Today was our first Indigenous Youth Farmers workshop! We learned how to make natural dyes, and we harvested plant relatives from around the farm to test different pigments. We learned that banana flower actually creates a light purple, which then color changes into a beautiful blue! Blue is one of the more rare pigments to find in nature, so this is very exciting.

We painted some dried okra with clay pigments, and we learned how to make cordage (rope) from banana stems.

Throughout the program, we’re hoping to keep learning about the abundance all around us at the farm and beyond. This is where hope lives.

Thank you to Dr. Tammy Greer for teaching us so much today about how nature provides and how important it is to keep growing our plants so that we can grow our culture, our colors, our medicine, and our futures.

* The last pic is a special “welcome bag” we put together for the youth participants today to help prepare them for their farm work days and for the rest of hurricane season. 💚🪶🌱🎨

DISTRO TOMORROW, SAT 8/15, 9-11AM
Sandbags (Limit 12 per vehicle)
Seed Library Packets
Can Openers
2026 New Orleans Community Resource Guide
“What to Do When the News Scares You” by Jacqueline B. Toner, PhD

AND Hurricane Kits, containing:
Waterproof Folder w/ list of documents to protect
Waterproof Boot Covers
Whistle/Flashlight/Glow Stick Combo
Natural Bug Repellent
N95 Mask
Cooling Gel Neck Bandana
Hurricane Prep Checklist
Hurricane Hub Information w/ resources for queer, trans, immigrant, and disabled folks

2718 PAINTERS STREET
@THEIMAGINATIONFARM
w/ @weareglassroots a @glasshalffull.co partner

ABOUT THE BOOK: Published by the American Psychological Association, this book offers a way to help children put scary events into perspective and help them calm down and cope. It includes calming techniques, how to talk about scary things, how to know the difference between important news vs. news for clicks, and how to make a plan for scary things. By the end of the book, your kiddo will be a “Finder of Real Facts”.

Scroll through for some of our favorite excerpts from the book!

🐰 Fundraiser/Voting Update: Introducing Jacques HUYA Potat, rescue rabbit! 🐰

Y’all voted and it was such a close tie between the two names, we combined them ☺️ We’re delighted to have such a fitting name for this lil’ potato on our lil’ Creole Indigenous farm. And we are indeed filled with gratitude (aka “huya” translated from Chitimacha) here often.

Thanks to all who voted and donated, he’s getting a vet checkup tomorrow! We’ll make sure he’s free of disease or bugs, and are excited to learn more about him since he was abandoned on our doorstep. Shoutout also to folks who offered supplies, like this foraging mat he’s loving today 🥕🥕🥕

We diddd take longer to announce than expected (sorry!). In the meantime, we focused on Tropical Storm Bertha… and right before that, we actually had a large oak struck by lightening on the farm, causing quite a bit of damage. More to come on that, as we’ll need plenty of help on tree removal in the days to come…

Lastly, we do still need help supporting Huya’s ongoing needs, as well as all the plants and creatures and humans (and fallen tree removal) around the farm!

If you become a monthly sustaining donor through our website at any amount by the end of August, we’ll mail you a custom bunny block print, handmade by our team. It’ll have a bunny and HUYA, and if you follow our IG stories you’ll see a preview soon 😉

Thanks for being around for the hard stuff, silly stuff, and storms and veggies and bunnies. Our work is best when we get to be and do more than just one thing at a time. 💚

📣 TROPICAL STORM BERTHA UPDATE + Q&A 📣

We continue to not worry about Bertha in New Orleans, beyond doing what you’d normally do to prepare for potential summer thunderstorms.

The big cone graphics look scary! It’s important to know:

1) In this exact moment, Bertha is as strong as she will become. So if news reports of a growing storm are anxiety producing, just know that this was expected and we’re at the top of the strength curve right now.

2) Within 24 hours, AKA before reaching land here, she’ll be chopped by wind shear and will decrease in strength.

