“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
Annual Conservation Focus
2015-2016 Conservation Focus: The Healthy Yard
The TCGC Conservation Committee was inspired by the book The Great Healthy Yard Project. So this year they’ll be studying the ideas and concepts in this book and how we as a garden club can put these environmentally friendly practices into action. The book is available online and can be ordered by clicking here.
NEW: Betsy Pringle’s “Pringle Pack” – a collection of recent articles on coal ash, global warming, clean water and stopping the use of herbicides. Click here to download the Pringle Pack.
2014-2015 Conservation Focus: Pollinators in Peril
The TCGC Conservation Committee will focus this year on educating our members about why pollinators are in peril and promote positive action to contribute to solutions. Please take the time to learn about pollinators, examine your gardening practices and challenge yourself to have a pollinator-friendly yard.
Pollinators in Peril? Bummer about Bees? What’s all the buzz about? What can you do to help?
Bees and butterflies are making the headlines these days and the news is not good. Bees are dying from a mysterious ailment coined “colony-collapse disorder” (CCD). Honeybees and native bees are both disappearing. The monarch butterfly population has declined by as much as 80% in the last decade. Why is this happening and what can we do about it. -Taken From GCA website.
GCA has issued a challenge to all chapters to help the pollinators asking garden club members to make a difference – BEGINNING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD!!
Eliminate or reduce the use of pesticides in your garden
Resources: (www.xerces.org/pesticides), Great Healthy Yard Project by Diane Lewis, M.D., member of the Bedford Garden Club (http://tghyp.com).
Plant for bees and butterflies
When purchasing plants at nursery ask whether or not the plants were treated with neonicitinoids. Commit to plant three pollinator-friendly plants in your yard this year.
Resources:
http://www.pollinator.org
http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center, http://www.gardenswithwings.com
http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/resources/plant-seed-suppliers http://www.mailordernatives.com
Become involved in your community.
Find out what’s being planted in local parks, public gardens and median strips.
Encourage clubs to have a pollinator project.
Plan a program about pollinators.
Mark your calendars and invite a friend to attend the TCGC January meeting. The meeting is on Tuesday, January 27th at 6:00 pm at Aperture Theater. We will be showing the documentary film “More Than Honey.”
Past Areas of Focus
Each year, our conversation committee chooses and area of focus. Here are some of the focus areas for the past several years.