Moorhead Community Habitat Program

Information

As an Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federations Wildlife Habitat Program I welcome all who are interested in Nature and Landscaping for Wildlife. Come visit this group to see how the Community Habitat Program works.

Location: Moorhead, MN
Members: 7
Created By: Mat Paulson
Latest Activity: May 23

Hello Green Thumbs, Nature Lovers and Moorhead Residents,
As an Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federations Wildlife Habitat Program I welcome all who are interested in Nature, Saving the Environment and Landscaping for Wildlife.

The Wildlife Habitat Program brings native wildlife back into urban settings where they have been pushed out because of development and urban sprawl. This program is designed to educate the public in createing "Backyard Habitats" at schools, businesses, parks and in your own backyards. Who wouldn't want to see more birds, butterflies, squirrels and beneficial wildlife in the city?

The City of Moorhead, MN along with the National Wildlife Federation had the ground breaking for their Community Habitat Program on April 24th. With coverage from all of the local TV stations the word is getting out. We hope to have the City certified by the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010.

To start you off check out the websites below to learn more about the Wildlife Habitat Program, what we are planning for the City of Moorhead, MN and to join the local Red River Chapter of the Wild Ones Organization.

Please let me know if you would like to join our team to help out in a variety of ways. There are many volunteer opportunities but we won't make you feel obligated to volunteer. You can join just for the fun and to see the progress of our wonderful community along the Red River in Minnesota.

- We need at least four team members that will register as official NWF Wildlife Habitat volunteers.
- Join the local Red River Chapter of Wild Ones
- Design and install public habitats
- Maintain public habitats and fill and maintain public bird feeders
- Conduct educational seminars
- Hand out and talk about Habitat information at local events
- Organize and develop project goals and the Moorhead Community Habitat Program journal
- Fundraising and Budget Committee
- Plan and organize kick-off celebration
- Take pictures of certified habitats for the journal for publicity and public viewing
- Compose community description and demographics report for the registration process
- Establish informational kiosks at local sites such as libraries, malls, schools and other public areas
- Help your College or University become a Campus Ecology member or become the leader of the NWF Campus Climate Challenge
- Help with Grant Writing for the Program

- Most Importantly Respect, Love and Learn about our Community and the Environment

Please contact Mat Paulson at anytime if you are interested in volunteering or if you would like to get your yard certified.
701-367-4709
mhdcommhab@gomoorhead.com

I am very excited to meet everyone and to develop a committee that is dedicated to our local communities and the environment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRR1feHqZPY

Discussion Forum

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8 Comments

Comment by Mat Paulson on May 23, 2008 at 4:57pm

Comment by Mat Paulson on May 21, 2008 at 7:53am: I just sent this out this morning to government officials, educators and local press this morning after having a very productive volunteer meeting last night. More news to come.

My name is Mat Paulson as you may know already I am heading up the
Moorhead Community Habitat Program in cooperation with the City of
Moorhead and the National Wildlife Federation.

Our Habitat Team just had our first organizational meeting last night and
one of our main goals we have determined to be is to educate and involve
the younger generations with our program.

I have recently become involved with the No Child Left Indoors
Organization. This organization relates to all the environmental work that
I am doing just for the fact that to save the Our Green Earth We need to
Educate and get our children involved. By getting the younger generations
Outside and Learning about Natiure we are ensuring the future of what we
all should hold dear.

We need your Help. Your support is crucial in getting this campaign of
bringing nature back into our communities. The Moorhead Community Habitat
Team hopes more than anything, even more than adding Habitats to
Backyards, that Schoolyard Habitats along with Park Habitats should be our
main focus.

We have the start of something wonderful to devlop change in the
Fargo/Moorhead area. Please contact me to answer any of your questions on
how you can help support this change and add more life and respect to our
environment. To the educators reading this the National Wildlife
Federation has curriculum already in place and ready to be taught in every
subject, science, math, art, social sciences and english. Let the
outdoors be your classroom.

