CA Fires

Hi Dave and all...

I don't really know how to go about doing this, so I'm hoping you can give me some guidance. I realize that with so much devastation, plants are the last thing that people in the California fires are going to be thinking about. But eventually, when they can get back into their homes and get things back to fairly normal, they will realize that they have lost a lot of garden beauty not just from the fires, but from the ash and smoke.

Is there a way that we can set up a collection/distribution center through DG to allow for us all to send seeds/plants etc. to help them get their gardens going again? I know from past experince, that grass seed will be spread by volunteers throughout the uninhabited areas, but peoples gardens won't be included in that. Ideas anyone?

I've got a few Glad bulbs, Canna lily, and Caladium that I can put in the kitty. Think those guys would love to be traveling to So CA rather than parking in my upstairs bedroom for the winter.

Thanks Hyblaean! Hopefully someone will be on here eventually to help us figure this out.

What a Wonderful idea! I know there must be many DG'ers from Southern Cal who are probably being affected by those wildfires! Will be waiting and watching to see what we can all do to help!

Thanks for the support Lin!

Great forward thinking!

I've just been there. In 1970 there were terrible fires that wiped out all the grass and trees around Julian and Ramona....My High School was one of several that helped replant the area, but we couldn't get to all of it, and the mudslides the following winter were terrible in their own right. The replanting is not just for esthetics...but to hopefully prevent further damage. We in DG are gardeners and gardener wantabe's....this is right up our alley, and I think so many of us want to do SOMETHING to help, but just don't know what or how. Maybe this will be a way.

After Katrina many people shared plants seeds and time with people devastated by the storm and floods. Just need time to know what they need and where. We really need to set up some sort of buddy or checkin system on this site. Don't like worrying!

I would be more than ready to help in some way. Just give me guidance.

LouC

i know i will have something so count me in.

Sending my thoughts and prayers your way California! I'm as close as a Dmail if I can help. I'm happy to share whatever I have with anyone that needs it.

Janet

Maybe someone in admin can explain this to me. I'm in a dilema. I understand, and for the most part agree with the "no discussion of current events" taboo. But do things like this fire situation, and the hurricanes earlier this year qualify under that interdiction? We are just concerned for our friends in harm's way, and trying to figure out how to help. Anyone know the answer to this?

I certainly hope it doesn't mean current events like Hurricanes, Wildfires, Tornado's and disasters that affect our family, friends and neighbors.

I figured current events not to be discussed were anything regarding the war and unrest in the world or political stuff going on. Hopefully someone from Admin will stop in and let us know for sure.

HI:, when Hurricane Katrina and Rita hit, DG created separate forum..for people to check in, post what was going on, folks volunteering to send plants, needed items, help in moving horses etc. I was Majorly impressed how we banded together!!
If you check on the main page, Hurricane Katrina is in the lower right quadrant.
I think we can check in with Dave. I don't know where folks are living, but hope they start checking in.

It would be Wonderful if Dave could add a Wildfire Victims forum for all of our gardening friends in California! Just like the disaster of hurricanes and tornado's ... recovery from those horrendous fires will take a long time! When folks are back to the point where they have rebuilt their homes, we could help them rebuild their gardens!

Thanks to Shari for her kindness and thoughts to getting something like this started!

I wonder though if Dave or anyone in Admin. will see this thread. Might have to d-mail him! With all the work they have on a day to day basis they might not even see this.

,,,Or rather than individual forums for each "disaster", perhaps one forum to cover them all as they occur. Like a "Natural Disasters" or "Helping Hands" forum.

Love the idea of a "Helping Hands" forum!

I would think there is a great difference between "current events" and a disaster where many of our DG friends are directly affected. At least thats what I think.

Helping Hands is a nice idea!

One note: Anyone who knows me from other forums knows that I am a big CA native plant advocate. One of the things learned in the past is that seeding the hills with such things as rye grass DOES NOT HELP after a fire. Yes, it grows fast. But it prevents the natives from moving in to recolonize the soil. Also, it will sometimes encourage mud slides because it does not knit the hills with a network of soil activity as natives do. Native plants work together and if something disturbs their ecology, it throws everything out of balance. I'm going to start checking with the CA Native Plant Society and some other sources to see what is the best way to help in that regard. Perhaps this is a good place to post anything I learn.

My point has nothing to do with personal gardens, though. I'm talking about the wild spaces.

Kathleen

Too bad the timber companies (not so much of a problem in So Cal) don't take that into consideration. All they seem to want to plant are mono-forests, just like cornfields, rather than the diverse species nature has intended.

I totally agree with you regarding native plants. I think Shari was discussing DG'ers helping folks in California replant their home gardens, but any info you find regarding native plants to that region would certainly give us some suggestions on plant material. I'm sure we could supply annuals and perennials and possibly some plants that are native to Southern California.

Living in Florida for 40 years we've heard about and seen so many invasives take over the native plant landscape. Same goes with some animals too! Pythons and Monitor LIzards etc. Anyone who's ever been in the South and seen Kudzu as beautiful as it is, it has taken over the Southeast!

see this excellent site in the fire region for information about the best plants for the area...
http://www.laspilitas.com/
(I was worried about them!)

I have sent a d-mail to Dave asking him to look at this thread...I'm sure when he gets a chance he will let us know how best to go about this.

4paws thanks for the great link...Kathleen is right...the wrong plants can be worse than doing nothing...but as Lin mentioned I was thinking more about private gardens. There are many agencies that take the wild areas to heart after a fire...and for much of California's wilderness areas, fire is part of the life cycle...but our DG friends who lose gardens are going to have a tough enough time replacing the other things that they will have lost, and gardens are not going to be a priority in the budget...that's where we can be of help.

