations are in decline,
but without numbers to demonstrate this, how can we take
action? The CGs in and around Edmonton stepped up to
generate a baseline for measuring the populations of solitary
pollinators. Learn what they are doing and how they hope to
make a positive impact on these important members of their
garden communities.
Healthy Gardens, Healthy Bodies: Programs and Tools for Engaging
Morrison Center
Shawnee Adelson, Director of School Garden Programs
Denver Urban Gardens has been working with elementary-aged
youth in the garden for fifteen years, which has resulted in a
menu of successful programs to educate and engage youth in
the garden. This session will present on DUG’s garden-based
curriculum, the Youth Farmers Market program and other
strategies for getting youth engaged.
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presentations
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
8:30- 9:15
Residential Sales, or, Selling Your Urban Garden Grown Produce from your
Residence
Mitchell Hall
Shannon Spurlock, Director of Public Affairs and Policy
Sarah Showalter, Senior City Planner
Feven Netsanet, Senior Aide
Urban gardens offer a prime opportunity to strengthen
community and promote economic development. This session
deconstructs an ordinance that was passed by Denver’s City
Council in 2014 that allows urban gardeners to sell what they
grow from their residence.
Robin Kniech, Councilwoman
Linking People and Plants through Horticultural Therapy
Gates Hall
Fred Conrad, Community Garden Manager
Rebecca Haller, HTM, Horticultural Therapist
After an in-depth introduction to clinical horticultural therapy
and the many participating populations and settings in which
it is conducted, we will explore the intersection of the community garden world and the world of people facing issues that
can be improved by gardening. Prepare to be inspired!
Growing Your Community Garden With Only a Little Green
Plant Society House
Kristen Gurnitz Bernier, Organic Community Garden
Coordinator/Graphic Designer
Interested in starting a community garden? Learn how to build
a garden from the ground up based on the Joliet Park District’s
experience in creating a successful organic community garden
with little money. Gain ideas for fundraising, education and
class topics, and how to engage your gardeners.
Gardening and the Hesitant Teacher-Integrating the Garden into ProjectBased Learning (PBL)
Cottonwood Classroom
Kathleen Carson, Community Educator
Punita Patel, Youth Educator
Carolyn Cosgrove-Payne, Youth Educator
Despite infrastructure, many school gardens go underused. The
primary barriers are a lack of gardening knowledge and lack of
time for “yet another” subject. Project-based learning (PBL) is an
opportunity to use gardens as a year-round curricular resource
even for teachers with limited gardening knowledge. PBL
questions inform garden activities and design.
Growing Resources: Crowdfunding for Community Gardens
Morrison Center
Ethany Uttech, Partnerships Manager
David Weinberger, City Partnerships Director
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Join the national crowdfunding nonprofit ioby (in our back
yards) to hear real-life case studies of how grassroots gardening
groups have used crowdfunding to raise funds, engage community, and build local investment. Working from stories of past
projects, we’ll cover proven grassroots fundraising techniques
and top tips for successful crowdfunding.
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
presentations
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
9:30 - 10:15
Creating New Communities through Partnerships
Mitchell Hall
Matt Even, Community Outreach Specialist
What are the advantages behind innovative partnerships and
how do they create new communities? In this session, Gateway
Greening representatives will speak on the social, environmental
and community benefits of bringing together the St. Louis
County Library and Gateway Greening to create a partnership-based model for community gardening.
Compost 101
Gates Hall
Bill Maynard, ACGA President, Community Garden
Program Coordinator
Composting is very easy, yet many don’t do it correctly or have
problems. This session will cover hot and cold composting,
types of composters, ways to compost, and composting from
the backyard/community garden basics to larger community
soil building projects. Leave knowing how to make great soil
through composting!
Applying Lessons from our Gut Microbiome to Create Healthy Soil
Plant Society House
Nina Morton
The way our gut provides us with nutrients and the soil
provides plants with nutrients is not so different. A teaspoon of
garden soil can hold up to one billion bacteria, several yards of
fungal filaments, several thousand protozoa, and scores of
nematodes. Learn how to develop a healthy microbiome.way
our gut provides us with nutrients and the soil provides plants
with nutrients is not so different.
