Open Space Coordinator Brings Experience,

Education and Energy

             Jeremy Lewis is the new Open Space Coordinator with the Bernalillo Parks & Recreation.  He will help with the many planned events at the Gutierrez-Hubbell House as well as all the other County’s  open space projects. 

             He help with the Demonstration Garden Workshops and worked on the Heritage Orchards planting new fruit trees.

             Jeremy grew up in Rockport, Mass. He completed his studies at UMASS then served 2 years with the U.S. Peace Corps in Cameroon, Africa.  In West Africa he helped develop  a sustainable agriculture training center, promotes the reforestation of native trees and served the local communities as an agro-Forestry extension agent.  Back in the U.S. Jeremy volunteered, through AmeriCorps, with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos.  He continued with the Youth Corps as staff to connect positive youth development with conservation and environmental projects.  During this time Jeremy met his wife at a Taos County Economic Development Corporation Meeting for the community garden.  In 2004 Jeremy and his wife moved to Albuquerque to attend UNM.  While attending graduate school for Community & Regional Planning, Jeremy worked as a coordinator for the UNM Service Corps to promote literacy and urban gardening throughout a number of Albuquerque communities.  His family is now busy raising a one-year old boy who loves to eat the food they grow!

Lawrence Lane, Ryan and Carol Chapman and Irene Kersting. Also, it is worth mentioning the use of a donated backhoe to trench out our garden pipe needs from Joseph Bizzell of Bizzell Electric. The demonstration garden is headed by Eric Garretson, President of the Downtown Growers Market. The gardens will include 8 Anasazi sunken beds, and capture water by using natural methods both traditional and through Anasazi agricultural practices. We will also install a modern high tech drip emitter system known for their reliability and efficiency. In addition, will plant 15 fruit and walnut trees from Tulley’s

(Continued from Demo Garden page 1)

of our board members and their families who participated during our monthly scheduled work days. We would also like to extend special thanks and gratitude to BCPR who without their help this would not have been possible: Clay Campbell, Chip Berglund, BJ Lucero, Mark Lopez, and Ed Chismar. We would also like to welcome a new member of BCPR, Jeremy Lewis who has a strong background in sustainability.

The demonstration gardens have proceeded nicely. We have completed 8 raised beds. The work was done with the help of CCP workers, Lorenzo Hubbell,

Tree Farm throughout the property and expand our existing Heirloom Orchard. Eric Garretson held a workshop on October 26th and 27th which had a included students from Our Lady of Assumption Parish, UNM Biology Department, Also special thanks to Mayor Martin Chavez and his staff for providing several people on the October 26 and 27th Mayor’s Volunteer Day! We also had  several Pajarito residents participate in the workshop. The demonstration gardens will feature a winter vegetable garden a very unique and interesting approach in promoting sustainability and year round farming.

The Agriculture Committee is also working with schools through the Public and Private Ecowiser Teacher Grants.  These grants are for ecological education targeted at New Mexico students. Information is available at www.ecowiser.com.

We anticipate in  2008, series of agriculture speakers and educators on a variety of topics. This program will be chaired by Maureen Murphy with the USDA who has volunteered her time to increase environmental awareness and sustainability, by providing a consistent lecture series on the property. 

We anticipate the expansion of our vineyard and the enhancements of the property to include hornos, general landscaping, a barn, a slight shift from alfalfa to a vegetable crop along with an ecologically sound bio-habitat.

All this is not possible without you! This is a great time to become involved in the project and be a part of history. If you would like to learn more, and refine our vision of the Gutierrez-Hubbell farm, please give Lorenzo Hubbell a call at 710-2703.

2008 will be an exciting year to be apart of the Gutierrez-Hubbell House Farm!