Viewers Around the World Help Create a Bird and Butterfly Haven

Posted on June 11, 1998

The Gardening Guide at The Mining Co., Deborah Simpson, and the Birding Guide, Christine Tarski, are guiding their viewers through the "Feathers & Flowers... A Habitat Haven" project with informative weekly step-by-step articles, online photo tours of the gardens, and entertaining activities. The ideas from viewers were incorporated into a garden design for the haven that was planted in Texas during April, 1998.

This online series is the first-known garden design project of its kind, involving viewers from around the world. Viewers, some as far away as New Zealand and Zaire, offer suggestions using bulletin boards and chatrooms. Viewers send free bird and gardening Internet postcards to online friends and family. Armchair gardeners learn garden design, use a clickable haven map, as well as look up plants in the Plant Directory. Birdwatchers learn about birds and how to attract them. Viewers "stroll through" the Haven in photo tours, or flip through the Photo Album. Parents find fun activities for children, crafters find projects to sew or make.

"Viewers can follow along in our series, learning tips to use in their own landscapes and gardens. They can see what works and what does not before spending money and trying it at home," says Deb Simpson, Gardening Guide.

As cities expand, wildlife habitat is lost, land that is important for birds whether they are year-round residents, use it as a winter or summer home, or stop during the stress-filled migration time. However, viewers can see how easy it is to create new wildlife-friendly places for the birds, butterflies and other animals. "We have an article on wildlife habitat certifications for people to read as well as we show them how easy it is to make their backyards into little havens," relates Christine Tarski, Birding Guide.

This innovative project can be viewed at:
http://birding.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa060998.htm and http://gardening.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa060998.htm.