When Corny Foster first visited Alcatraz on a tour 12 years ago, she was captivated by all the color of what she’d previously assumed to be a very dark, very gray little island. "The gardens had escaped their garden beds starting in [1963]," she says, walking through a lush area of stone and plant life that coexist together perfectly. "Green [was] hanging, ivy [was] everywhere — and here were people weeding away."
A week after she left her comfortable job at a bank? Foster was climbing back onto that ferry, ready to embark on the next adventure in her life: Volunteering as an Alcatraz Historic Gardens representative. Now 64 years old, she dedicates all her time both to educating people on the history of the island, as well as tending to the life that still springs up from its soil.
"The story of Alcatraz today is not just the story of the people history, it's the story of the plant and the animal history — everybody making a home!"
Gardening can be an extremely therapeutic pastime for many people, and also, a resourceful one! The Growing Warriors program even provides veterans with the means of cultivating their own produce, which is an amazing initiative. There’s also this one-of-a-kind bee house, which both beautifies your garden and helps save their species.
As far as retirement plans go? I think Foster came up with one of the most creative — and rewarding — ideas so far!
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The Regulars- Alcatraz's Gardener from San Francisco Chronicle on Vimeo.
