After recruiting on nextdoor.com and the Gardeners for Montavilla Facebook page, we had a small meeting at a neighbor's house. What started as a wildlife corridor idea turned into something much more inclusive.
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Wildlife Corridor Meeting May 28, 2015
Sherrie, Andy, Eric (EMSWCD), Eric, Peg, Harrison, Nicole, Dee, Christina
Introductions – what are we doing already, why do we garden, why are we here
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Wildlife Corridor Meeting May 28, 2015
Sherrie, Andy, Eric (EMSWCD), Eric, Peg, Harrison, Nicole, Dee, Christina
Introductions – what are we doing already, why do we garden, why are we here
- Edible landscaping
- Butterfly gardens
- Home is a blank slate
- Gardens as a place to welcome wildlife and be beautiful
- Everything in landscape is useful
- Low maintenance and easy
- Native, rain gardens
- Native understory, shade
- work with neighbor, shared large lawn, mini-meadow
- work with neighbor, shared large lawn, mini-meadow
- When enough neighbors naturescape it becomes the norm
- Messages from neighbors are very powerful
- Raise awareness about issues (pollinators, extinction)
- Yard tours with themes
- Edible, naturescaping, wildlife support
- Edible, naturescaping, wildlife support
- Ask people to go pesticide free and support wildlife!
- Get a metro ladybug sign – encourage people to signup (a similar project was done in overlook neighborhood)
- Get a metro ladybug sign – encourage people to signup (a similar project was done in overlook neighborhood)
- Ask people to convert their lawn parking strip to a “Pollinator Parkway”
- Parking strips are approachable, visible, and an easier place to start because of their size
- Have some pre-drawn schematics with themes like “minimum maintenance” and “Drought tolerant,” “Butterfly Meadow” or “Bring on the birds” using themes that would suit people and allow for variety of approaches and styles while making things easy.
- Utilize things like drought-tolerant plants, trees (to extend the canopy), pollinator-supporting plants, use of interesting debris (rocks, wood) to create habitat.
- “Plant it forward” when we plants that can be divided/shared to do so with people participating in the project, plant exchanges
- Maintenance tips
- Parking strips are approachable, visible, and an easier place to start because of their size
- People may think naturescaping looks too “messy” (leaves from trees, wildflower die off)
- Too much work, “not worth it”
- New to neighborhood “who are you to talk about how to change neighborhood”
- Concerns about bee stings
- Money/expense
- East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
- Backyard Bird Habitat Certification
- The Xerces Society
- Depave
- Friends of Trees
- Neighborhood Associations (Montavilla?)
- SE Uplift
- Growing Gardens
- Urban Forestry Program (legal to harvest wild natives)
- Native plant sales, plant donations?
- Treebate
- Small grant programs
- Timeline – Fall?
- Get sign-ups
- Plan of action
- Hand-outs to go with conversations
- Regulations
- Get more people involved
- Look into regulations (access sidewalk, open car doors, visibility, etc.)
- Sod disposal, soil, plants
- If we work with neighborhood association then can apply for grants to fund project
- Do we want signs or other indicator that people are participating in programs