Julie Fineman is the President of Friends of the Warren Ferris Cemetery and co-creator of Constellation of Living Memorials, which reimagines forgotten cemeteries as places of renewal. Her organization revitalizes neglected sites into thriving native habitats, enhancing soil health and biodiversity. Through practices such as removing invasive species and reseeding native plants, they foster environmental restoration, honor historical legacies and strengthen community bonds. Fineman shares how this work embodies a “triple bottom line” approach, intertwining environmental renewal, historical preservation and community engagement.

How did your idea come about?

Seven years ago, my husband and I found ourselves drawn to a home in Dallas. Next door stood a forgotten cemetery, cloaked in evergreen—quiet, avoided and invisible. Who wants to live beside a cemetery? Two years later, during my training as a Master Naturalist and Master Gardener, I discovered that what lay next door wasn’t just neglected—it was a natural disaster. Invasive plants had strangled a landscape rich with forgotten history and potential.

Refusing to stand by, I gathered neighbors, and together we cleared it every weekend for three months. Then the earth responded: Englemann Daisies and Blackland Prairie grasses bloomed as if remembering themselves. That’s when I realized this wasn’t just a patch of land. It was a sacred remnant—alive with cultural memory and natural wisdom.

The Constellation of Living Memorials was born from that awakening. It weaves together grief, remembrance and regeneration—honoring the land and those who walked it before us, while inviting healing for both people and the planet.

How do you incorporate composting into the restoration work?

We treat what others discard—lawn clippings, fallen branches, leaves—as sacred offerings. These natural remnants become the bones of berms that shape the land and nurture it. Over months, they break down into dark, living soil—rich, fertile, and ready to cradle new life.

This process restores balance after storms, revives native plants and deepens our connection to the earth’s quiet alchemy: nothing is wasted.

How do you decide what native plants to introduce or restore?

I don’t impose. I listen. Once invasives are removed, I observe which native plants re-emerge, as if the land is whispering its own memory. Light, soil and shade guide what should be reintroduced. Rewilding begins with reverence—not control. It’s not about planting—it’s about reawakening.

How does preserving the historical integrity of these sites enhance your environmental goals?

I feel an urgency to protect these sacred portals where history and habitat meet. These cemeteries hold ancestral memory—and under the surface, the earth still remembers, too. When we honor both, something profound happens: cultural stewards and environmentalists, once separate, find common ground. The pilot phase of Constellation has already shown us what’s possible when we let old roots speak to new ones.

How do you see community involvement playing a role?

We’re living in a time when the divide between people and planet has grown too wide. But I’ve seen it—how community members, given the chance, come alive when they’re offered a role in restoration. It’s not just work. It’s healing. From local volunteers to historical societies, these partnerships are the true lifeblood of the movement. Everyone has something to give.

How does your work influences how people think about life cycles?

The Constellation of Living Memorials invites us to reimagine death not as an end, but as part of a cycle. From grave to garden, from loss to bloom, we begin to see that grief and growth share the same soil.This way of thinking returns us to truth: we are not separate from nature. We are part of its rhythm, its mystery, and its miracle.

What is your vision for Constellation of Living Memorials?

Historic cemeteries—ignored, unclaimed—are the low-hanging fruit of forgotten spaces. Reimagining these spaces for community engagement to reconnect humanity to nature and ancestors can be applied beyond their gates. Imagine if cities embraced this indigenous wisdom: to heal land as we honor legacy. The result would be living network of memory and renewal. Better air. Richer soil. Stronger communities. It’s not just sustainable—it’s soul-sustaining.

For more information, call 213-700-7481 or visit FriendsOfTheWarrenFerrisCemetery.org/projects and ConstellationOfLivingMemorials.org.