Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Bay Area Reporter - Friday, April 30, 1999
Cynthia Laird
A 10-foot coastal redwood tree will be planted in the knoll, and redwood seedlings will be offered to ceremony attendees to plant in their own yards, local parks, or along roadsides in memory of loved ones touched by AIDS. Following the late morning event, grove volunteers will distribute as many as 1,000 seedlings to commuters at the Castro Street Muni station and the Montgomery Street Muni and BART station from 4 to 6 p.m.
"While thousands of trees and plants have been planted in the grove over the last nine years of its development, this will be the first year we have remembered those who have passed by linking the grove with National Arbor Day," said Thom Weyand, executive director. "In addition, the grove wanted to bring attention to the need for nurturing our urban environment through the planting of trees. National Arbor Day is the perfect occasion to launch such an effort."
Expensive work needed
In a related matter, Weyand has announced a major new funding initiative, the Ensure Remembrance Campaign; proceeds will enable the grove to make much-needed landscaping and other required improvements. Plans for a permanent endowment are in the works as well, to pay for a gardener's salary and annual maintenance supplies, to further the grove's goal to become self-supporting.
"Our long-term goal is to raise $1.5 million to establish the endowment," Weyand stated. "So far, we've raised about $600,000, a wonderful start, but still far short of what we need." Donations are tax-deductible and can be made in any amount.
Another way of giving is for people to take advantage of the grove's pledge program; for $50 per month, people can join the Circle of Friends. With a gift of $1,000, a person's name will be permanently inscribed in the flagstone terrace at the grove's Dogwood Crescent.
The grove is in immediate need of improvements to correct a serious drainage problem and rebuild paths so that they meet federal and state codes for disability access. "If you've visited the grove lately, you may have noticed that the meadow has been flooding at times throughout the rainy season due to its low elevation," Weyand pointed out.
A large pump and drainage tank set in sand under the meadow are supposed to take care of the flooding. But after years of use, oily silt has built up on the sand, and overflow from the tank can't seep through the sand to the underground. The site needs to be excavated, Weyand explained, to clean up the silt, and work on the meadow's topsoil to break it up and enable it to drain properly. Several woodchip paths need to be resurfaced to make them more accessible to people in wheelchairs. Weyand said that while the city may chip in part of the funds for the expensive maintenance work, the grove is expected to have to pay approximately $60,000.
The grove was built entirely by private funding, and volunteers who participate in the popular monthly Saturday workdays help maintain the site by weeding and planting. Other donors have contributed financially over the years and Weyand thanked those who have helped create the first living memorial to those lost to AIDS and in support of people living with HIV/AIDS. The grove strives to provide a positive focus for grief and promote peace of heart, a means for the community to recognize the enormity of the AIDS crisis, a place for remembrance and renewal; and to restore through community participation and public-private partnership a historic site of beauty in Golden Gate Park.
Friends of the Urban Forest promotes a larger, healthier urban forest through community planning, maintenance, education, and advocacy.
For more information on the grove or to make a donation, call (415) 750-8340 or mail to: Ensure Remembrance Campaign, National AIDS Memorial Grove, 856 Stanyan Street, San Francisco, CA 94117-2752. The next Saturday workday at the grove is May 15.
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