Experience community-led urban forest stewardship efforts the Seattle way! Stops will include Kubota Gardens, a Japanese garden surrounded by a riparian forest, and Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetland, a park space transformed into a farm and wetland. We will highlight the various efforts underway and the strong community commitment to caring for and building our urban forest in Seattle.
The first stop will be Kubota Gardens and Natural Area, where we can explore the history of this Japanese American garden and its surrounding forest. Hear from Green Seattle Partnership about job training and community programming underway in the natural area. EarthCorps will share its approach to hosting stewardship events that center on community needs and interests. Partner in Employment will talk about immigrant and refugee career exposure programming. Seattle Parks and Recreation staff and the Kubota Garden Foundation will share information about the history of the park and its plans for the future.
The tour will then visit the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetland to learn how community members created this shared space to produce food and restore wetland habitat. The farm is advancing food justice in Seattle, creating a space for education and practice that centers on culturally essential foods and community needs. Learn engagement strategies and programming from staff with partner organization Tilth Alliance.
Seattle Parks and Recreation, along with partner organizations ECOSS, Serve Ethiopians Washington, and Tilth Alliance, will shed light on how community members created this shared space to produce food and restore wetland habitat while creating a space for education and practice centering culturally essential foods and community needs.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify the key organizations behind the Rainier Beach Urban Farm's inception and ongoing operations, recognizing the historical significance of Rainier Beach Urban Farm, from the Duwamish people to its current status as Seattle's largest urban farm.
- Discuss strategies for meeting neighborhood needs in park spaces, identifying key community-based organizations.
- Give examples of programs and initiatives, including youth engagement, ecological restoration, nutrition education, and small business incubation that can be supported through Urban Community agriculture.
- Identify Seattle’s varied and unique landscapes and outline how these ecosystems influence and support community needs.
