This project began in February to establish a resilient Native Community Garden to remember our late manager, Tiffanie Woutilla. It has come a long way and we have since bought large, elevated garden beds, multiple pots, garden soil, and even $200 worth of native plant starts and seeds thanks to previous fundraising efforts and donations from those close to Tiffanie. We built the area up with donated clay and pallets over many weeks, and the site sits roughly 5 inches above where it began. Unfortunately, fall coastal flooding was much higher than anticipated and a King Tide quickly rose 12 inches above our new foundation. The flooding got into a majority of pots and drowned our in-ground plants. We suffered great losses in the number of species and individual plants found within our garden. We are seeking funding to help raise the area, so those who loved and lost Tiff don’t have to lose her memorial too.

The Crisfield and Smith Island Cultural Alliance, Inc. and the Smith Island Center develops and provides educational programs, historical collections and interpretive exhibits that help visitors and the general public understand the past and present way of life of Smith Island. The Alliance also supports research and preservation programs related to its mission.