FIU Organic Garden

Just received the notification that construction fences for the new sports fields will be put up TOMORROW. The below map outlines the fenced off areas, which will severely limit access to the garden.

A rough map of the new trees planted in the Food Forest.

This past Friday we had a 'fruitful' end of the year celebration with a potluck composed of our extended community and a beautiful fruit tree planting ceremony which highlighted the striking similarities that we, humans, have to the plants we cultivate.

Annuals, planting new at the beginning of each season and dying at the end are symbolic of the extensive changes we go through year by year and how we grow sometimes by closing chapters too. The trees, on the other hand, are symbolic of a lifetime of slow growth, perserverance, and constant fruitful gifts to the world.

These fruit trees planted today will remain standing for many decades. We have planted trees for the generations after us.

We would like to thank the immense generosity of Pine Island Nursery (www.tropicalfruitnursery.com) for the donation of these fruit trees! They have the nicest selection of tropical fruit trees in the continental states

Photo credit: These pictures were taken by Gabriel Rhenals, talented up and coming film maker from Hard Edge Films

GREAT NEWS!

Thanks to the immense generosity of Pine Island Nursery (www.tropicalfruitnursery.com) today we have received 13 fruit trees of all different kinds to go into our long anticipated Food Forest. These fruit trees will be around for many more decades to come of students and community. We are making history as we plant them in the ground tomorrow!

1 Glen Mango
1 Po Pyu Kalay Mango (both mangoes will grow medium sized)
1 Red Wax Jambu
1 Pace Mamey
1 Sugar Apple
1 Peruvian Mulberry
1 Jaboticaba (slowest growing)
1 Bernikers Black Sapote
1 Pomegranate
1 Cinnamon
2 Soursop, Grafted
1 Florida Grande Peach

Please come to the POTLUCK at 5pm this Friday at the Garden (bring a cooked dish) for a Tree Planting Ceremony and good food, friends!

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Radishes are ready to go! They are crunchy and just the right amount of spicy.

Come get them at the FIU Farmer's Market tomorrow Wednesday from 10-2. The Market is located between the Library and PC, near the big fountain. See you there.

This is a link to the entire load of documents showing concrete plans to build over the Nature Preserve. Today, at the Faculty Senate, they were presented with older approved plans from December to build two practice fields over a parking lot but they conveniently ommitted that their current plan, which has not been approved of yet, is to build over the Nature Preserve. This plan was ammended just today to instead build over the Nature Preserve and they look to get it approved by March 11th.

Their case is that is much more cost-effective since they would not have to move the SW 17th Street Road nor remove the parking lot West of the Football Stadium. This plan, of course, undermines the economic and educational value of the Nature Preserve as a teaching laboratory, one of the last remaining areas of Pine Rockland, and a home to some critical species of South Florida.

On the same day as today, they built an amendment which would clearly build on top of the Nature Preserve (the amendment is within this file load. Please have a look at it). It should be noted that none of these amendments or even previous plans were discussed with the Nature Preserve or Garden, therefore undermining our sovereignity as important elements within the FIU community.

SAVE FIU Nature Preserve! STOP Developers

Hello everyone: Please read below as we provide accurate information regarding concrete plans to build over the Nature Preserve (for starters, take a look at the attached image)

Some have said today that the plans to build the fields would not be happening over the Nature Preserve. I would like to give all of us the bad news that this is not the most accurate or up to date information regarding their plans.

I would like to state that ever since the Nature Preserve removed the invasive grasses from a Nature Preserve area, the developers have created a Plan B (all supported documentation below) which would be indeed building on the Preserve itself since it would cost them less to do so than to do Plan A which would require them to remove a parking lot and move an entire road. They have even made a map themselves with the proposed area for you all to see this.

This new Plan will be brought forward to the Board of Trustees for final approval on March 11th. If this plan is approved, of course they will want to go ahead with it as opposed to Plan A.

First, I would like to warn, that some of these links will not work unless if you are on campus or on an FIU Server. I am trying to find a way to remedy this issue at the moment. The following information of grave importance was passed to me just recently.

The Jan. 29, 2016 proposed plan document shows the nature preserve with the field overlay and land trade to the south. (it is updated in the ELEMENT 13-1 document)
http://uploads.fiu.edu/files/ApNZyfRRD/Jan._29_2016_proposed.jpg

(NOTE TO ALL: This ammendment was made today. Perhaps, right after the Faculty Senate meeting) ELEMENT 13-1 CONSERVATION_MMC Amendment No 2-23-16 - I received this document today and it will be presented to the Board of Trustees on March 11th for final approval.
http://uploads.fiu.edu/files/ApNZyfRRD/ELEMENT_13-1_CONSERVATION_MMC_Amendment_No_2-23-16.psd

The document titled, Nature Preserve-2 is the official position of the Office of University Sustainability on this matter. It includes classes, programs, and other current uses of the preserve.
http://uploads.fiu.edu/files/ApNZyfRRD/Nature_Preserve-2.pdf

The document 2006 Faculty Senate Memo Notes shows its protection and what needed to be accomplished. The Nature Preserve made notes in it recently so you can see the progress. This document also shows the 2003 charrette, in which you can see the outline of the modern day preserve including the lake and northern area.
http://uploads.fiu.edu/files/ApNZyfRRD/2006_Faculty_Senate_Memo_Notes_2.2.16-2.pdf

Document Preserve Boundaries May 24, 2006 – self explanatory (This has to do with them saying that Plan B is not built on top of the Preserve. This is a false statement)
http://uploads.fiu.edu/files/ApNZyfRRD/ELEMENT_13-1_CONSERVATION_MMC_Amendment_No_2-23-16.pdf

Don’t forget to check out the history documents on the Nature Preserve page. http://gogreen.fiu.edu/topics/the-nature-preserve/index.html

The proposed extension of the Nature Preserve to the South was never consulted with the Nature Preserve and Garden beforehand. If they had, they would know that the Nature Preserve cannot establish itself South of the Organic Garden because it would block the already limited amount of sunlight it receives - basically, there will be no more FIU Organic Garden if this plan goes through as the Developers wish it to be.

IMPORTANT: Sadly, we have had to post a series of these around the garden. Unfortunately, over the last few years we have been victim to constant theft of our vegetables which are the only source of income we have to keep the place running. We are self-sufficient and do not receive many grants or exterior funds.

If you would like to taste our produce, please come to our Farmers' Market on Wednesdays 10-2p by the library. Do not steal what you have not worked for.

Please share this on your walls so that we may create a culture of respect for our local gardens.

Correction: Garden Club meets at 3pm, not at 1.

Spotted just now at the garden! Who needs pesticides when you have parasitoid wasps? A Tomato Hornworn, one of the worst tomato pests, was stung by a parasitoid wasp which laid its eggs inside and had its larvae eat the pest from the inside out. Ladies and gentlmen, organic pest management!

Radishes are coming in strong! Will be ready in 3 weeks. Next up, carrots.