St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete unique.
Our focus this month is on Ray Wunderlich III. A third-generation St. Pete native, he is on a mission to protect and preserve the region’s native flora and fauna while also promoting sustainable urban agriculture. Those interconnected goals guide his ongoing path as he devotes much of his time and energy to saving, restoring, and cultivating indigenous flora and community gardens while also spreading local environmental knowledge.
Inspirations
Wunderlich credits numerous inspirations for his present-day passion as an environmental steward. His father, a local nutritional medicine medical doctor, provided an example of community care and devotion to excellence that permeates Wunderlich’s sense of self. His years as a competitive long-distance runner taught him how to strive for a goal, be humble in victory, and persevere after defeat. Two interwoven influences, however, stand out: his mother and his “back yard.” Characterizing her as a “strong woman” and “super mom,” he recalled how she skillfully managed the home, businesses, and social lives of the entire family. Wunderlich also credits her for his introduction to a wide variety of interests from the arts to the wilds of their coastal “Pink Streets” neighborhood. She volunteered, painted, gardened, ground her own wheat for bread, wrote a cookbook, and encouraged him to explore his local environment. His expansive “back yard,” now Pinellas Point Park, was lush with tiny mangroves and open bay water as well as pine and oak trees further inland and wild grasses throughout. Years spent exploring this natural playground nurtured a deep appreciation for the local and native land- and waterscapes.
“I believe in projects”
Decades later, his appreciation for this environment along with the lasting effects of his mother’s influence serve as the guiding lights for Wunderlich’s multifaceted approach to protecting and preserving our endangered indigenous flora while also serving the local community. He summarized his strategy with a simple statement: “I believe in projects.” Over just the last two decades, he has helped spearhead efforts to restore “pocket parks” (like Little Bayou Preserve and Pinellas Point Park) by removing invasive species and planting native trees and shrubs; halt and/or reroute disc golf courses to protect natural vegetation and indigenous shell mounds; and replenish established parks (Fort De Soto) by planting pines. One of his most ambitious projects, however, is the founding of Wunder Farms Organic Community Gardens. Wunderlich established this volunteer group in 2010 as a means to “provide the most nutrient-dense produce to the neediest populations in our community” while simultaneously educating people on sustainable practices in organic urban farming. Originally operating from the Pioneer Settlement Garden and the Edgemoor Community Gardens, Wunder Farms is cultivating and educating from the raised garden at Allendale Methodist Church. This verdant organic garden successfully provides thousands of pounds of fresh produce to Day Star Life Center and garden volunteers each season.
Provide. Educate. Cultivate.
Wunderlich knows that not everyone appreciates his efforts or persistence. He jokes that he has been “a pain in the city’s (let’s say) rear-end” for 20 years. Despite occasional failures and the not-so-occasional push-back, he is determined to bring his sense of integrity and follow-through to his projects as he strives to protect and preserve the region’s native flora and fauna while also promoting sustainable urban agriculture.
