Each year the Petrified Forest National Park employs local youth to take part in the Youth Conservation Corps. The corps works on various projects in the park or in neighboring communities to improve the environment, restore areas or build spaces for community use. As part of the latter, youth got to work in their final week with the corps to build a community garden at the Holbrook Public Library. According to Sarah Herve, the NPS employee who manages the local corps, the objective is to create raised boxes that community members can rent for a nominal fee to grow a small personal garden. Included in the fee would be a grow space, soil and water. The hope is to create an opportunity for residents to come together, grow healthy foods and learn how to grow vegetables by utilizing the library as well as the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, which is located next door. Although the project was not completed by the corps members, interested residents can contact Skevington at the library if they are interested in donating time to complete the project or find out how to rent a grow space.
