Gardens to honor longtime Ferndale resident

Willis Hadley adopted Ferndale as his community of choice when he arrived by chance in the late 1960s. He became a committed member of the Ferndale community, a quiet benefactor to many of its residents and was well known for his whimsical sense of humor as evidenced by the Victorian style dollhouse he maintained for many years on Main Street in downtown Ferndale.

Hadley was also deeply committed to protecting and preserving native plants and restoring and enhancing habitat for native wildlife. To this end, prior to his death, he established the WDH Foundation to carry out his commitment to protect and preserve native plants and wildlife.

At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, the WDH Foundation will present to the Ferndale Design Review Committee a project that will establish a variety of gardens, each of which will support native plants typical to the various regions of Humboldt County. The WDH Interpretive Gardens will be handicapped accessible and open to the public. The gardens will be located on the vacant parcel of land next to Shaw House. Included within the project area will be the future location of Hadley’s Victorian dollhouse.

The Design Review Committee Meeting will be conducted via Zoom due to the continuing presence of the COVID-19 virus in Humboldt County. However, those who wish to know more about the WDH Interpretive Gardens are invited to view the project proposal that has been submitted at the Ferndale Design Review Committee website: https://ci.ferndale. ca.us/committees/designReview.