Here is a link to the No Child Left Indoors website and a short video
about the organization.

http://www.nclicoalition.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRR1feHqZPY

Comment by Mat Paulson on May 19, 2008 at 10:26am: Backyard habitats welcome wildlife
Kim Winnegge, The Forum
Published Monday, May 19, 2008

Mat Paulson would like to see butterflies all over Moorhead.
Paulson, a National Wildlife Federation ambassador, is spearheading a program that will teach Moorhead residents about nature preservation in their backyards, all while bringing birds and butterflies back to town.
The Moorhead Community Habitat Program is hosting its first volunteer meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in Atomic Coffee in Moorhead.
A community kick-off celebration is planned from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 27 at Moorhead Center Mall.
The community wildlife habitat will educate Moorhead residents about conserving water, planting native plants, removing invasive plants and composting.

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Kim Winnegge Archive
The program held a groundbreaking ceremony April 24 in Moorhead’s Ridgewood Park, as the first city-owned park to begin the certification process.
The city hopes to transform some of the park’s land into a bird and butterfly garden.
Starting the community habitat program is an extension of his love of nature, Paulson said.
“I’ve always had a love for wildlife,” said Paulson, who said he got in his nature-loving start when he was in high school.
As Paulson attracts more volunteers to the group, he hopes more residents will consider turning their own backyards into certified habitats.
To become certified with the national federation, residents must make sure their backyard habitats incorporate food, water, shelter and an environment for the wildlife to raise its young, Paulson said.
In order for the city to become a certified community wildlife habitat, a minimum of 150 homes need to participate in the project.
“The response has been so overwhelming just by word of mouth in the last few months,” Paulson said.
Paulson’s parents are in the process of getting certified, as well as several Moorhead City Council members.
Nancy Otto counts herself among that number.
Since she first heard about Paulson’s venture, Otto has made it a point to make her backyard more wildlife-friendly.
Bird feeders are positioned in direct view of her dining room window, Otto said.
“You can really attract some beautiful birds,” Otto said. “They’re just fun to watch.”

“It like seems a wonderful hobby to get involved with.”

Comment by Mat Paulson on May 16, 2008 at 8:01am: Hi Everyone,

I've got some exciting news for the NWF Wildlife Habitat Program. 3 Little Birds Landscaping has been contracted to install three complete bird and butterfly habitats, one in Moorhead and two in Fargo. I am excited about all of them but am thrilled to design and install a bird garden where we will be removing the entire lawn (over 1000sq feet) and adding a water feature, feeding areas, misting system and viewing areas. This project will be unprecidented in Fargo/Moorhead and will bring a lot of recognition to the Wildlife Habitat Program.

I will post updates on this project and all of the Habitats being installed in the area in the months to come and hope to have a tour of Habitats later this summer.

Comment by Mat Paulson on May 7, 2008 at 7:23am: The First Organizational Meeting For Volunteers-
Monday, May 19 7:00 pm
Atomic Coffee
16 4th St N
Moorhead

This will be our first organizational meeting, we will be going over volunteer options, plans to get the word out to the public and getting ready for the Moorhead Community Habitat Program Kick-Off on Tuesday May 27th from 5:00 - 7:30pm.

To all of you that are in the group from other areas of the country and the world we'll keep you updated on our progress.

Please let me know if you will be attending!

Comment by Mat Paulson on May 5, 2008 at 10:10am: Feel free to browse photos of Wildlife Habitats created in the Fargo/Moorhead area on my page.

Comment by Mat Paulson on April 30, 2008 at 3:31pm: Exciting news! Two Professors from Concordia College Moorhead will be joining our group and possibly bringing some of the students to join as well. This brings us up to about 15 volunteers and 20 group members! The Environmental students will be volunteering on one of our Schoolyard Habitat Projects in Moorhead in the Fall.

Comment by Mat Paulson on April 30, 2008 at 3:26pm: Well I'm going to start things off on the wall. Welcome to all of you that have joined the Moorhead Community Habitat Program and to all of the visitors that are checking things out.

More updates to come.