As part of our Faces & Places series, we were lucky enough to hear from Patricia Algara: permaculture designer, avid beekeeper, and one of the driving forces behind our incredible community partner, With Honey in the Heart! Read our interview below to learn more about the impact of their important work across San Francisco.
“Bees need healthy habitats, especially in cities that are mostly monocultures. When you combine that with the drought we experienced in 2014, the City stopped irrigating turfs that weren’t used for recreation.
The inspiration was to create a habitat for bees in our urban San Francisco neighborhood. The idea sparked in 2014 and we planted the first median in 2015, and a second in 2016. But it wasn’t as simple as just planting and watering. Ultimately, we wanted to enliven unsightly dead turf and create drought tolerant habitats for our local pollinators.
The City was very much in support of the project, but also told us that we were on our own to make it happen. From community outreach to fundraising and human resources – we really had to lead the way.
Once we learned that we needed to fundraise, we engaged with SF Parks Alliance and became a fiscally sponsored group. SF Parks Alliance also informed us about grant opportunities, and helped us collect donations from community members and businesses who wanted to get more involved with our work. These community members and businesses were instrumental to our ultimate success.”
“The inspiration was to create a habitat for bees in our urban San Francisco neighborhood… But it wasn’t as simple as just planting and watering.”
“Now, volunteers hand water weekly, which includes carrying gallons and gallons of water from the apartment building across the street and picking up lots of trash. We wish we could do more, but the irrigation challenges limit us.
Since we began the project, we’ve removed the turf from two medians on Dolores Street between Market and 14th Street. Together, that totals about 5,000 square feet of turf!
We even did a bee count to see if it’s working, and we found 11 species of native bees that now use this space as their habitat. It’s truly amazing!
For those looking to get involved with our efforts, we encourage you to help us get irrigation and come out to volunteer!”