Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes
August 11, 2021 7 PM
Remote Meeting
7:00 Present: Barb A, Lily, Barb L, Karen, Jessica, Sandra and Megan.
Jessica started the meeting.
Minutes Motion by Barb A and seconded by Barb Lto approve the July 2021 minutes. The minutes were approved.
Registrar Update
Lily said the gardens are all ful and there is no waiting list. She thanked Andy and Will for the quick water leak repair. Lily said that some 300 gardeners still need to do a workday. She requests more workday opportunities. A former gardener signed up the garden without asking us to be part of a bike tour, but did not volunteer to host a tour. The consensus was that the gardens are public and they could do a self tour.
Lily was able to get lake weeds delivered to Eagle Heights but did not get them for University Houses because they smell bad.
There will be a plot remarking in the fall. Gretel and Sandra have volunteered.
Gardening in the Path
A number of gardeners are gardening in the path, sometimes directly over shallow water lines. After discussion it was agreed to start sending polite messages now so people can remove their plants. In the spring the plants in the path will be MOWED. Megan also requests that we specifically say that fencing is not allowed on the walls.
Garden Worker Report
Megan said there have been some bad leaks in the water system that have been repaired.
Megan said after doing some research that putting out pollinator houses now is not the correct timing. It would be better to make the houses in late fall and put them out in late winter and early spring. Someone asked if Olbrich was going to do a workshop. Megan said she would check. Someone noted that Olbrich workshops are not cheap.
Someone asked about progress on the 700’s wall. Andy has asked to do a workday for the wall.
Lily said she had a dozen people signed up to get rid of thistles in various areas and progress is being made. Thistles are bad in the 500’s buffer area and Megan thinks this should be mowed and a workday would be a good idea.
Some confusion has come up about weed wacking workdays. A workday is three hours, but a weed whacking workday is about 2 hours because the battery dies. This means that the weed wackers need to work an extra hour.
Dead Mexican bean beetle larva are being observed in the beans. They are being killed by the parasitic wasps.
Motion by Barb L and seconded by Lily to adjourn.
Adjourned at 7:29 by Jessica
Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee
 |
|
Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes
July 14, 2021 7 PM
Remote Meeting
7:00 Present: Barb A, Lily, Alan, Runa, Ric, Niels, Colleen, Ninja, Ann, Karen, Gisela, Andy, Jolene and Megan.
Ninja started the meeting.
Minutes Motion by Barb A and seconded by Lily to approve the June 2021 minutes. The minutes were approved.
Registrar Update
Lily said the gardens are all full. The waiting list has 10.
There is a problem with invasive weeds in the tree line near the Biocore Prairie. The invasive thistles need to be controlled. Niels said a few years ago he pulled the thistles in the Arbor Garden and it took him 9 different visits over a month or so to control the thistles. He removed all the green part of the thistle during this time to kill the thistles. We should assign an area to volunteers for good control. Megan said the problem needs a large workday at first and then maintenance like was done at the Arbor Garden. Perhaps the tree line should be cleared so it can be mowed.
There has been a suggestion about putting up a little free library at both Eagle Heights and University Houses. It would be 4 total with a high one for adults and a low library for children at each garden. The committee liked the idea and we just need to know UW’s policy on them before proceeding.
There has been a complaint about people smoking in the gardens. After discussion, the committee decided it would be better if people did not smoke in the gardens. Lily will check the relevant UW and Preserve policies and see if it is possible to have the gardens be a no smoking area.
Lily said she believes we need a consistent approach when giving out plots that are full of weeds. After discussion, the committee agreed that weedy plots would be half price before July 1st and after July 1st the plot will be free for the season.
Our Facebook page last had a post in 2017. Discussion ensued. Ninja said she would like to volunteer to moderate the page. She and Lily will work on it.
It has been asked if people can keep bees in their plots. The committee agrees that keeping bees in the plots is not allowed.
There has been an Artist in Residence request to use the garden, but the proposal is for quite a bit of area and will not work for Eagle Heights garden.
Garden Worker Report
Andy said he is in contact with Will about the university Houses sink installation. He will be having a workday repairing the 700’s path with a block retaining wall.
Megan has had a couple of workdays weeding the fruit patches at Eagle Heights. Next workdays will be the blueberry row. The north tree island has some raspberries that she will encourage.
