Coral honeysuckle works well for attracting hummingbirds and Painted Buntings will eat the flowers.
E365228
mingbirds) as well as species that help draw hundreds of thousands of wildlife watchers to our state each year. (Wildlife watchers spent $3.1 billion on wildlifewatching activities in Florida in 2006. Source: FHWAR). But the ‘sustainable gardening practices’ that NWF certification also requires are one of the things that influenced the entire town of Melbourne Beach to work towards community certification. A NWF Community Wildlife Habitat™ commits to provide habitat for wildlife throughout the community – in individual backyards, on school grounds and in public areas such as parks, community gardens, places of worship and businesses. In addition to encouraging homeowners to garden for wildlife, the community must also educate its residents about various sustainable gardening practices through workshops and events. Because of the strict requirements for this designation, community habitats are few in number. But again, Florida is right near the top of the list with the number of Certified Community Habitats (six in Florida) as well as the number of communities which have registered (seven in Florida, including Melbourne Beach) but have not attained certification yet. The community certification process can take up to two years to complete. Theresa Goldenberg, a member of the Melbourne Beach Environmental Advisory Board explains why they decided to work towards this designation. “We wanted a way to educate our citizens to protect the environment by giving them alternatives instead of just saying ‘don’t use fertilizers,” Goldenberg said. “The community certification program encourages people to change their gardening practices while enjoying the benefit of having more wildlife in their yards. It gives them an outline with practical ideas and a goal to get their backyard certified.” “We thought it was a wonderful cause that we could all rally around and build a better community. Getting people involved in certifying their own backyard is the first step in the walk to become better stewards. As it says on the NWF website…”A Community Wildlife Habitat Project brings people together for a common purpose-to create a community where people, flora and fauna can flourish.” If you live in Melbourne Beach and would like to help the town achieve their goal of community certification, contact town hall at 724-5860. To learn more about the NWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program, visit them online: www.nwf.org n
35
spaces