We have a landscape design partner! Mesa Community College Landscape Design instructor and her class will take on showing us how beautiful a wildlife/pollinator/rain garden can be. Thank you Caryn Heaps and MCC course AGL189! Next event will be a "client" meeting with the AGL students at Phoenix College.
We have an official spot! The future Phoenix College Pollinator Garden will be North of the Art Building.
Some more news from our last meeting:
First step toward successful garden, plan, plan, plan - Create a master plan for the area.
Action items: Charlie - Shared landscape design plans for the current landsacping in this area
Action items: Elena - Will reach out to Horticulture professor at Mesa to see if there's a Landscape Design instructor that would like to have his students work on this project. Also, Elena plans to incorporate this project into her Bio 108, Bio 105 and Bio100 courses, Students will research and make recommendations on plants and students will monitor pollinators and other wildlife at the location to see if the change in landscaping will have an effect, starting Spring 2019. Currently working on plant propagation basics to set up the greenhouse for best results.
Action Items: Sandra - will look into courses or workshops to educate grounds on tree and plant care for wildlife, Smartscape at extension office?
Next meeting will be Friday August 23, 2019 at 8am North of ART building, to discuss possible site and scope of work. Challenges, limitations and possibilities, opportunities.
Action Plan
Location:
Planting bed north of the Art Building and stormwater retention basin on the east side of the North Parking lot (need to consult with Doug McCarthy)
Timeline:
Fall Semester 2019 - Plan and start growing plant material, monitoring baseline data. Funds will be used for purchasing containers for plant propagation, propagation will also use the Biosciences growth chambers and greenhouse. Students in Bio108: Plants and Society will learn about plant propagation. Bio108 students will also learn about gardening for wildlife (NWF reading) and the benefits to human health and well-being through a literature review.
Spring Semester 2020 - Earthworks water retention basins, rain water harvesting pilot. Funds will be needed for renting earth moving equipment.
Fall 2020 - Planting, certification with NWF and signage and monitoring (Bio100 students?). Funds will be used for signage and seating
Spring 2021 - Monitoring, Maintenance plans (maybe Cathy Wise can help with educating us on maintaining plants for wildlife?), Outreach and community education (Bio 100, 105 and 108 students?)
Immediate Actions:
Sandra - Consult with Doug McCarthy head of Operations department on location and any constraints on using the retention basin
Matt - Inventory and estimate costs of additional of planting containers for propagating native plant materials
Elena - Reach out to City of Phoenix Water Department - Water Conservation education specialist (Tina Sleeper?) for other available resources and rain garden expertise
Bio 108 students - (Fall 2019) start growing plant materials in fall 2019, assess needs using NWF Wildlife Garden Certification Guidelines.
Next meeting:
Early August 2019 to finalize location and pool resources. reminder: invite Charlie Sweezey (back from vacation)
Resources:
National Wildlife Federation - Wildlife Garden Certification Guidelines https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife
City of Phoenix Water Services - Water Conservation Landscaping Resources https://www.phoenix.gov/waterservices/resourcesconservation
Cathy Wise at Audubon Nature Center Phoenix - plants for birds program
Natalie Melkonoff at Desert Botanical Garden - milkweed program
Watershed Management Group?
SUSTAINABILITY GARDEN
Purpose:
To educate students on the importance of certain species on their effect on our environment.
Species to highlight:
Hummingbirds
Bees
Butterflies
Construction:
Plant plants that attract the highlighted species (especially milkweed for butterflies)
Have it centrally located
Provide sitting areas for student
Provide signage to explain the importance of these and other species to our environment.