3) The bulk of this storm, including wind and rain, is on the South side - which will be in the Gulf.

So while we are often prepared for rapid intensification, for this one *we expect the opposite* thanks to the perfectly timed wind shear coming down from the north.

In case we get localized street flooding like a regular weekend here these days, park your car on higher ground prior to landfall tomorrow night.

As always, we’re here before, during, and after the storm - with a combo of Indigenous science, lived experience, and Emergency Management training - and we’ve got your back. Check out our Hurricane Hub online any time (guides, checklists, disaster rights), and find us on Facebook at “Imagine Mutual Aid (New Orleans)”.

Drop your questions below for the Q&A if you have ‘em!

Snapshots from retreat, where we continued to build new programming, fortified existing work, updated our annual hurricane guide, and practiced traditional crafts like weaving the endangered Houma half-hitch.

After five days in the hills of northern Mississippi we ventured our way back home via the Mississippi Mound Trail. Many thanks to @sippculture and @foxfire.ranch for hosting us!

The first pic is our final “Bok Bok Bam Bulletin”: a playful way to document our time together every year. Our retreat bulletins are inspired by the Gwangju Uprising’s Fighter Bulletin, and allow us to practice rapid printmaking as a tool of resistance. We remain committed to finding joy, documenting truth, and building meaningful skills for these wild times.

Folks in the pics and on Insta:
@jenna_ology @klie_504 @sarahgoff621 @creating.dejamojo @yrechagayjheneall @cold_bean

🔹🔹The 2026 NOCRG is available NOW at www.imaginewaterworks.org/new-orleans-community-resource-guide/🔹🔹

This is a nearly 100-page guide to free or low cost services across the New Orleans area. Thanks to a mighty team of volunteers, listed resources were contacted by phone and asked to verify all info. Providers were specifically asked about funding for uninsured patients, the availability of Spanish translation services, and services for transgender and non-binary folks.

Important things to note:
🔹The guide changes every year in response to needs on the ground. This year we’ve created a new “Immigrant Justice & Solidarity” section, and we’ve expanded the food and mental health sections.
🔹We have always welcomed folks to print your own copies. Our website has files formatted to print both full size or booklet style.
🔹We’re happy to work with other orgs and groups to get copies to your people. If your group or workplace may want to print copies, but would need to ask questions, make edits, or add logos/etc to get the printing costs approved, DM or email us. Let’s get creative!
🔹Printing booklets this size costs $$$ and we started a fundraiser last year that’s still running to help cover printing costs. Donations always welcome.
🔹None of this would be possible without @cold_bean‘s leadership every year. Thank you Coleen!

Lastly, at @theimaginationfarm we’ve been busy updating our Hurricane Hub and getting everything ready to help keep yall safe through hurricane season. As we have for over a decade, Imagine Water Works will continue to share critical, time sensitive, fact checked information — and while social media has many flaws, it’s still our quickest way to get emergency information to folks. Please help your friends plug into our channels before the next storm hits 💕

LAST DAY for registration! Folks outside of the age requirement are now also welcome to register until we’re at capacity!

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due JULY 1 bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us on select weekdays and weekends throughout the program at @theimaginationfarm for “Stewarding the Land and Becoming an Imagination Farmer” with Chenier “Klie” Kliebert. We’ll learn together how to best care for the land and each other, you’ll take home seeds and starts, and you’ll do real hands-on work around the farm with support from the team.

Those who complete 30 hours receive a Certificate of Completion, but those who opt to do 42+ hours will be invited to a paid, ongoing, part time Imagination Farmer position.

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 15-26 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage. All ages welcome to register until we fill remaining spots.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Folks outside of the age requirement are now also welcome to register! If we have extra spots, you will get a chance to join us until all spots are filled.

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due JULY 1! bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us on October 16th at @theimaginationfarm for “From Harvesting to Healing: How to Make and Share Your Own Herbal Medicines” with @creating.dejamojo, who is also one of the lead co-creators of the program.