Megan proposes making some pollinator boxes with children and their families as a community building activity for the gardens. The boxes would need to be replaced every year so the pollinators have a clean new home. Discussion ensued. The committee thought it was a good idea. Megan will gather ideas and Lily will send out the information. Niels said he had wood to donate and Karen will donate some bamboo.
It was reported by a gardener that the Garden Workers are doing a great job and the gardens look good.
Andy reports that the University Houses share shelf needs repair. Niels and Alan agreed to help Andy repair the shelf. Jolene reminded us that the Housing grounds crew will give us 10 hours of labor every year if we need help. Lily will send an email to Andy, Alan and Niels so they can be in contact.
Bird Houses
Giesela from the Friends of the Preserve gave a short presentation about Bluebirds and Purple Martinswhich are native to Wisconsin. These native birds have been in decline because House Sparrows also nest in cavities in trees and bird houses. House Sparrows are native to Europe and will kill bluebirds and purple martins babies in the nest so the House Sparrows can steal the nest. Sometimes the House Sparrows kill adult blue birds. The Preserve would like to see a big reduction of House Sparrows and an increase in bluebirds and purple martins.
How could we help? There are many nest boxes in Eagle Heights Gardens that have been taken over by House Sparrows. In the spring, Kathryn asked gardeners to remove bird houses, but many are still up. We could revise our rules to ban bird houses. We could help educate our gardeners as to why this is important for bluebirds and purple martins. It was suggested that Megan’s idea to build pollinator houses would be a good alternative to bird houses and also be better for the pollinators in the garden. Most importantly, we need to make a rule for next year about no bird houses in the gardens.
What the Preserve is proposing is to trap House Sparrows in the early spring with a certified personnel. The boxes would be on the perimeter of the gardens and be checked every few hours. . The Preserve can also come to the Seed Fair next year and give a presentation about bluebirds and purple martins.
Motion by Megan and seconded by Lily to adjourn.
Adjourned at 8:28 by Jessica
Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee
Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes
June 9, 2021 7 PM
Remote Meeting
7:00 Present: Jolene, Gemma, Barb A, Lily, Jessica, Ninja, Ann, Karen, Megan and Barb L.
Jessica started the meeting.
Minutes Motion by Ann and seconded by Lily to approve the May 2021 minutes. The minutes were approved.
Registrar Update
Lily said the gardens are all full. The waiting list has 28 and three plots have changed hands. The juries might find more plots to be given to new gardeners.
F H King has requested that they put up more signs to direct people to their gardens.
A gardener has subletted their plot for the season. Of course a secondary gardener could take over the plot. This situation seems unfair to the people on the waiting list, but it is not against the rules. A proposed rule change for next year is that a gardener cannot receive money for their plot or sublet. The committee agreed with the change.
UW Housing will be doing tree work along the main road by the Eagle Heights shed.
We received a report that someone is weeding in the preserve areas.
A student has asked to do a project in the gardens on June 16 with Scandinavian cow calling in the garden. The committee thought it was a good idea.
Garden Worker Report
Megan said Andy is unable to be here but plans a workday in the 700’s in July to repair the path. Barb L has metal poles to donate if they are needed.
Niels will get some pallets for the unusable debris at the Eagle Heights weedpile. UW SWAP will take unwanted items on pallets and they will pick them up. We will need a work crew to put the bricks on pallets.
The broken riding lawn mower in the Uniservity Houses shed will be sold by UW SWAP. Pictures need to be taken to put it in the auction.
Megan said that an Orchardist has examined our fruit trees and most are dying due to being girdled at the base by rodents. The trees are not in danger of falling on anyone.
A large water leak has been fixed in the 1300’s. The hose reels at University Houses have been fixed. A branch of the mulberry tree overhanging a gardens plot has been trimmed. A tree that needs to be removed has a bird’s nest in it, so it will be removed when the birds leave.
The mowing has started. There was a discussion about the use of the weed wackers. The garden workers will supervise the use of the weed wackers.
Proposed Gathering Space at University Houses
Gemma and Alan are proposing having a gathering place at University Houses like the Arbor at Eagle Heights. The location would be to the right of the shed between the fruit trees. A picnic table would have a shade canopy and some perennials around it. We would need a gardener to maintain it for workday credit. Barb A said she could give cuttings from the Arbor garden and Megan said workday labor could be used to create the space. Many people are there fron the apartments. This space would be open to everyone. Gemma and Alan will put together a plan for a gathering place at University Houses.
Arbor Garden
Discussion ensued about children playing in the Arbor Garden instead of the sand box. What if we have a water table near the sand box? Water is more fun than a sand box.
