Bud managed to attend an event last week that I could not. He returned with a pamphlet for the Brooklyn Centre Naturalists. At first I thought it had something to do with nudists, but soon realized that I once again had gotten naturist and naturalist mixed up. For some reason, I can never seem to keep those two straight in my mind. You would think that with all my concerns over sustainability that it would be easy to remember…
So who are the Brooklyn Centre Naturalists? They are a group of businesses and home owners who got together and decided they wanted to make their community a better place to live. They worked with the National Wildlife Federation to register Brooklyn Centre as a registered NWF community habitat. What does that mean? It means that the residents make wildlife a priority because the health of a community depends in no small part on the health of the environment. A designated community wildlife habitat promotes and fosters the vigor and diversity of native plants and animals by providing the four basic elements needed to promote a healthy ecosystem. Those elements are food, water, cover and places to raise young. They work to provide these elements around the neighborhood, not just in the public parks, but also in community gardens, backyards, on school grounds, at the local church yards and even in business areas.
This is a lofty goal for a neighborhood organization, but achievable none the less. They are developing public workshops to get more residents involved. They are working to establish educational programs with local schools and community groups. They are trying to implement organic gardening techniques and preserve the local area’s unique ecosystem. They are working to establish and maintain a resource library. Most importantly in my mind is the eradication of invasive plant species and promoting the use of Ohio Native Species plants for gardens and in landscaping. What many gardeners don’t realize is that every area has a natural ecosystem. The planet has maintained itself for thousands of years. Unique species of plants have naturally developed that are perfectly suited to our local area, based on weather, rainfall, etc. Animal species that best make use of these native plants develop. It is only by the introduction of man to any region that the delicate balance of the ecosystem is upset. One need only look at how rabbits were introduced to Australia to see what can happen. Long ago rabbits were brought to Australia by settlers to give them something familiar to hunt. But with no natural predators, the rabbit population exploded, and the problems have escalated for years. By planting native species, you can promote native wildlife by giving them the food and shelter they originally had, and depend on.
If you would like to know more about this great group, email them at bcnaturlists@gmail.com-and keep your clothes on!
Tags: Cleveland neighborhoods, gardening, Go Green
