Space Coast Audubon is delighted to have been awarded an Audubon in Action grant to put education and conservation into motion in our local community. The focus of the grant project is to expand the knowledge of members and our local community on the connection between native plants/sustainable landscapes and birds. Through education and hands-on activities our Chapter’s goal is to increase awareness and obtain greater commitment to adding more native plants to home landscaping and public areas. The project activities will incorporate demonstration of how native plants and biodiversity can be obtained by implementing environmentally sound landscaping practices. The host site for our native plant garden will be Hundred Acre Hollows, an abandoned waste-water retention ponds land that was saved from development to be used as community green space and to protect wildlife in the area. The deliverables of this project include a native plant garden, environmental interpretation signage and a pollinator landscaping area.
The design and creation of the ‘native plants for birds’ garden will incorporate the use of a rain barrel and solar panel to demonstrate the use of natural energy and water to create hydration required for the plants to become established. Once the garden is established our Chapter will host a ribbon cutting and community open house on site to share how birds, butterflies and bees benefit from native plant landscapes. Throughout the project we’ll be partnering with local organization also vested in nature, birds and conservation for guidance and collaboration. A few of the partners involved include Florida Master Naturalists Program (FLMNP), Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL), Florida Wildflower Foundation, Florida Wildflower Foundation, Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative and the Conradina Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. Watch the SCAS website and Meetup group for updates on the progress of the garden and opportunities to participate in its creation. Please join us to learn about and experience the lovely creatures who visit or call it home.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
We held our ribbon cutting ceremony on July 21 at the garden. Here is an aerial drone video of the event, created by Yuliang Huang.