We’ll harvest plants grown on the farm and learn how to prepare, cook, or bundle them. We’ll talk about land and spirit, and you’ll leave with all the information you need to make your own herbal medicines at home.

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 15-26 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due by this WEDNESDAY, July 1st! bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us in November at @theimaginationfarm for “Real Talk: Balancing Careers, Passions, and Environmental Activism” with Dr. Kellyn LaCour-Conant.

This workshop will be a dialogue on the current economy, how to balance financial realities with personal passions and principles, how and when to pivot, and how to expand your skillsets and build your resume outside of traditional school/work pathways.

Dr. LaCour-Conant is a two-spirit daughter of the Cane River Creole community raised in Houston, Texas on Ishak land. She holds over 15 years of experience in public service, science communication, restoration ecology, and community organizing.

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 15-26 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due JULY 1! bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us on September 18th at @theimaginationfarm for “Survivance, Imperialism, and Climate Change in New Orleans, Puerto Rico, and Hawai’i” with Dr. Maris Jones, an Afro-Indigenous scholar, creator, and traveler native to Bulbancha/New Orleans and The Lucayan Archipelago/The Bahamas.

Their work engages contemporary Black and Indigenous survival practices that were developed through multigenerational sharing of knowledge to navigate the ongoing environmental and social aftermaths of hurricanes.

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 15-26 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

UPDATE: We’ve expanded the age eligibility to 15-26! Registration due JULY 1 @ bit.ly/tifyouth26

📸: Slide 1 @tajajanel
📸: Slide 3 @photofelli

Register for the Indigenous Youth Farmers Program and join us on September 18th at @theimaginationfarm for “Creating, Dreaming, and Working With Bamboo” with @yrechagayjheneall, a transdisciplinary artist born and raised between Kingston and Portmore, Jamaica, and currently based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Their practice moves between Caribbean and Gulf South landscapes and waterways, exploring Afro-Caribbean movement, ancestry, migration, gender, and memory.

In their words “I’m interested in (re)learning with others about bamboo plant usage in everyday life and elemental forms (earth, wind, fire, water, sound) - and how this can be applied to environmental preparedness and life practices, and of course in my artistic works, as informed by Jamaican Maroon and Taino Indigenous practices.”

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 15-26 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

* Learn more about yrécha’s work at https://trechagayjheneall.com/

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due JULY 1! bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us on August 14th at @theimaginationfarm for a conversation on “How Nature Provides and How We Can Reciprocate” with Dr. Tammy Greer, who also stewards the Medicine Wheel Garden at the University of Southern Mississippi.

In the words of Dr. Tammy “What I always want is for folks to understand how Nature provides, how She has plenty for us all, and how We can reciprocate by spreading seeds, growing plants, tending and preventing harm. I guess I just see how exceptionally generous She is and how living in that spirit can make life on earth infinitely sustainable for us and for the rest of the natural world. Just that.”

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 16-24 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due JULY 1! bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us on October 16th at @theimaginationfarm for “From Harvesting to Healing: How to Make and Share Your Own Herbal Medicines” with @esprit03.

We’ll harvest plants grown on the farm and learn how to prepare, cook, or bundle them. We’ll talk about land and spirit, and you’ll leave with all the information you need to make your own herbal medicines at home.

Program details:
- August through November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
- 30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 16-24 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Learn more about Dana aka Esprit at earthdivineschool.com

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration EXTENDED to July 1st @ midnight!
bit.ly/tifyouth26

Whew, the weather got wild, yall. We’re extending the deadline and simplifying the registration process so that more folks can participate, rain or shine.

NOTE: We have a limited number of spots and still encourage you to *register sooner rather than later* to make sure you reserve a spot in the program.

Program details:
August through November
6 workshops
2 field trips
$300 stipend
graduation + certificate of completion
travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
30-42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program
DDBHH (Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing) interpreter available upon request

Open to youth ages 16-24 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Tropical Storm Arthur is officially the first named storm of the season. Here’s what we know and how we’re feeling about it.

