If you have visited New York, chances are you toured the World Trade Center, Radio City Music Hall, and the Statue of Liberty. The City is so majestic, and visitors tend to look up because the buildings are so tall. But if you just look up, you will miss another important part of New York: its many community gardens. Hence the name "Big Apple" (that is really not where this nickname originated).

For several decades, vacant lots in each Borough have been cared for by local resident gardeners. These gardens are usually very well maintained, and exist in stark contrast to the high-rises and urban sounds that surround them. Community gardens are important sanctuaries that mean much to those who work them, as well as to those who live and work near them.

And exactly for this reason, Mayor Giuliani's recent announcement that New York intended to sell the community park properties to the highest bidders was very scary news. At risk were 115 community garden. Many have grown from former eyesores, where crime and drug infested dilapidated buildings once stood. After so much work, it seemed to some to be unfair for the City to auction off the properties now that the real estate market is buzzing.

Bette Midler, yes THE Bette Midler, did not think it was fair either. She contributed $250,000 toward the purchase of the properties. Four million additional dollars were raised, and the good news: all of the gardens were purchased from the City. They avoided the auction block, and the gardens will live on.

Throughout the United States community gardens are vital members of their host communities. They enhance community pride, provide living classrooms, add neighborhood beauty, and often provide food for the needy. Community gardens are found in urban and suburban communities.

A Trenton, New Jersey organization called "Isles" sponsors many community gardens throughout Trenton. These neighborhood gardens have been hugely successful, instilling pride and beauty throughout Trenton's urban neighborhoods. Isles holds fund raisers and receives contributions from local residents and companies.

In South Austin, Texas, the Salvation Army sponsors the South Austin Community Garden. Produce from the Garden is provided for use in the Salvation Army's soup kitchen. This community garden mixes socializing with gardening, hosting several garden parties and compost demonstrations annually.

Olympia, Washington boasts the Sister Holly Community Garden Project, which operates several community gardens with different focuses. One flourishing garden provides more than 40 pounds per week of organically grown produce to a local food bank. Sister Holly is also planning a wheel chair accessible and a senior citizen friendly garden.

The Fortuna Community Garden is an example of a non-urban garden. This California community garden is sponsored by the governing body, a local church, and others. It provides space for local residents to garden, food for those in need, and educational opportunities.

Education is a large focus of the Idaho Falls Community Garden. Twenty three classes were scheduled for 1999, with topics ranging from "Composting," to "Terrific Tomatoes," to "Weed Control and Use of Mulches."

Students attending California State University in Sacramento can participate in about 50 student run gardens. The ASI (Associated Students Incorporated) Community Gardens began in the 1970s, and seeks to teach people how to become "urban gardeners." According to spokesperson Rene Hamlin, "We encourage everyone to get down and dirty." She enjoys knowing that people are getting good food for the labor of love.

" I can go on watching a 23-year old male mow a lawn for the first time, or a child sitting in the garden contemplating a green tomato, or the foreign exchange students who either love to work in the garden because it reminds them of home, or because at home they do not have the room to garden and this is a new experience."

ASI Community Gardens are open to the public every Saturday from 9 AM until noon. According to Hamlin, this important organization always needs donations of seed and money.

Community Gardens can provide diverse benefits to their host communities. From teaching suburbanites how to enhance vegetable yields, to providing "at risk" teens with an opportunity to witness, first hand, what good can blossom from a labor of love, these gardens can be vital links for many.

No neighborhood ever suffers from having "too many" gardens. Does your community have a community garden? If not, perhaps you might think about starting one.

The information provided in this column is written by Stuart Lieberman,a practicing environmental attorney, and is for general information purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be used in place of legal advice.

Stuart Lieberman, Esq., and IRED.Com, Inc., will not accept any responsibilty for any reliance on the information in this column or any damages whatsoever resulting from reading this column.