All The Cool Neighborhoods Have Them

If you've been living under a rock for the past year, or you studiously avoid any mention of Detroit in your reading, you might not know that community gardens have been "sprouting" (forgive me, I can't resist it) almost as fast as hipsters around town. Companion planting in action?

According to the Garden Resource Program Collaborative, there are now more than 875 community gardens in the city.


They look a little different in each neighborhood, but they function as literal and figurative village greens for their surrounding blocks. People get to know each other over a shovel, gather for picnics and barbecues, and rebuild ties that used to be the norm in neighborhoods. In Woodbridge, with its abundance of artists and creative minds, the garden has an element of open-air gallery and sculpture garden.

...aftermath of Halloween festivities in the garden

There actually ARE a few good grocery stores in Detroit, in spite of what some lame-o media lemmings write. However, it is true that many Detroiters lack cars and therefore lack easy access to fresh, inexpensive food.

...late bloomers with grand old homes of Woodbridge in the background....

Wherever you live, imagine that you can only buy your food at the closest 7-11, or from the gas station mini-mart....and you have to walk, ride your bike, or take the bus there....with your two small children in tow. That's the option and pricing that many Detroiters live with.

If you want to read more about people trying to fix this, check out these sites:
The Garden Resource Program - an umbrella organization for many of the area's urban agriculture resources and gardens
Earthworks Urban Farm - founded by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, this is one of the earliest (1997) and most established programs in Detroit's urban ag world
Georgia Street Community Collective Garden - with a tag line of "one house, one block, one neighborhood at a time", GSCC is a testament to one man's ability to change and grow his corner of Detroit. Mark Covington rocks.
Detroit Black Community Food Security Network -coordinating urban ag efforts in Detroit's black community, helping develop city food policy, and co-operative buying

A Little Nature Zoo With Big Ideas

Conservation, natural history, ecology. On one hand, it seems like a ferocious uphill battle to interest children of the internet in these concepts. On the other hand, what child wouldn't be fascinated by close-up views of giant spiders, snakes, turtles, frogs, birds, bees, and other exotic (to city kids) creatures? Especially for Halloween.

I visited the Belle Isle Nature Zoo at the end of a day it had hosted hundreds of kids for its annual "Boo at the Nature Zoo" event. The parking lot was still full. Smiling and laughing costumed children were followed by happy parents. You could tell it was a successful day by the general air of bonhomie.

Door greeter and a selection of the many creatures inside...

the indoor bird watching area.....bird watching can be a serious sport on Belle Isle. If you doubt me, read here.

Bees making honey...

The Nature Zoo started with a few strikes against it when it opened in 2005. Many Detroiters remember feeding free-roaming deer on the island as kids, and weren't especially excited about seeing the remains of the herd in their enclosed home. Also, the Nature Zoo was built as a pet project of Kwame Kilpatrick to funnel money to his friends, after he closed down the much larger and more elaborate Children's Zoo on the island.

On the way to where the deer live...

An outdoor classroom....

The main attraction....kids can feed them at 11, 1, and 3 o'clock.

However, nowadays the Nature Zoo is run by the Detroit Zoo. Its checkered history isn't their fault, and they seem to be doing a great job of running an interesting, fun, FREE attraction 362 days a year. 

The focus is on plants and animals native to Michigan, with a dose of environmentalism.

Kid-friendly model of how a watershed works...

The lobby has an inviting stone fireplace...(complete with kid playing on his portable video game... oh, snap. Maybe he is working on a class project.) This little nature zoo would be a cheery, cozy retreat when it is cold and snowy outside. Remember this in January..open 362 days a year 10-5.

The outdoor exhibits and nature trail were the highlights for me, especially in the golden glow of a late autumn afternoon. There are demonstration gardens in several flavors - rain, butterfly, native plantings, etc.

The Friends of Belle Isle offer regular Saturday morning outings most of the year to fight off the unwanted invaders, including this coming November 13th...

With or without kids in tow, this little nature zoo has many enchanting nooks and crannies to explore. I look forward to visiting again after the snow falls.