Et cetera : NCCC Cedar 2 serves Red Cliff Community Garden

Ilexis, Daniel, and Peter work to dig 126 post holes for the fence surrounding the orchards.

Corps members Dana and Daniel display carrots harvested from the garden.

By Ilexis Elba

AmeriCorps NCCC team Cedar 2 is stationed in Red Cliff, Wis. assisting with a community garden on the Ojibwe Indian reservation. The garden has been established for several years, but still does not reach the whole community and can use further development. This sounds like a job for a fully qualified group of six individuals.

The team is constantly busy with tasks around the garden. The biggest project has been creating a wooden fence around the property to keep vehicles out and protect the vegetation. Additionally, a quarter-mile trail recently completed in the wooded area along the apple orchard now connects the garden to the neighboring health clinic currently under construction. This entire system works together to promote and enhance health among the Red Cliff population.

In other news, the team is camping on the beautiful shore of Lake Superior for six weeks, giving them ample time to discover what the area has to offer in between their busy schedule. They kayaked the second weekend in town, exploring the shore’s famous sea caves. They also made their way around some of the local trails and parks. The team was able to offer support for a wild rice harvest, a cultural tradition of the Ojibwe people in northern Wisconsin. Wild rice is a grain considered to be a sacred component in their culture.

In their fourth week in Red Cliff, Cedar 2 hosted a community day with the intent of getting the public out to the garden. “The goal of this day was to get the community members further educated on how to prepare some of the fresh veggies from the garden, such as patty pan squash, which not many members identify,” voiced corps member Dana Armel. By recruiting volunteers and providing additional skills for utilizing the crops, the team hopes to improve the sustainability of the community garden project.

Cedar 2 is the first NCCC group to serve alongside the sponsoring organization and most members are new to the practice of gardening. They have learned much about the importance of fresh produce and its availability in the community. “Not only is it providing fresh produce, it is fostering the potential for people to plant their own garden at home and eat healthier,” expressed Armel.