- Rains are expected to start impacting us later tonight, through all day tomorrow.
- The down side is, it’s hard to know exactly where the rain will or won’t be. Stay calm but prepare for street flooding, etc, just in case. Park your car on high ground when you get home from work.
- The up side is, the thing that’s dumping rain on us is the same thing that’s preventing this storm from strengthening! We are not worried about hurricane development.

This is our 8th year of Storm Prep Q&A: a way for you to ask us questions any time there’s a named storm in the Gulf. We share your questions anonymously, alongside our answers, and everyone learns and builds together. We’ll be here until the storm passes, and all throughout Hurricane season.

There is no wrong or bad question! Ask anything, scream into the void, whatever helps.

We have both lived and trained experience in Emergency Management, especially floods, hurricanes, storms, and tornadoes across the Gulf South. We use a combination of Indigenous science, Emergency Management training, behind the scenes government-provided information, and stuff our Maw Maws and Paw Paws told us to bring you the best, most real and accurate updates and tips possible.

We also coordinate a mutual aid group of ~10,000 local residents who help each other prepare and recover, and are ready to respond as needed. See yall out there!

*Storm Prep Q&A is located in our Instagram stories*

Indigenous Youth Farmers Program: Registration due THIS FRIDAY!
bit.ly/tifyouth26

Register and join us on October 10th for a Youth Connection field trip down into Terrebonne with the Bayou Youth Leadership Project, Kasha Clay, and Bette Billiot. We’ll be talking about modern Indigenous life in the lower bayous, and connecting urban and rural youth!

Program details:
- August though November
- 6 workshops
- 2 field trips
- $300 stipend
- graduation + certificate of completion
- travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard
- 30 to 42 hours of hands-on farm work/training
- option to become a paid Imagination Farmer at the end of the program

Open to youth ages 16-24 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

* We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or enrollment. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions or help on the application.

Meet the Indigenous Youth Farmers Program team! Apply by 6/19: bit.ly/tifyouth26

“Youth have so much energy, care so deeply, and bring new ways of thinking and understanding that can shift things the way they need to be shifted.” Ida Aronson

“Around Bvlbancha, it’s only in recent times via Jim Crow and the loss of trading posts like the French Market that we’ve been this intensely separated by borders. I’m looking forward to reconnection, remembering who we are, and closing the gap.” Klie Kliebert

Déja Jones is a mentor for the program. They are a self-taught Black and Indigenous Creole artist from New Orleans. Déja began their career at the intersection of advocacy and art in 2017, focusing on the themes of spirituality, community wellness, land, culture, and governance. They focus on promoting positive youth development through intergenerational collaboration and art.

And Storm Berner-Wells created our logo + you’re sure to see them around the farm! Storm is an award-winning poet, photographer, and multi-media artist evolved into an unwavering community advocate who focuses on urban food systems, Indigenous sovereignty, and disaster resilience in the Gulf South.

APPLY BY JUNE 19: Indigenous Youth Farmers Program
bit.ly/tifyouth26

6 workshops
2 field trips
$300 stipend
graduation + certificate of completion
travel support within Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard
future volunteer and paid work opportunities with Imagine Water Works

Open to youth ages 16-24 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous heritage.

*Louisianans know best how many different shades and experiences exist within our Native communities. We encourage participation for all, including BIPOC individuals and multi-tribal, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic individuals. No one will be turned away due to a lack of tribal information or knowledge; this is a chance to connect, reconnect, and build that knowledge with others. Reach out to deja@imaginewaterworks.org with questions.

*We also encourage applications from our DDBHH (Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing) community. A certified DDBHH Interpreter, who is also one of our farmers, will be available upon request throughout the program.

