Pacific Region Garden Clubs is sponsoring a project called “Unleash the Wild: Bring Nature Home”. The goal is to educate garden club members about wildlife and how they can help wildlife thrive in our ever-increasing urban world. Each activity a member or their garden club completes, or previously completed, to help wildlife is sent to Debbie Hinchey, chairman of the project, at DHgardenws@outlook.com. Points are earned for each activity completed. The club earning the most total points at the end of the contest on April 19, 2025, earns the “Bring Home Nature Award” and a monetary prize.
There are many ways to help wildlife and earn points. Keep a pile of fall leaves in your yard for bumble bees to hibernate in, plant native flowering plants to feed native bees and other pollinators, add a source of water for wildlife, grow plants that produce berries for birds to eat, and let some flowers go to seed in your garden to feed birds.
Below is information about the project found in the Nov. 23 WACONIAH newsletter:
- Goal objectives: Educate club members, and others, and do something to help the natural world.
- Keep a tally of what you have been doing and what you have incorporated into your gardening.
- If you have already incorporated techniques to help wildlife in your gardening, you earn a point for each thing you have done. Send your list to Debbie at DHgardenws@outlook.com.
- If you are incorporating new measures to entice nature into your yard, you earn a point for each thing you do. Send your list to Debbie.
- Send Debbie a brief (inspirational) description of an activity you have completed to help wildlife and it will be included in the PR newsletter to earn a point.
- Send Debbie photos of completed activities and a brief description to be included in the PR newsletter or on the PR website to earn more points.
- Completed Club, district, and state projects earn points based on the number of participants, members, and non-members, who work on the group project. Send Debbie a brief description of the project and the number of club members and non-club members who participated.
- How to win a MONETARY Award:
- BRING NATURE HOME AWARD goes to the garden club with the most total points.
- HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK AWARD – Peruse the information on the PR website and, if you qualify, add your yard to the website map. This award is for an increase in the number of members added to the map since April 19, 2023. This award is based on the per capita increase in each state. Send your club’s number of new participants added to the map to: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/.
“Unleash the Wild: Bring Nature Home” encourages each member and garden club to complete projects that help wildlife thrive from April 19, 2023, through April 19, 2025.
By Karen Bowen. Karen is a member of the Yuma Orchid and African Violet Society and Pacific Region Butterfly Chairman.
Photo: Karen Bowen
Add a birdfeeder to your patio and earn a point for your garden club.
