The Spring Hill Garden Club will receive a $5,000 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2006 Community Education Grant Program.
The Spring Hill Garden Club was awarded the funds for the “Florida Native Plant Garden” project. This Florida-friendly landscape project will use all native plants and is an expansion of the cooperator’s previous efforts. More than 250,000 visitors will learn about the advantages of Florida-friendly landscaping. Volunteers will remove invasive species and replace them with Florida native plants. Volunteers will also construct wetland and upland habitats and establish an ongoing maintenance schedule as well as coordinate educational seminars.
The project is funded by the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board, which includes portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties.
This year the District awarded 34 grants Districtwide for a total of $151,278. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.
The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in water protection through various activities and educational formats.
This is the ninth year community education grants have been available.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2007 Community Education Grant Program will begin its application process in August of this year if funding is approved by the Basin Boards. The deadline for applications is tentatively scheduled for September. To be added to the mailing list to receive the 2007 Application and Guidelines, call the District’s Communications Department at 800-423-1476 or 352-796-7211, ext. 4757.