Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association

Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association

Youth Mapping and Harvesting of Local Food Resources

The Jefferson Park Neighborhood has a new community youth (ages 14-18) work program, designed to teach the use computer mapping techniques for the purpose of mapping local food resources (fruit and nut trees and back yard gardens) in and around the neighborhood. The youth will learn the basics of mapping, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite images as well as fruit tree maintenance, food production, and social science tools for collecting data. They will develop and deliver questionnaires to neighbors to create a database of information for food exchange activities and to produce a map of locally grown food resources. Information gathered will include: location of fruit trees, type of produce, harvest times, street address, and latitude/longitude coordinates. The youth will then glean and harvest whatever the neighbors donate and during Jan.-Mar. set up Saturday farm-style markets where the produce can be picked up or exchanged. The project is funded through Tucson’s Department of Neighborhood Resources and we will be working with Tucson Urban Gardens (TUG), Tucson Clean Beautiful, The Universities’ Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, and Tucson Community Technology Education Network among others on this project. We hope to use Jefferson Park as a prototype for more neighborhoods in Tucson.

Here is how you can participate and help as neighbors

· Know youths that might be interested? Pick up flyers for youth that live near by that may be interested in participating in this program.
· Youth will be walking in the area recording tree locations, learning to read maps, interpret satellite images, and talking to and interviewing neighbors. We plan to have caps or T-shirts donated to easily identify the JPNA youth work group. Don’t hesitate to talk to the youth and find out what they are learning.
· Contribute extra produce or other locally grown fruits or vegetables. Let us know if you are interested in receiving or donating. Be put on the food map!
· We need your green recycling bins! When you get your blue barrel and want to unload your green recycling bins you can drop them off at 1406 E. Grant for RE-Use (clean of course) in harvesting and temporary storage of the produce.
· Tell your colleagues, neighbors, and friends who live near by that may want to participate. Also please let us know about elderly or special needs neighbors that may want to participate.
· Donations of other kinds. We have a small budget for supplies but would gladly accept donations of equipment needs we have that you could donate such as fruit pickers, hand clippers, clipboards, and juicers.

Email for more details, questions, or concerns.

Email us
eiswerth@cox.net