Putting down roots in Otis
Wildfire recovery blooms thanks to Landscaping with Love
By Sabine Wilson
For the TODAY
After a particularly trying year involving a global pandemic and devastating fires that burned through 2,500 acres, our community has done an exceptional job putting the pieces back together to rebuild.
With the “Up from the Ashes” exhibit on display at the Lincoln City Cultural Center that honors fire survivors’ stories, to the Salmon River Grange which, along with Church of Nazarene in Lincoln City, remains one of two main wildfire relief distribution hubs, resilience has transcended devastation into revival.
As the demands of fire survivors shifted from tents and camp stoves to new sets of towels and dishes once people finally had a place to call home, volunteer dawn villaescusa began to notice the needs evolve again to something more situated.
“A couple months ago, people started asking, ‘Are there going to be trees? Will there be seedlings? Is there anything we can plant?’ villaescusa said. “So I put out some feelers asking if anybody was providing a service like that and I got silence. So I told myself, ‘Okay, let’s do something.’”
Put together by the determination of an army of well-intentioned and motivated individuals, “Landscaping with Love” was born, dedicated to getting local fire survivors’ yards replanted.
“We joined forces with the Cascade Relief Team and have been collecting plants and tools and have gotten a whole bunch of volunteers,” villaescusa said. “Some of the seedlings were even started and donated by the St. James Santiago students.”
Otis community member Adrienne DuRette offered her property and gardening mastery to the cause.
“Adrienne told us that she had a greenhouse that was only partially destroyed and that we could use her property as a staging area,” villaescusa said. “She is not only letting us use her property, but she is also our caretaker.”
From there, a volunteer team put up new plastic to replace what had been melted in the fire, added doors and roofing, installed the floor and put in a couple replacement beams. Then a few more volunteers added a potting bench.
villaescusa, the founder and coordinator of Landscaping with Love, organizes the various aspects that go into a huge project like this. She has the whole program dialed in, with color-coordinated maps of who needs landscaping and where they are, in addition to coordinating sponsors and volunteers.
But of course, it takes a village. And villaescusa, who has a self-proclaimed “brown thumb,” leaves the landscaping to her team.
“We have a team made up of eight ladies who work with us, a couple of landscapers, master gardeners like Adrienne, and many more sponsors and volunteers,” she said. “We absolutely could not do it without them.”
The project has accumulated donations like garden tools, compost, woodchips, rhododendrons, fruit trees, flowering red currants, alder and hemlock trees, lawn seed — someone even dug up their own trees and donated them. The organization also facilitates a tool library for anyone who needs to borrow garden tools.
“One thing I’m finding is that people are so eager to get some color back in their life,” villaescusa said. “Because even if they get their house, they’re surrounded by dirt and mud and there’s no privacy because the trees and shrubs that provided that are gone.”
The website, landscapingwithlove.org, has all the information you might need: for fire survivors in need of their services or for donation forms for those who wish to donate money, tools or time.
“Our system so far is to have people sign up and have them tell us what they are needing,” villaescusa said. “We have about 80 people signed up so far and are hoping for the word to spread even farther. There are a lot of people starting with a blank slate.”
For those looking for a way to tangibly give back, one of Landscaping with Love’s most essential requests is for volunteers.
“One thing that we really need is bodies. We need volunteers willing to come out on work days to rake, water or plant. No experience needed.”
As the goal to bring color back to as many properties as possible grows, the volunteers are doing everything they can to ensure the landscaping is done mindfully and safely.
“We set out a time to go and walk as many properties as we can of the people who signed up in order to figure out who is ready to have work done,” villaescusa said. “We then have landscaping and gardening experts go out to answer any questions they may have about what they can and cannot grow.”
While the project is anticipated to operate for at least a couple years, volunteers remain determined to fulfill their mission to get local fire survivors’ yards replanted.
“It is exciting and rewarding, like we’re turning the corner a little bit as we replant, rebuild, and regrow,” villaescusa said.
People in need of donations or who would like to donate can go to the Salmon River Grange at 5371 Hwy. 18, just east of the Rose Lodge. It is open seven days a week from noon to 3 pm. Text 541-961-5706 if another time is needed. For more information, go to landscapingwithlove.org or the Landscaping with Love Facebook page.