North Carolina Wildlife Federation Helps Put Local County and Local Cause in the Spotlight
When Corrie Woods, a member of the Gardening For Life Project Leadership Team, began talking to the folks at North Carolina Wildlife Federation about our March 4th, 2023 event there was an immediate connection. Tara Moore, Directory of Conservation Partnerships and Kate Greiner, VP of Philanthropy knew that we were serious about getting our community energized about healthy habitats and earth stewardship when they learned we were bringing Dr. Doug Tallamy to town. But that wasn’t all, our team had our sights set on the event being more than a presentation by a world-renowned ecologist. We also envisioned a free community experience, exhibits by environmentally focused regional organizations, pollinator seed giveaways, oak sapling giveaways and more.
Fast forward from our early days of dreaming and planning and the Gardening for Life Celebration is coming up March 4th. We are very excited to share that NCWF will be joining as an exhibitor. Our community will have a chance to learn about NCWF Butterfly Highway program and more. Too, they are helping us to get the word out.
We are grateful for their participation and their support!
Read the NCWF Guest Post via their Blog. Here is an excerpt:
Bestselling Conservation Author Inspires a Community to Take Action
– Written by Corrie Woods, Gardening For Life Project Leadership Team
“[A] proactive approach to earth stewardship will no longer be the unfulfilled dream of a few environmentalists, but a culturally embraced imperative, not only because we have no other choice, but because it works. It is nature’s, and thus humanity’s, best hope.” – Douglas W. Tallamy, Nature’s Best Hope
What happens when a few nature-loving friends sit down for a chat about one of bestselling author Douglas Tallamy’s recent books, and about biodiversity in our backyards? In this case, the desire for change within our community was born.
That day, this group of friends created the Gardening For Life Project with the vision to bring Douglas Tallamy to town to energize our community and hold a huge celebration for wildlife, habitat and community.
There was concern at the outset that it would be hard to drum up enough support and participation in our rural community to make this event a success. Polk County sits tucked into the Carolina Foothills just north of the South Carolina state line and encompasses 239 square miles with a population of just 19,000 people, making it one of North Carolina’s smallest counties.
Not to be daunted, however, our team was determined to make this event a reality. We knew that what our community may lack in size, it more than makes up for in community spirit… not to mention the treasures of biological diversity that we are dedicated to protecting in our area. Our strategy was to create a free event that would attract people from throughout our region and from all walks of life. With just such a community gathered, we could build excitement about engaging in our habitats at home, present eye-opening information as a call to action, and plant seeds for ongoing initiatives and conversations. … Read the entire article via the NCWF Blog