Mountain Roots Community Gardens Project

Project Type

Project Summary

The Mountain Roots Community Gardens Project aims to foster food security in the Gunnison Valley by increasing knowledge of, and access to, local food production and gardening opportunities by providing education, resources, and outreach to all community members.

Project Description

The Mountain Roots Community Gardens Project emerged in the spring of 2010 as a shared vision held by a small group of community members.  We quickly organized into a steering committee of dedicated volunteers who began defining a mission, goals, leadership roles and responsibilities, and activities for our first year. 

 Our mission is to increase knowledge of, and access to, local food production and gardening opportunities by providing education, resources, and outreach to all community members.  Our highest level goals are to:

·         Foster food security [1]  within the Gunnison Valley

·         Help create a community garden within walking distance of every neighborhood in Gunnison

·         Empower youth and promote cultural integration through horticultural education and experience

We aim to accommodate the needs of community members of all ages, financial means, cultural backgrounds, residency status, and abilities. 

 We have set into motion a series of activities and conversations to establish ourselves in the community and work towards our goals.  Highlights of our organization’s activities for our first season include:

·         Receiving fiscal sponsorship from the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley

·         Hosting a community potluck in the spring and a highly successful “100 Mile Feast and Film” fundraiser in the fall

·         Establishing positive working relationships with, and support from, local organizations that compliment our mission and goals, including:

o        Gunnison County Substance Abuse Prevention Program

o        “Partners” mentoring program

o        Juvenile Diversion

o        The local Colorado State University Extension service

·         Managing a community donation table at the Gunnison Farmer’s Market

·         Creating a scholarship fund supported by the Farmer’s Market donation table

·         Developing and co-hosting two week-long youth Garden Camps in collaboration with Gunnison’s Parks and Recreation Department

·         Planning the Youth Horticulture Program

·         Organizing a Project Food, Land and People training [2] (coming Spring 2011) open to all community members

·         Securing land for a Mountain Roots Demonstration Garden and building nine raised beds

·         Receiving support from the City of Gunnison’s Parks and Recreation Department, who has offered Mountain Roots several plots of city land on which to build community gardens

 We feel that our most significant outcome to date is being recognized and valued as a new resource for the community, and even beyond.  

As of February 2011, we are in the process of merging with a similar organization in Crested Butte, CO (25 miles to the north) called the Paradise Food Project.  The Paradise Food Project is also committed to fostering food security in the Gunnison Valley, and their means of doing so has been through urban farming and a Farm-to-School initiative.  We believe that the combined vision, passion, and talents that our two organizations bring to the table will result in a unified organization capable of systemic, community-wide change.

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