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Contact: 849-2103 |
For dates when the volunteer University Avenue Gardeners are working on the UA medians, phone 849-2103.
The group is supporting a permanent native garden on University Avenue to be maintained by the City. There will be a meeting February 20 about University Ave. Median Landscaping Improvements.
Dear Fellow Gardeners,
Big decisions are being made right now that will determine the future of the University Avenue medians. Will we finally have the permanent native garden that we've all worked for? Or will we have another suburban-style lawn?
Because Berkeley's taxpayers passed Measure S last year, the city has the funds to complete-and maintain!-the native plantings that will give us a unique and permanently sustainable native garden along our most prominent street. This is really the culmination of the visionary effort that began back in 1995 with the planting of 202 native trees the full length of University Avenue.
In the one block where permanent native shrubs and groundcovers have been in place for over a year-between San Pablo and Curtis, in front of the West Berkeley Public Library-they are flourishing and looking great. It is clear that native plantings, properly installed and mulched, require very little ongoing labor and can immeasurably enrich the urban streetscape.
However, believe it or not, the Avenue's supervising gardener is proposing to plant only grass, Kikuyu grass! And, what's more alarming, the decision-makers are listening! The city needs to hear loud and clear that there is substantial support for completing the native plantings on University Avenue.
Please do two things now:
1. Write a letter or e-mail message to Lisa Caronna, the city's Parks Director, letting her know why you support completing the native plantings, reminding her that they are beautiful AND low-maintenance.
Lisa Caronna, Parks Director
2180 Milvia St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
2. Attend the meeting that the city has scheduled for December 19. Our presence is particularly needed to support native plants and to defeat the plan for replanting a lawn of invasive Kikuyu grass.
Wednesday, December 19, 7 to 8:30PM
North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst
For more information, phone 849-2103. Thanks for staying the course in this exciting and important effort.
Rob Browning Shauna
Haines Brian McCarthy Mark Wieder
Read the Berkeley Voice article about us - University Avenue Gardeners Go Native