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟏𝟗: bit.ly/tifyouth26⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌:⁣
>> Learn urban and rural farming practices, meet and build community, skill shares centering Indigenous knowledge and values⁣
>> Learn from local Indigenous teachers, Imagine Water Works staff, and each other⁣
>> Attend 6 workshops, including two educational field trips⁣
>> Co-steward The Imagination Farm with support from peers and mentors⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐓𝐒:⁣
>> $300 stipend at the end of the program⁣
>> Transportation support⁣
>> Certificate of Completion at graduation⁣
>> Food, snacks, and electrolyte drinks while on site⁣
>> A sense of belonging and a “home base” at the farm, now and in the future, and continued mentorship⁣
>> Completion of the program qualifies each participant for IWW’s paid Imagination Farmer Program and Imagination Responder Program⁣
⁣
𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘:⁣
>> Louisiana youth within the ages 16-24 with North, Central, or South American Indigenous ancestry. If you are unclear on this qualification please contact deja@imaginewaterworks.org. If you are younger than 16 or are unable to fully participate, we welcome you to attend our field trips! For an invitation, share your contact info with us at bit.ly/youthfieldtrip2026.⁣
>> No farming experience is required.⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌:⁣
The Imagination Farm (TIF) is a Two-Spirit, Creole Indigenous farm and sacred intergenerational space where those most impacted by climate change can explore, imagine, and share solutions for our future. TIF feeds both our stomachs and our spirits. We encourage experimentation, collaboration, education, imperfection, and creativity as we collectively build new futures in the midst of ongoing climate catastrophe.

*This program is made possible by many IWW friends, with leadership from Ida Aronson, Déja Jones, and Chenier “Klie” Kliebert.

Next Call-A-Thon and Farm Volunteer Day is TOMORROW, Tuesday 4/14, from 10am to 4pm at The Imagination Farm (2718 Painters Street).

Scroll through for vids taken by @mijareturns at the last event, and for a look into what some farm tasks might be if you’re interested in those!

We’ll again have tshirts and plant starts to offer to those who volunteer, as well as seeds in our Seed Exchange. When you arrive, let us know if you’re interested in starting with resource guide support or farm support, and we’ll plug you in!

If you scroll through this post and wonder “Why so many zinnias?”… The answer is lotsss of reasons:

🌱 Zinnias remove heavy metals from the soil, including lead, so we plant them especially in our new beds for a season before planting any veggies.

🌱 Zinnias are hardy and love our sun and heat.

🌱 Zinnias grow FAST and easily from seed (inexpensive!), and they give us visual encouragement while some of the slower growers make their way.

🌱 Zinnias aren’t native to Louisiana but that’s chill with us! They’re from the Southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central America. They’re not invasive and instead help repair the soil and protect plants around them. Much like human immigrant families, they make great neighbors.

🌱 Because of their reliability and bright colors, Zinnias are fantastic host plants for pollinators.

🌱 They’re edible!

🌱 They’re cute, obviously.

To join the Call-A-Thon and Farm Volunteer Day tomorrow for any amount of time (come when you can, stay however long ya can!), RSVP at bit.ly/callathonrsvp

Today was beautiful. 1000x THANK YOU to all who came out. Together in just one day we made a buncha phone calls for the Resource Guide and (in picture order)…

🌱 planted a satsuma tree
🌱 cleaned kayaks (more to come on this new offering)
🌱 planted a variegated lemon tree
🌱 released hundreds of lacewings to fight the aphids
🌱 made pinwheels to keep birds off the low fruit
🌱 did we mention made a lot of phone calls…
🌱 removed suckers from the sweet viburnum and pears
🌱 saved seeds from the arugula to replant and share
🌱 created a new pollinator garden bed
🌱 removed invasive/toxic chinaberry tree limbs
🌱 sorted seeds for the seed library and exchange
🌱 traded soil and so many plants with each other

This is weeks of work for one person but a single day collectively. A reminder of how powerful we are together.

