Daily News from New York, New York • 111

CO 8 water as its theme Hires landscape architects to create a vision of future By MAKI BECKER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Over the next decade, the staff of the Queens Botanical Garden plans to transform the grounds into an environment that reflects the dynamic community surrounding it. But with so many cultures represented throughout the borough, the challenge is by no means simple. "How can we connect all the cultural communities?" asked Jennifer Ward, the garden's landscape architect. "We didn't want a Japanese garden, a Korean garden, a Chinese We wanted something that tied all cultures together. And in garden history, water is often a main Inspired by water's basic and ubiquitous qualities as well as its beauty, the garden leadership chose water as the theme for its master plan, Ward said.

To realize this vision, the garden has hired two firms Conservation Design Forum, from Elmhurst, and Atelier Dreiseitl to incorporate the water theme into the new design for the garden. The two firms share a commitment to creating what are called "sustainable environments" in urban settings. "Sustainability is a word we all bandy about," said Jessica ACT OF COURAGE Noack recalls. 'You have five cancers a doctor told me. your treatment has not 'Well, I think it I answered him.

'After all, according to you, I should have died five years Undoubtedly a pretty strong argument. As the story of a Latino woman without health insurance stricken by breast cancer, "Six Months to Live" hits a painful chord with thousands of Hispanic women who have found themselves in the same life-anddeath predicament. The play makes clear that Noack's rejection of traditional treatment goes beyond her horror of chemotherapy, and brings another perspective to the reality of breast cancer. Read, a landscape architect with Atelier Dreiseitl. "It's about being responsible about energy, being accurately aware of the environment, and evaluating human needs." Jay Womack, a landscape architect with Conservation Design Forum, said the two firms are looking at how best to use existing water resources around the garden to irrigate the grounds.

"Forty million gallons of rainwater fall on the garden," every year, Womack said. "We want to figure out how to capture that rainwater." The designers also are looking at ways of tapping into a tributary of the Flushing River that runs underneath the garden grounds. "It's about 15 feet below the surface," he said. But, he added, "We don't know what's in that water." To jump-start the design process and to encourage people to share their ideas about water and gardens, the garden is sponsoring a series of workshops starting tonight. The garden staff and representatives of the two design firms have invited the public to participate in an experiment in clay river modeling at 6:30 tonight.

"It's really about adults and children doing things with their hands and seeing immediately how the water flows through a space," Read said. The guests will be asked to form a giant river out of clay and create barriers and troughs to watch the movement of water. "This is a kind of opening for us," Read said. about changing people's perceptions and understanding of wadraw We'd really like to out people's memories and thoughts about water." On Sunday, the design team will hold a drop-in design sesau- at the botanical garden's from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

And on Tuesday, it will mount an exhibition of its previous work. "I hope they inspire the pubgar- said Susan Lacerte, the executive director. "We really want to hear from In addition to redesigning its grounds, the garden also is tryre- to establish itself as a on how different cultures use plants. Erin Moriarty, gardener-in-residence, is collecting information about plants used by Queens folks, from the henna plant used by South Asian immigrants to draw Mehendi tattoos, to herbs used for cooking and medicine by Chinese immigrants. For information about the workshops, call Jennifer Ward at 1 the Queens Botanical Garden: (718) 886-3800, ext.

220. SUSAN STAVA HER OWN STORY Karim Noack performs in "Six Months to Live" at La Mama Experimental Theatre in lower Manhattan. a to clay wadraw and team sesau- 4:30 will pubgar- really its tryre- used to ATELIER DREISEITL HANDS-ON An experiment in clay modeling along the lines of this one is planned tonight at 6:30 at the Queens Botanical Garden. Guests will be asked to 1 form a large river from clay. "I felt I was being treated like It got to the point in which I was a criminal," she says of her time afraid to open my mailbox." at the hospital.

"They gave me NOACK, THOUGH, is no longfive months of chemotherapy er afraid. Thanks to the alternaand I was dying. But when I said tive medicine treatments she it, their attitude was one of 'You has followed for six years, she don't know what you are talking feels healthy. Despite her I was labeled a difficult tors' disbelief and their dire prepatient because I asked too dictions, she is dancing again. many questions and wanted to "I feel better than ever," know my options." Noack says, sounding not at all She decided to search for a dif- like a sick person.

"Now I have ferent cure. But even if she had to run. I have a rehearsal and wanted to continue, she could two more interviews." not have done it. Her Medicaid Performances at La Mama was canceled and her meager E.T.C., 74A E. Fourth Mansalary was not enough to pay for hattan.

Thursdays-Saturdays at the expensive chemotherapy 7:30 p.m. Sundays at 2:30 p.m. treatments any longer. and 7:30 p.m. ($15 and $20).

For "It is all a huge business," information and tickets call Noack says. "They kept sending (212) 475-7710, or visit me bills and threatening letters. www.lamama.org. the DAILY SMEN Thursday, February 00 2001.