The Badger Park Community Garden died and came back to life. This story proves that Healdsburg functions even during this scary pandemic.
The city of Healdsburg runs the garden located in Badger Park just off Heron Drive, as you approach the retirement neighborhoods along South Fitch Mountain. For a fee, gardeners get one of 30 plots, which are about 20-by-30 feet. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the Badger Garden became ever more important to the gardening couples, families and individuals who rent plots and garden there.
On March 24, gardeners were informed by email from Garden Coordinator Erin Wiese-Antis that, “the city decided, in accordance with the Sonoma County Health Officer’s order for COVID-19, to close all parks and open spaces. The closure includes all city parks,” and that included the Badger Garden.
Gardeners were horrified by this move. The garden provides not only soul nourishment for its gardeners, it feeds them and not only them. Much surplus produce gets donated to the Healdsburg Food Pantry and to the Healdsburg Senior Center, where it helps feed seniors and those in need. Early spring stands as a crucial time to plant and prep the garden: losing access now could wipe out the whole year. While it makes sense to close parks to keep people from spreading COVID-19, the garden is fenced and locked. Gardeners are allowed in, and, once in, they stick to their own plots. Since COVID-19, gardeners have been scrupulous about maintaining social distance.
The gardeners called and emailed each other. They called on Erin Weiss-Antis, representing the Badger Gardeners, to go to Matt Milde, facilities and events supervisor. Matt took it to the city manager. An email went to Councilmember Shaun McCaffrey, who talked to the city manager, starting a conversation from another direction.
Somewhere in the city’s decision-making, wisdom and discernment prevailed and they reconsidered. They pondered, deciding the garden could be re-opened with some sensible and strict new rules. Gardeners have to park outside the Badger Park, which remains closed. Gardeners must wear a special yellow safety vest (provided by the city), obey social distancing and wash or sanitize hands before handling the lock and gate.
On Monday, March 23 all parks in Healdsburg were closed. On March 24, Erin told us the closure included the garden. We gardeners reasoned with city staff and elected officials — they listened. On the March 26 they let gardeners back in the garden proving that this city does things right. Decisions like closing all the parks made sense when people all around the county were flouting the absolutely necessary shelter-in-place orders and flooding the parks and beaches. But we made our case and the Garden remains open. Joni Mitchell sang, “We got to get ourselves back to the garden.” The Badger gardeners did.
Bo Simons is a retired Healdsburg librarian and a member of the Healdsburg Library Guild.