Documenting Your Community Garden’s Impact: Methods and Outcomes
Cottonwood Classroom
Kerstin Martin, Garden Manager
Sara Schwartz, BS Environmental Studies
We will present our research methods for determining the
impact of our community/school garden, including photovoice,
focus groups, and surveys. We will share our own results and
how we plan to use them. This will be a collaborative discussion of methods used for documenting impacts of community
gardens.
Grocery & Garden: Expanding Food Access
Morrison Center
Jillian Mitchell
Join a community gardener who knows the retail foods world to
discuss the empowerment of a community through member
involvement in collaborative gardening practices as it relates
specifically to food independence, affordability and access. We
will also explore the impact that grocery store tours can have
for fixed-income community gardeners.
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
presentations
10:30 - 11:15
Developing a Buy-in Strategy for City Hall
Mitchell Hall
Ayo Harrington, Founder, CECGD
Magali Regis, Chair of the Communicatins Committee
This presentation will talk about the NYC effort to have a group
of community gardens legislated as a Community Gardens
District, thereby, making them permanent. Also covered, how to
document and use unique details about gardens to win legislative and agency support.
Knowing Your Soil: Partnerships that Make Your Garden Stronger
Gates Hall
Jess Romer, Director of Horticulture
Ted Lanzano, Brownfields Project Manager
When it comes to urban gardening, one of the first questions
people ask is whether or not it’s safe to grow food in urban
soils. Learn how Denver Urban Gardens and the EPA partner to
address this very question within Denver’s community gardens.
We’ll talk about why it’s important to test soil at a new garden
site, the benefits of partnering to investigate soil and share
resources about how to do this in your community.
Produce for Pantries: When Community Grows it Forward
Plant Society House
Dana Miller
Laura Stevens
Produce for Pantries addresses hunger in Colorado by encouraging home, school and community gardeners to plant, grow
and donate produce to local food pantries and hunger-relief
organizations. Come hear what it takes to implement an
effective food donation program in a community garden.
Fresh Food Connect
Cottonwood Classroom
Turner Wyatt, Denver Food Rescue
Fresh Food Connect is a collaboration between Groundwork
Denver, Denver Urban Gardens, and Denver Food Rescue, which
uses technology to redistribute extra food from home gardens
to neighborhood farm stands and pantries. Home gardeners
use a mobile app to alert a team of bicycle-riding youth workers
from Denver to pick up a their extra produce and deliver it to a
community organization. This project demonstrates the
effectiveness of technology and community-based collaboration in creating sustainable change.
Community Gardens and Libraries - The Perfect Combination
Morrison Center
Christine Gallegos
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Before becoming a Community Garden member, I grew veggies
in my backyard. I didn’t know what I was missing! My library
opened a whole new gardening world to me. With the passion
for caring for their communities, libraries offer a perfect venue
for community gardens to take root.
ACGA 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
11:30 - 1:00
Mitchell Hall
Keynote Speech: Chef Ann Cooper, Chef Ann Foundation
ACGA Annual Meeting
1:00 - 6:00
Post-Conference Tour
This year’s post-conference tour takes us south to Colorado Springs, CO. The weather is cooler, the mountains are closer, and the hail
is much more frequent! Our tour will showcase a community garden on a hospital campus, a school campus, and three of Pikes Peak
Urban Gardens’ community gardens.
Garden of Eatin: Located in Castlerock, CO at the Adventist Hospital campus. A gorgeous community garden is accompanied by a
playground, outdoor kitchen, and small farm that supplies food for the hostital’s cafe.
Galileo Middle School: This garden is located in the previous tennis courts of Galileo Middle School. It incorporates greenhouse,
raised bed and in-ground growing into a comprehensive 6-8 grade curriculum; all with the backdrop of gorgeous Pike’s Peak and
Garden of the Gods.
Harrison Urban Garden: Community chickens and a shared greenhouse space are the hallmark of the Harrison Urban Garden.
Neighbors are encouraged to express their creativity in both plot design and crop selection.
Mill Street Community Garden: This PPUG garden was constructed in only half a day using the “blitz build” technique! Come see
what this formerly vacant lot has become in just three seasons.
Harlan Wolfe Ranch: This historic ranch site houses PPUG’s demonstration garden which includes innovative shade and hail protection devices as well as a “Pick-n-Pay” farm stand, children’s garden, outdoor classroom, and plenty of opportunites for vegetable and
herb tasting.
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