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| Photo: Courtesy of Jefferson County Sheriff |
It was Thursday, October 8, 10:30 a.m. when I heard about the Courage Garden fire. I am a master gardener at CSU Extension Office of Jefferson County.
The garden has been in existence for 27 years and is dedicated to the innocent victims of crime, past, present, and future. In 1994, Vista Exline, who was the Executive Director of Victim Outreach, had a vision of a place for solace and reflection for victims and deceased employees of Jefferson County. She retired this year after working 33 years with victims of crime. Every year in April, Victim Service Providers host a Courage Walk for victims of crime. This time, the garden itself was a victim of crime. The initial statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff was that this was arson.
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| Photo: Courtesy of Victim Services |
As you can see from the pictures of the garden, the gazebo is a total loss, and some of the plants and trees around it were heavily singed by fire. But thanks to the quick spotting by a young couple and an even quicker response by fire fighters, the losses are confined to the gazebo area only. The pond area, children's garden, xeric demonstration beds - all things across the sidewalk from the gazebo area and outside of a 30-40 foot radius of the Gazebo area remain in good condition.
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| Photo: Bernadette Costa |
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| Photo: Bernadette Costa |
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| Photo: Bernadette Costa |
My fellow Master Gardener, Loretta Simms, has spent hundreds, perhaps thousands of countless hours working in the Courage Garden with other Master Gardeners. We, as Master Gardeners, have been the caretakers of the garden and play an integral part in the care of the pond, trees, shrubs and plants until those it was made for come by, to reflect and find comfort.
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| Photo: Bernadette Costa |
Many decisions will need to be made going forward that Master Gardeners will not be part of, but that we will be able to respond to come next Spring when restoration planting will most likely begin. Once the clearing of the fire debris has occurred, (this will not be done by us for obvious safety reasons) we – Master Gardeners - will be able to access the light in an area that had heavy shade before so, the planting material will be different as well. One or two of the trees immediately adjacent to the gazebo will not be able to be saved. Several others are questionable and must be pronounced by the foresters as we would not want them to become hazard trees. And, yes, these were trees planted by families in honor of loved ones.
The gazebo or some other structure will be built, the plants, trees, and in some capacity, the Courage Garden will flourish again. It will again celebrate the wonder of the human spirit, the courage of those who reclaim their lives and move beyond victimization and hope for a safe and healthy future.
If you have never seen the garden, please take the time to visit.
Additional information about the Courage Garden: CourageGarden
