Read previous stories about Friends of the Well and Montezuma Well National Monument.

First Bloom Project

First Bloom is a simple idea. The National Park Foundation works with youth groups to bring children – particularly urban kids – to nearby national parks, where park rangers teach them about plants native to the area. Then the kids dig in, nurturing the natural habitats and designing gardens to show off the park landscape and beautify their neighborhoods. Through hands-on immersion into the science of native plants and habitat restoration, First Bloom helps kids connect in new ways to their environment and develop an early passion for conservation.

Here at the Well, the First Bloom project is being managed by the Park's Resource Specialist, Deb Decovis. Deb will be working with two sets of 4th-6th grade children. The first group of kids if from the Prescott Boys and Girls Club and the second group from the Yavapai/Apache Nation here in the Verde Valley.

The kids will be working on a Pollinator Garden of native plants in the field next to the Picnic Grounds. This garden is part of the Montezuma Well Riparian Restoration Project, which is being funded by a grant awarded by the state's Water Resources Fund in 2007. This grant will also fund Sinaguan and Pioneer demonstration gardens, and restore the 27 acres of field west of the Picnic Grounds to its original grassland habitat.

We'll add pictures and stories as this project blooms!
More info on the National Park Foundation First Bloom program.