Garden now at every Kelso-Longview elementary, middle school

Volunteers of all ages helped plant a lawn of miniature camas, Douglas firs, currants, huckleberries, Oregon grapes and other native species during a garden party hosted last week by Lower Columbia School Gardens and the Cowlitz Tribal Garden. The goal, according to Lower Columbia School Gardens operations coordinator Ian Thompson, is to create a space where students can learn about the local environment and develop an understanding of the reciprocal relationship between humans and plants

“We’re really trying to help kids connect with place, connect with this land that we’re on,” Thompson said.

Camas is a member of the lily family with edible bulbs and starches that is historically a important source of nutrition for local indigenous groups, including the Cowlitz Tribe. After salmon, it was the second most traded food in the Salish region, according to Emma Johnson, a member of the Cowlitz tribe and the coordinator of ecological and traditional indigenous cultural knowledge at Portland State University.

Before the settlers arrived, Camas grew into large grasslands maintained by local tribes for burning, harvesting and weeding. Today, however, less than 2% of these grasslands remain, Johnson said, however efforts are being made to restore it.

“These plant friends depend on us to be cared for, supported and heard,” Johnson said.

Reciprocity—the idea of ​​giving back as much as you take—is something Lower Columbia School Gardens tries to emphasize. At last week’s planting, Johnson explained how plants like camas are part of what he called a cultural landscape. At the same time that people rely on them for food, plants rely on human intervention to grow more efficiently.

Gardens like the one in Lexington are part of an effort by the Lower Columbia School Gardens to give children and their families access to fresh, healthy produce. Students are taught to care for plants and cook what they harvest, and can take food home from the gardens. Farm stands located in Longview and Kelso will distribute excess produce for free this summer, Thompson said.

“We’re always sharing and plants want to share,” Lower Columbia School Gardens staff member Erin McKee said.

Since the Lexington garden was started last year, there is now a school garden in all 20 elementary and middle schools in Longview and Kelso. The oldest, at Longview’s Northlake Elementary School, was planted in 2002 by Dr. Kaiser Lee Ann Gekas. It now covers nearly an acre and includes a fruit tree orchard.

“This is a really vital program in our region,” said Pranjali Upadhyay, ESD 112 Integrated Curriculum Coordinator. “There has been a lot of interest from teachers in getting kids outside more to make connections with the natural world.”

Upadhyay, who learned about Lower Columbia School Gardens through a Lower Columbia Nature Network training event last year, said teachers are particularly interested in how the garden program emphasizes the connection between people and plants. that they eat in a way that the standard STEM curriculum usually does “ t t.

“I haven’t seen this kind of response in years,” he said. “Teachers rediscover their joy in what they do in connection with the natural world.”