And we’ll be doing it one more time next week: Tuesday, April 14, 10am-4pm, come for any amount of time during those hours! RSVP at bit.ly/callathonrsvp

Much love to the many hands who made today chill, productive, connected, and all around awesome 💚

Tomorrow’s the big day! We need your help!

The New Orleans Community Resource Guide is awesome because we all get together every year to verify the info (100 pages!) is correct and up to date. Join us tomorrow to make calls and send emails for the 2026 update.

If you aren’t a caller but areee a gardener, painter, assembler, or anyone interested in those things, we need you too. We’ve got a whole buncha Spring tasks to get done around this place.

Come to call, come to farm, come to hold chickens… leave with a tshirt, seeds, and plants for your own garden.

RSVP at bit.ly/callathonrsvp

⬆️ Use this link to sign up for tomorrow’s event AND/OR our next one on Tuesday, April 14th, same time same place.

🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Childcare not provided, but kids are welcome! This is a substance free event, and we have hard games and books for all ages.

👟 Wear closed toe shoes.
🍌 Light snacks and drinks provided.

We need your help! THIS FRIDAY 4/10 - RESOURCE GUIDE & FARM VOLUNTEER DAY plus SEED EXCHANGE

We’ll be at it from 10-4pm at The Imagination Farm - 2718 Painters Street, doing our annual update calls for the very beloved, forever free New Orleans Community Resource Guide for Resistance and Renewal.

If you also enjoy farm work, we need volunteers for that too! Help us chop bamboo, plant trees, prune stuff, and ask us questions about any of the plants around the farm, or get advice for your garden.

Callers will take home a free t-shirt, seeds including Southeast wildflower mixes, and a plant (okra, marigolds, dill, red bean, and cucumber starts available this year). You could also hold our favorite chicken, Shirley, if ya want…?!

This is a substance-free, all ages event. Light snacks provided.

RSVP @ bit.ly/callathonrsvp

Exciting things are on the way. Applications for the Imagination Farm Indigenous Youth Program open next month!

This will be a paid opportunity for Indigenous Youth, ages 16-24. The program will run between August-November of this year, with the option to continue as an Imagination Farmer and/or Responder at the end of the program.

The program will include 6 different workshops (to be announced!), as well as field trips and farm training/land stewardship on site at our mutual aid hub. Mentors from our team will be available to help, and collectively we hold many identities — Indigenous, Creole, Afro-Indigenous, farmer, herbalist, queer, trans, artist, activist, two-spirit, nonbinary, shrimper, weaver, disabled, determined — that inform our life experiences and how we move about this world.

We can’t wait to see you!

Check back here, on our website, and in our newsletters for the application link, coming soon. ✊🌱

CALL-A-THON UPDATE: Tomorrow is now a FARM VOLUNTEER DAY!

Unfortunately, our mighty Resource Guide organizer Coleen is out sick. We’re holding space for her to rest, while still looking forward to seeing yall tomorrow for farm-related activities only. If you’re not a huge fan of phones, but you *are* a fan of dirt or crafts, now’s your time to shine.

Please note we’ve also adjusted the time to 12-4pm and no longer need an RSVP. Show up any time in that window, and we’ll plug you in.

What to expect:
We’ll have various activities requiring different physical levels so that everyone can fully participate. Swipe to see some examples from our Imagination Farmers task board. We’ll also still have okra and marigold starts for you to take home, as well as a freshly stocked Seed Exchange.

For more info about the space, check out the FAQ on our website: https://www.imaginewaterworks.org/the-imagination-farm/

See you tomorrow at The Imagination Farm - 2718 Painters Street!

P.S. You can also still register for the April 10th Call-A-Thon at bit.ly/callathonrsvp

We’re proud to announce that we’ve been chosen as an Indigenous Library Program Grantee! Soon we’ll have our own location on the map, with a book library and seed library and a little spot to sit for a bit at the farm. Still, always free, never for sale.

