Patricia Algara, principal and co-founder of BASE Landscape Architecture, is dedicated to creating designs and sharing knowledge to foster a resilient future. She co-published the Pollinator Patch and Garden Manual for English and Spanish speakers to illustrate the processes, challenges and benefits of creating environmental and social resilience in the urban and suburban setting to help address the disappearance of pollinators.
In the manual, the case study of Dolores Pollinator Blvd. explains how to set up pollinator, plant, soil, and social metrics for pollinator patches and gardens, to assess the impact as well as ways in which future medians could be adapted to achieve greater impacts.
Here are some of her recommended resources:
The Secret Life of Plants – “I read this book while in graduate school and it really shifted my understanding of plants as sentient beings. I have since then considered them my friends and teachers.”
Shamanic Way of the Bee – “I got this book around the time that bees came into my life (2010?) and it opened up a whole new perspective. It helped me land some personal experiences and it gave me a new vocabulary.”
Song of Increase – “Another bee book that I love, this one is about learning to understand the sounds of the hive and how they communicate the different vibrations. As my relationship with bees has deepened, this book was a good reminder to sit and listen.”
Patricia takes pride working with communities to recognize and celebrate the natural richness that already exists in their spaces. In BASE’s award-winning project – Felton Library Nature Discovery Park in Santa Cruz County, riparian restoration, educational nature play, and an interpretive loop trail are woven together to create a captivating community greenspace in San Lorenzo River watershed.
Demonstration riparian pollinator gardens paired with education signage serves to inspire and teach visitors of the importance of the natural world around them. A local artist was engaged to develop informational signage, which included: The Riparian Zone, A Vital Refuge, The Web of Life, Pollination and How It Works, Restoring Fires Natural Role, What Makes a Healthy Creek, Your Watershed, Your Water.
BASE is a Woman & Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (WMBE) and a Local Business Enterprise (LBE) in San Francisco, with another office in Portland, Oregon. We have a diverse team and a strong commitment to providing mentorship and internship opportunities, as well as empowering young women into leadership.
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