Maps
Lily suggested our garden maps could show more than plotlines like sandboxes, shady places and other important things. Jolene said we could get an infographic map made of the gardens by a UW Housing employee. Pictures don’t need translation. Rhonda can provide the updated map showing plot lines and we should get an infographic map from Housing.
Predator Wasps for controlling Mexican Bean Beetles
After discussion there was a motion by Karen and seconded by Barb L to spend up to $1000 for predator wasp mummies for Mexican Bean beetle control
Motion passed.
Other Items
Are there any plans to get hose reels for all the spigots at University Houses? Discussion ensued. The hose reels are expensive.
Megan will mark the water lines along the road where the tree trimming will occur.
Adjourned at 7:50 by Jessica
Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee
Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes
May 12, 2021 7 PM
Remote Meeting
7:00 Present: Niels, Lily, Jessica, Ninja, Ann, Karen, Megan, Barb L and Kathryn.
Jessica started the meeting.
Minutes Motion by Kathryn and seconded by Barb L to approve the April 2021 minutes. The minutes were approved.
Registrar Update
Kathryn said the gardens are all full. The waiting list has 24 for Eagle Heights and 3 for University Houses. There have been about 6 or 7 plots that have changed gardeners in the last month, but most people are just sitting on the waiting list.
Kathryn reports that we may be able to have small workdays this year due to UW relaxing some of their covid restrictions.
The large pile of wall building supplies at the Eagle Heights weed pile was discussed. The larger cement blocks should be saved for wall building, but the small bricks and ceramic blocks are not good for wall building. SWAP will take them, but they need to be put on pallets and trucked to SWAP. Megan said we could probably rent the equipment needed for UW. Discussion ensued. SWAP will not take broken pieces. Putting all the bricks on pallets is a lot of work. Where can we get pallets? Perhaps we can use some of the broken material in an area of sinking in the garden. Megan will find out about the trucks and equipment. Blocks that we want to keep should be marked.
Kathryn said that Tom Brian with UW Family Gardening Day will be donating plants in four packs with tomatoes and basil to the gardens next Saturday. There will be 100 packs and Kathryn will take some to University Houses. There will also be 100 packs of seeds donated.
The Gardens to Be sale will be May 23.
Weed juries will start in June. Some of the gardens have not started yet. Kathryn said that some gardeners do not start gardening until May 31, so it is too early to consider a plot abandoned.
Garden Worker Report
Megan said the first workday has occurred at University Houses painting tools. The tools look good now and she thinks we should paint them every year. The new tool order arrived and Megan said a workday group is painting tools at Eagle Heights tomorrow. There was discussion about tools being left in the plots. Could there be a workday for someone to collect common tools out of the plots?
There is a large water leak at the 1100/1200 row that is a swamp. It will require a lot of digging to repair. Maybe we should cut a channel to the weedpile so the water does not spread out so much in the path. Megan said Andy asked if we wanted to just fix the leak or redo the 1200’s water line.
Megan suggested that UH should have a functioning sink. Discussion ensued. There is a sink at University Houses that has not been installed. The committee thought the sink should be installed.
A couple of other things Andy suggested in his email were having a fence around the blueberries to protect from turkeys. Discussion ensued. Some people thought perhaps people were picking the blueberries before they were ripe too. He also suggested some sort of natural object near the Eagle Heights sandbox. Perhaps it should be a Leopold bench.
Andy fixed the path border along the 200’s path.
Megan said that Tania is ready to start mowing at any time. The committee thought starting now is good. Megan will email Jolene for Tania to start mowing.
There was a discussion about the parsnip predators. Megan said they are in the shed because they are somewhat delicate and cannot be used like shovels because they break. They are used during workdays under supervision. There is another type that is sturdier and Megan will try to put them out for use.
Tree Trimming
A gardener requested that a limb from the mulberry tree in the middle of the 1100 path be trimmed from above her garden. The problem for her is people trampling her plot when the mulberries are ripe. The tree has been there for a long time and is well loved by many gardeners. This led to a general discussion of tree trimming. It was decided that the committee would review requests from gardeners about tree trimming on a case by case basis. The limb of the mulberry can be cut by a Garden Worker.
Plot Boundaries
There are some confusing boundaries at University Houses garden, which Ulrike and Kathryn will work on after Kathryn’s retirement. There are also some front boundaries at Eagle Heights that are on water line rows. The water line is at risk for damage due to gardening in the path.