IWW history: From 2019 to 2023, we co-created and stewarded the Little Library of Water in partnership with Waggonner & Ball and @nolalibrary to connect children and adults with what “living with water” means in a city like New Orleans, in which flood risk and climate change require adaptation and a nuanced understanding of our environment. Since then we’ve continued to seek opportunities to provide “literary, musical, artistic, and reference materials for use but never for sale”.

This year we’re grateful for this opportunity from @littlefreelibrary to continue stewarding a new kind of library — combining our literary and seed exchange dreams, expanding access not only to environmental education but also to healthy food, pollinator gardens, and native plants.

Scroll through for pics from the original Little Library of Water’s programming.

FREE PLANT FRIDAY DROP: Tomorrow starting at 11am, come scoop some oregano from the driveway, til we run out. Please no more than 2 per household.

We’ll comment on this post when there’s no more left.

The Imagination Farm
2718 Painters Street

RESOURCE GUIDE / FARM VOLUNTEER DAY: The resource guide is only awesome because we update it regularly, and we can only update it regularly with the help of a whole bunch of yall.

This Spring, we’re doing update calls on MARCH 27th and APRIL 10th (both Fridays).

We’ll be at it from 10-4pm at The Imagination Farm - 2718 Painters Street.

If you also enjoy farm work, we need volunteers for that too! Help us chop bamboo and ask us questions about any of the plants around the farm, or get advice for your garden.

Callers will take home a free t-shirt and plant (likely okra and marigolds this year). This is a substance-free, all ages event. Light snacks provided.

RSVP @ bit.ly/callathonrsvp

At the farm we’ve been practicing making the most of everything we’ve got. Feels like we need to get really good at that these days especially.

We had a bunch of citronella that wasn’t going to make it through the freezes, so we harvested it and some other herbs around the farm, and made our first very own mosquito repellent! Introducing... REPEL DAT! Hope it works, lol. Will keep yall posted.

We’ve always been unafraid to try things and see what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes it’s a homemade tincture, sometimes its a big wild post-disaster idea, many times it’s internal processes that yall never see, and every time it’s worth it. Stay courageous and curious in these wild times, friends. Keep getting it wrong and then right again. That’s how we get through it.

Grateful. Thank you for dreaming and walking with us in Krewe of Zeitoun, and to @nolamusicians4palestine for the invite. C’est l’heure de la joie de vivre en Palestine, à la Nouvelle-Orléans et au-delà. 🇵🇸🦞

📷: @cold_bean

Ofrenda by @sedignitynotdetentioncoalition 💚🦋

FREE fennel plants in the driveway now for pickup @ The Imagination Farm: 2718 Painters Street

Use them to cook with, make tea, as ant repellent, or plant them in a pot to keep growing your own fennel 💪

**Heads up that if you walk further onto the farm after hours, the alarm goes off!

We are honored to walk with the Krewe of Zeitoun this year, and we’d love your help putting together some beautiful art and messages to bring Palestine solidarity and collective liberation to Carnival.

Our last art build is TOMORROW aka SATURDAY FEB 7th from 2-6pm at @speakeasyfarm. Come hang out with us and make art!

+ Mark your calendars also for LUNDI GRAS aka MONDAY FEB 16th and walk with us. MEET AT NOON at 700 Homer Plessy Way. WEAR GREEN AND GOLD. The theme is “The future is a Palestinian Day”. Show up in green and gold and/or feel free to get creative with the prompt “The future is ______”.

All are welcome to the art build and walk. You do not have to attend one to attend the other.

Shoutout to @nolamusicians4palestine for organizing 🇵🇸

We are immigrants, Cajuns, Creoles, and Natives against deportation. Our team lives and works across coastal Louisiana, including the Lafayette area where we have family and loved ones.

They asked us to share this message:

“What ICE and this administration is doing in this country is extremely destructive. We have seen just how dangerous and unnecessary these raids are, and how they disrupt communities.

This community in particular descends from immigrants and it is incomprehensible to persecute immigrants when the obvious solution is expedited citizenship. If the only barrier to status is paperwork then these raids are morally and fiscally irresponsible.

