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| I am a 7th grade teacher who recently purchased a home two blocks from where I teach. Our property extends 50 feet beyond our fence line and attaches to 50 more feet of greenspace. The property has douglas firs, misc. saplings (and a few other trees), some wild rhodies and other plant life. Some of the plants are native and some are not. It also has TONS of ivy.
My hope is to have my students come in this spring and do an ivy pull to rid this property (and my neighbors and the greenspace) of this terrible foe. Our plan is to have the kids remove non-native plants and essentially create a natural bird habitat. Granted this is somewhat selfish on my part (I get to enjoy the lovely veiw), but it is also taking care of a neighborhood greenspace. On top of this, the city has began to discuss putting in a walking trail in this greenspace. This trail will only be about five blocks long. We feel a bird habitat will perhaps help the city change their mind. I think this will be a good oppurtunity for our kids to plan and implement a project. My question is this (finally), what are some websites or places where I could get more info? I am the English teacher (not the Science teacher who is swapped in other projects now). What suggestions or ideas do you have? We are also hoping to get some donations for local businesses, but we are just now brainstorming. Thanks for your input, Homersgarden |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi, Good idea! (Poison ivy is a native plant, though.) Try the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat Program. I raised $800 out of my classroom in just 5 months by selling snacks I bought at Costco. I got seeds from good people online, planted them in a portable greenhouse, in addition to buying native plants and planting them. (We created a native butterfly garden in addition to adding native flowers throughout the school grounds. A student's father donated his wood and work and made 4 bluebird houses. I just had to but the posts and make baffles. I recommend they do fund raising as well as seek donations. Bake sales, tag sales, etc. Good luck. (Here is the garden we created: |
Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Habitats
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