700’s Retaining Wall
The ongoing discussion of the 700’s path continued. The repairs were put off again last fall for the Improvement Committee to come up with a permanent solution. The jersey barrier idea was rejected last fall. The Improvement Committee is aware of the problem. Could we send the jersey barriers to SWAP?
Motion by Barb L and seconded by Karen to have a workday crew make an interim repair to the wall for safety reasons. Passed.
As this is Kathryn’s last meeting as Registrar before her well deserved retirement, we thank her for her excellent work and fabulous Wednesday notes. Lily will be the new Registrar.
Adjourned at 7:50 by Jessica
Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee
Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes
April 14, 2021 7 PM
Remote Meeting
7:00 Present: Ric, Athena, Jolene, Jessica, Ninja, Anja, Niels, Karen, Barb A, Andy, Barb L and Kathryn.
Jessica started the meeting.
Minutes Motion by Kathryn and seconded by Ric to approve the March 2021 minutes. The minutes were approved.
Registrar Update
Kathryn said the gardens are all full. The waiting list has 23 for Eagle Heights and five for University Houses. The gardens have not been full this early in the season. Kathryn will post the 2021 plot assignments on the website.
Row cover will be sold on April 18 at the Eagle Heights shed. Cost is $5 for a piece that is approximately 7 feet by 24 feet. There will be more row cover sales later as we have more uncut row cover.
On Sunday, April 25, Scott Williams, from Garden to Be, will be selling cool-weather plants at Eagle Heights, from 10am – 1pm.
Discussion ensued about replacing the shade of the Arbor and a gardener requested we consider adding a shady meeting place at University Heights garden. Discussion ensued. It was easy to add a shade sail to the Arbor several years ago because the sail was just tied to a very sturdy (at the time) structure. Jolene said she believed that we would need approval for any permanent structure we would add at the gardens from the GOC. After much discussion it was agreed that we should think about having a permanent meeting place and shade at both gardens and the Improvement Plan Sub-Committee will be talking about it.
Story Walk Proposal
A gardener, Ellie has proposed creating a Story Walk at the garden for the four main
gardening months - June, July, August, and September for her workday requirement. A story walk is when a book is taken apart, laminated, and placed on signs on a popular walking route. You can read more about StoryWalks here. https://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/storywalk StoryWalks are great ways to get kids excited about
reading and outside to get some physical activity. This can help kids associate positive
memories with reading in a real life setting. I teach English as a Second Language at
Shorewood Hills Elementary School. Building a literacy StoryWalk at Bock and making it
garden themed is something that is very exciting to me! For kids whose parents garden
at EH, as well as community members, a StoryWalk at the garden could be something
new and exciting this summer!
It was agreed that this was a good idea and Kathryn will check with Ellie to make sure the garden paths remain clear and mowing can still be done.
Garden Worker Report
Andy cut some of the row cover we have for the sale. The water will be turned on soon. There are two major leaks that will need to be fixed, one in the 1200’s. Andy asked if we wanted to just fix the leak or redo the 1200’s water line.
Update from the Improvement Plan Subcommittee
Athena said the sub-committee was in the early stages about things they wanted to address and a priority list about what is first. The most important thing has been safety and access, education and community space have also been discussed. There are a large number of people on the sub-committee, but they are not representative of all the gardeners. The sub-committee proposes to talk to their garden neighbors about the issues and bring all ideas back to the sub-committee.
Many of the same issues were discussed by the Subcommittee as the Garden Committee discussed at the January meeting. All parties were represented at the meeting and Rhonda has a plan to take us through the process and help us with the implementation. Kathryn will ask the Subcommittee to submit a report to the Garden Committee.
New Co-Chair
Ninja, a University Houses gardener, introduced herself to the Committee. She is able to make a one year commitment to the Co-Chair position. The Committee welcomed her and was pleased to have a University Houses gardener as one of the co-chairs.
Plan for Accessible garden plots
The possibility of having accessible garden plots is being discussed in the Improvement Plan Sub-Committee.
Workdays and UW Covid Protocols
Discussion ensued about whether there would be workdays this garden season. Jolene said that UW’s rules are stricter than Dane County at this time and we could have the solitary workday volunteers doing tasks like the weed wacking last year, but probably not more. It was agreed that we will have this item on the agenda every month as the situation is always changing.
New Registrar
Jolene said there are 7 applicants and all were given interviews, which will take place this week and next.
Adjourned at 7:45 by Jessica
Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee
