Lompoc Resilience Gardens
Photo by Abe Powell
Late in 2021 LegacyWorks Group began connecting with local groups in the Lompoc community to understand challenges, needs, strengths and opportunities. We quickly learned that one of those strengths is Collective Cultures Creating Change (C4 Lompoc). C4 Lompoc is a grassroots coalition that is committed to raising awareness surrounding marginalized populations, challenging inequities, and creating collective efforts for systemic change. Yasmin Dawson, one of C4’s Co-Founders (along with Cozetta Blow) shared a dream to have a community garden to provide an opportunity for community members to learn about how to grow and use fresh fruits and vegetables. LegacyWorks saw this as an opportunity to get engaged in the community by partnering on an emerging need in Lompoc to build trust, community capacity and momentum.
With the help of a Lockheed Martin grant, LegacyWorks has helped C4 Lompoc and Yasmin begin to realize her dream. Over the last year, the project team has been making connections with project partners and searching for a site, hoping to convert a blighted vacant lot into a garden. After searching long and hard, Yasmin connected with Pastor Mary Jo Bradshaw of First Christian Church and the Church agreed to enter into partnership with C4 Lompoc and host the garden on a vacant lot adjacent to its parking lot. A few volunteers helped prepare the site by removing dry flammable brush, flattening the ground, and sourcing topsoil and mulch. Then on December 9th, 2023, C4 Lompoc began the first stage of the community resilience garden by installing a drought tolerant native plant garden with the help of numerous volunteers from nearby neighborhoods. Because managing volunteers with tools can be a challenge, LegacyWorks and C4 reached out to Abe Powell of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade who helped us all get organized with leadership and an operational plan and process for planting over 120 native plants with community members.
Denise Knapp laying out the native plants to be welcomed into their new home. Photo by Ellen Kwiatkowski
Native plants being her speciality, Denise Knapp, born and raised in Lompoc and Director of Conservation and Research at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, agreed to help us with the selection of native plants. Denise went even further and created a whole garden design using feedback from Yasmin and Cozy on what they were envisioning. She thoughtfully curated a list of plants that will help bring beneficial insects and pollinators to the garden to pollinate the different crops and help keep pests away. Many native plants are also wildfire resistant and landscaping with them can help defend your home during a wildfire (see this Good Morning America video for a demonstration).
On a beautiful Saturday morning, the plants were welcomed to their new home with love and care and plenty of water and C4 hosted a block party to celebrate. Local volunteers will care for the garden by weeding and watering regularly. C4 and LegacyWorks recently secured more funding from Lockheed Martin and next steps include installing raised garden beds and a perimeter fence in 2024.
Since starting this project, LegacyWorks and C4 Lompoc have deepened their partnership in Lompoc and recently launched the Self Healing Communities Project.