rondell pooler, one of the three community garden specialists of the department of parks and recreation (dpr) in washington, d.c., helps oversee lederer gardens, one of the 50 dpr community gardens in the district.

i toured lederer gardens in the middle of his weekday, which, at this cold time of year, is not too busy. pooler and the other garden specialists plan for the coming planting season, including waiting for the supply list and germinating seeds.

as they wait for wintertime to end, pooler witnesses the effect of climate change on the bee population as they decrease from fluctuations in temperature that confuse the bees as they search for nectar.

he also waits to hear back from a professional development agricultural program funded by the us government that might end due to the recent rollbacks in federal funding. in the meantime, pooler looks forward to working outside again in the spring and enjoys talking with students and visitors about his farm-to-table philosophy tied to strong family and community values. 

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