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Welcome to
2 Acre Park!
The park conceptually links two critical sectors in our society, technology and agriculture; in a literal and whimsical way. The landscape design explores futuristic concepts from the the past, a crop circle. As the early era farmers were then, we are in awe of the advancements that science and technology are contributing to our farms and fields. DNA strand sculptures enhance the park concept and explain some amazing and local advances in plant based disciplines.
Scroll Below to learn about various plant-based projects happening in St. Louis!
We encourage you to take a photo and tag @pocketparks with the #2AcrePark and add this link.
Thanks to our Sponsors for helping us bring this park to life.
Featured Projects
New Roots for Restoration
Allison Miller of the Danforth Science Center and St. Louis University has recently received a grant to establish the New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute. The focus of the group will be to revolutionize the way in which we approach restoration of human-impacted landscapes by focusing on both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Part of the project will include testing new perennial crop species for sustainable agricultural practices. NRR-BII will employ technology to study how plant traits, soil and the broader environment impact crops, and how plants impact and can advance restoration. To understand interactions between plants, communities, and the soil ecosphere, the group designs new experiments to examine how soil and soil microbiome (soil ecosphere) mediates root/shoot variation and interactions of populations and plant species, and vice versa.
New Roots
Billiken Bee Lab
Led by Gerardo Camilo, the Billiken Bee Lab works to understand what bees need to continue thriving in urban and suburban spaces. They explore questions about urban bee diversity, plant-pollinator interactions, co-evolution, and adaptation, while promoting community-driven conservation and activism. Many of the foods and flowers we love are only pollinated by bees. Without bees, we wouldn't have fruits and vegetables. The Billiken Bee Lab has identified 198 bee species in St. Louis, which represents over 45% of all the species found in the state of Missouri. The vast majority of the species are found north of Interstate 44.
Photo: Doug Garfield / Universitas magazine
Bee Lab
Earthdance Farms
EarthDance is a teaching farm, sharing the craft and science of organic farming with people from all walks of life. Located in Ferguson, Missouri, EarthDance operates on the oldest organic farm west of the Mississippi. Their 14-acre historic farm provides a model of sustainable food production. Through Organic Farm School programs, EarthDance cultivates food leaders alongside abundant fresh produce. EarthDance strives to work in our community rather than for it. Empowerment is key to EarthDance’s approach. They are dedicated to enlivening our work through celebration of the ‘culture’ in agriculture: farm-inspired visual and performing arts feed our passion and provide new ways to make farms accessible to diverse audiences.
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Plant Humanities Lab
The Plant Humanities Lab is an innovative digital space that supports the study of plants from the various perspectives of the arts, sciences, and humanities, to explore their extraordinary significance to human culture. Humans rely on plants for our most fundamental individual and social needs: from food, medicine, and construction to our encounters with them in art and literature. Although we think of plants as rooted in place, their global travels over the millennia offer fascinating pathways into the past and illuminate some of the most burning issues of today, including legacies of colonial violence and displacement. Click on the link to learn more and experience these interactive digital plant narratives.
BiodiverseCity St. Louis
BiodiverseCity St. Louis recognizes our region's reliance on biodiversity, the variety of life, and natural systems. We depend on biodiversity, not only for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, but also for the basic health, livability and economic prosperity of our region. BiodiverseCity St. Louis is a growing network of organizations and individuals throughout the greater St. Louis region who share a stake in improving quality of life for all through actions that welcome nature into our urban, suburban and rural communities.
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