It is a clear attack on Black and brown people and a blatant attempt to divide this community. We will continue to fight for our immigrant community and demand that LPD not cooperate with ICE, and call for its abolishment in whole.”

We stand with Lafayette as they rally against the latest 287g agreement signed by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. We know these agreements are optional and that local municipalities — our elected officials — can opt out.

📅 Next Tuesday, February 10th, at 4:30pm (see last slide for information) join concerned Lafayette citizens at the city council meeting and stand up for community!

We love you Laffy!

@sedignitynotdetentioncoalition
@goodtrouble337
@sanctuarynowabolitionproject
@lafayetteindivisible
@eos_nola

STATEWIDE MARDI GRAS ACCESSIBILITY GUIDE: Street closure times, where to park, locations of ADA compliant sidewalks and sensory friendly spaces, viewing locations, and more. Compiled with information from the Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs.

A text only version of this guide is available on our website at https://www.imaginewaterworks.org/mardi-gras-accessibility-guide-2026/.

Have tips that aren’t in this guide? Drop them in the comments. Mutual aid is for all of us, and it never ends. Take care of each other out there this season.

Happy Mardi Gras, yall!

WINTER MEME DUMP + Team IWW is officially practicing a January Slowdown! We are resting, recovering, connecting, and reflecting.

This month we won’t be monitoring social media DMs or adding events to our schedule that aren’t already planned. We will still be hosting the Loup Garou barge build workshop at the farm and participating in the New Orleans Community Organizing Fair, Okla Hina Ikhish Holo retreat, and Louisiana Farmer’s Climate Convening. Otherwise, we will be slow to respond to texts, emails, etc.

Please remember to be kind to yourself and others this season. Seasons are real. Nature rests. You are a part of nature.

🎁 SOLICITA COPIA DE “GUÍA CUIR/TRANS PARA LAS TORMENTAS” para LGBTQ refugiadas en casa debido a riesgo de detención: Obtén una copia para ti o para regalar o otra persona. Entrega segura + una MRE emergencia (comida lista para comer).

🎁 REQUEST A FREE COPY OF “A QUEER/TRANS GUIDE TO STORMS” for LGBTQ folks staying home right now for safety: Get a copy for yourself or as a gift for someone else. We will safely deliver it + an emergency MRE (Meal Ready To Eat).

HAZ TU PEDIDO AQUÍ (ORDER HERE): https://qrco.de/ctguia
__________

ELEGIBILIDAD:
✅ Viven en los parroquias de Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard o Plaquemines
✅ Se identifican como LGTBQ o solicitan una copia como regalo para una amistad o familiar LGBTQ
✅ Se están quedando en casa por razones de seguridad y riesgos de detención
Límite de una copia por domicilio

CÓMO FUNCIONA: Después de recibir tu solicitud, entregaremos tu pedido no más tarde que el 23 de diciembre de 2025. El formulario cerrará el 20 de diciembre, o después de las primeras 50 solicitudes.

PRIVACIDAD: Este formulario está encriptado. La información que compartas aquí es confidencial, está protegida y no será compartida con nadie. Entregaremos tu pedido personalmente y borraremos tu información después de la entrega.

✨ Mucho amor y solidaridad de parte de nuestro equipo para ti y tu familia✨
__________

ELIGIBILITY:
✅ Located in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, or Plaquemines Parish
✅ Identify as LGTBQ or requesting as a gift for an LGBTQ friend or family member
✅ Staying home right now for safety reasons
Limit one per address

HOW IT WORKS: After receiving your request, we will hand deliver your order no later than December 23, 2025. The order form closes on December 20th, or after the first 50 responses.

PRIVACY: This form is encrypted. The information you share here is confidential, protected, and will not be shared with anyone. We are personally delivering your order, and we will delete your information after delivery.

✨ Much love and solidarity from our team to you and your family✨