When François Médion was the urban farm manager for the Duluth Grill, he saw his role as that of a builder.
Not just in the sense that he had to rip up a parking lot and put in an orchard and a rain garden, but he wanted to build an awareness of the need for wild things and wild spaces.
Now, in his new role as master gardener at the Ojibwe School on the Fond du Lac Reservation, the former summer program has grown to be a full-time, year-round venture.
François Médion is passionate about the program, about the school itself and the opportunities it offers, about his students, about the Ojibwe culture and language that, being born in France, were new to him when he came to America … about his plans for the future, about what needs to happen at this critical environmental and cultural point in time … and even about making mistakes and learning to do better.