Community volunteers with ARF’s new garden

Volunteers from many local groups gathered at the headquarters of Animal
Rescue Friends of Idyllwild (ARF) Friday, May 3, to help out with the
organization’s new Wind Chime Garden. The garden will be a place where
animal lovers can hang a wind chime as a memorial for departed pets, and
plaques will honor donors. ARF staff were joined by, among others,
members of the Idyllwild Garden Club and Idyllwild Arts Academy Artists
in Society Program (ASP) students.

Janice Murasko, ARF director of operations, has worked there nearly 13
years. Her duties include, in addition to looking after animals,
fundraising, grant writing and projects like the Chime Garden. “I’m in
charge of the dogs, and Terry Hardy, who’s my co-director, is in charge
of animal welfare — all the vets, spays and neuters, and the cats.”

Murasko noted that many of the donations that have made the Chime Garden
possible have come from those who have lost pets themselves. “People
have been coming in by the droves, giving us money and materials. A lot
of them start crying because they’ve lost pets and they’re so moved by
the whole thing. They can’t wait to put the wind chimes up.”

Local business folk also have stepped up, as have clubs: “Mountain Paws
ordered all these wind chimes for us. We’re paying her cost, so if
people want to purchase wind chimes they may, or they can bring in their
own. We will hang them, we have a safe and secure way to hang them so
that nothing happens to them.

“Jim at Forest Lumber is taking care of the trellis for us; another week
or two. Then the Garden Club is going to plant vines.” The vine-covered
trellis will shelter the garden from the road. “Jim donated all the
paint and brushes. Village Hardware donated the concrete and pier blocks
(supporting the Gazebo.) So gracious and wonderful. I’m very pleased.
Realtor Tim McTavish, of Sotheby’s, is paying for all the trellis work.”

Murasko pointed to a recently removed tree, courtesy of an employee of
one local tree service, and wood chips and fresh parking lot stripes
thanks to Pine Cove Water District.

Julie Roy, Idyllwild Garden Club president, is coordinator of Friday
Field Work, where ASP students leave the campus and come out and engage
in off-campus projects. “What’s beautiful is that we’ve given them an
exposure to transplanting plants, propagating … mulch and compost,
working at the Nature Center.”

The students that day were helping with general cleanup, but mostly
focused on starting a “rainbow bridge” mural to set the theme for the
garden. Erica Nathan, IAA’s Community Arts Liason program director, told
the Crier more about other ASP programs: “At St. Hugh’s, helping with
the garden and labyrinth, doing a three-part art project on the
1,000-year-old tree that is there, helping maintain trails at the Nature
Center and learning about “forest bathing,” teaching the students how,
as creative people, to experience nature so that nature is informing
them, so they have respect for the nature that they live in.” The
interdisciplinary program’s goal is to help students become “citizen
artists.”

Donors are still being sought to construct a small meditation deck in
the garden.

For more information, email [email protected].