For those who are interested in the subject:

http://www.cnpssd.org/fire/index.html
http://www.treeoflifenursery.com/main/information/wildfires.html

Kap,

The Tree of Life Nursery is especially encouraging. Thank you for the link. There has been much wailing over the loss of the rain forests. They have recovered very quickly and more beautiful than ever before. The Lord works in mysterious ways His wonders to bestow.

Never would He harm one of His own children. If one asks for bread would he give him a stone. I pray that this terror comes to an end very soon.

God bless each of you.

LouC

A "helping hands" forum would be fantastic! Count me in! We have a very large family here with friends all over the world and I would like to be able to step in when needed. Not just for this specific event but whenever something happens. I really don't want to just give a generic donation to a charity that probably won't end up helping anyone but the charity itself. I am not very good at organizing but more of a foot soldier type that gets in there once the specific need has been identified. Could we have the main forum and then a specific thread (katrina or california fires for example) or continuation of that thread whenever something occurs? That way someone could post and be answered with something specific that would be what is actually needed.

I don't have a suggestion but it is obvious that all the money that was given for the Katrina victims didn't make it to the people who needed it. Lots and lots of grafft. Always the case where cash is involved.

Yep. After our last fire I donated clothing and household goods to a friend of a friend whose family was burned out. Red Cross got a check, too, but I prefer to give directly to people in need when I can.

Wcgypsy lives in one of the hard hit areas (Fallbrook). Perhaps she will have some ideas (when she gets home!) how DG might be able to help. There are a few other members we can ask, too. I haven't heard of any DGers who were burned out, thankfully.

After Katrina ....and not being able to contact some of our DG people...we started a volunteer thing that we sent our friend/relative's contact numbers to one person. Then in case of an emergency she would know how to reach us.

I think that each regional forum could appoint one trustworthy person to act as the "keeper of emergency numbers" for the ones in their region. Just a thought. Jo

The natural disaster threads are fine - as long as everyone agrees to keep a lid on their political views (which can sometimes become a distinct aspect to the disaster itself.) Looking for ways to help each other, or finding ways for affected DGers to check in are definitely productive and beneficial threads.

Thanks Terry! Good to know. Any ideas on how best to accomplish what we are attempting here?

Terry, I think that's why a Helping Hands Forum would be good. With a reminder statement at the top like those on other forums. It would be a central place and when there is a natural disaster people would know where to go.

Are there any reasons why this is not a good idea? I'm not being snarky - sometimes I just don't think of the contrary reasons right off the bat, but when they are pointed out to me can see the wisdom! :-)

Terry, I need to add that it's political and religious views that can be controversial, which won't be a popular observation, but I'm offended by the constant assumption we all believe the same. We all want to help and support, but the Christian quotes are upsetting enough to me that I don't even want to read the thread to see what I can do, and I'm certainly standing by ready.


I also know I'll be attacked for stating that, but it's not a prayer forum, or I'd not be here.

It is so easy to get into political and religious discussions on any thread on the forums. It makes perfect sense that Administration does not allow it to happen. I know things can get out of hand very quickly when folks start debating and talking about those two subjects. I know after disasters, blame begins to get thrown about and the political topics come up. We would all have to monitor closely what we say and try to keep a "Helping Hands" forum, just that - Helping Hands ... and only discuss ways to benefit victims of such disasters.

Hi, with Katrina, I was able to direct goods and plants to folks (or plants to be babysat with other gardeners until folks got stuff under control enough.
I kept my other contributions to other agencies separate.
Agree (have seen it happen) to easy to get upset at tragedies and get onto a bad roll.
Need to stick together.
Will check 4paws list...WI has started frosty nights,, but with such a Beautiful moon!

GORGEOUS, delightful, gift of a moon!
list?

Could we have the main forum and then a specific thread (katrina or california fires for example) or continuation of that thread whenever something occurs? That way someone could post and be answered with something specific that would be what is actually needed.

Do we have any HAM Radio operators that are members here?

Would be nice to have a forum called "Helping Hands" that had sub headings of "Katrina", "Wildfires", "Tornado's" etc. .... or something like that. Then folks could click on which folder they wanted and the disaster they were supporting at the time.

I don't know, Dyson... but what sort of thing do you have in mind for HAM radio folks to do?

I like the idea of a "Helping Hands" type forum, but maybe it needs a different name... "Relief Efforts" or something along those lines. I'm not trying to be cynical, but I think a forum called "Helping Hands" would draw a lot of posts along the lines of "lost job, need help" and "we're about to lose our house"... There are a lot of generous, wonderful people on DG, and I don't want to see a forum where their generosity could be abused by scam artists. I'm not saying that we shouldn't reach out a helping hand to other DGers apart from natural disaster situations, I'm just saying that those efforts should probably remain limited to Dmail and other more private exchanges.

I just had a thought, don't know how feasible it is, about finding a way to do garden donations that aren't direct donations of seeds and plants... If there are nurseries near the devastated areas that have been unaffected, it seems like there might be a way to partner DG donors with local nursery owners with DGers who have lost their gardens...

I know a nursery owner can't just come forward and offer to supply plants for this sort of effort, because that probably violates the AUP about self promotion. Even if they offered to supply plants at reduced prices or at cost, that offer would probably have to be administered by a third party (like the way co-ops are run).

Just thinking out loud here... I don't have any really definite ideas, just a desire to see "something" happen. :-)

When the immediate crisis is over, hopefully DGers in the area will have creative ideas for how the rest of us can help out.