Ways to Help Nature And Our Mission

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• Plant local native plants and trees; visit native nurseries such as Florida Native Plant Nursery in Sarasota or Sweetbay in Bradenton
• Create a no-mow zone in your lawn and let natives grow back naturally
• Refrain from hurricane-cutting your Sabal Palms; this is a man-made practice that would never occur in nature
• Reduce or eliminate night-time lighting to benefit moths, bats and other nocturnal insects/wildlife
• Install nest boxes for birds
• If building a home, keep existing native plants/trees in the rear 10' utility easement at the time of lot clearing
• Remove invasives (such as Potato Vine, Caesar's weed, Brazilian pepper, Cogan Grass)
• If you live in a Florida Scrub-jay zone, plant Scrub Oak trees 
• If you must cut down a hazardous tree, leave the trunk at  a reasonable safe height and let it serve as a food and nesting source for birds and insects
• Leave the leaves - don't rake your yard completely in the fall
• Provide at least one water source on the ground for wildlife in addition to a bird bath, especially during the dry season

• Join a local Audubon Society
• Join your local Florida Native Plant Society Chapter
• Read Doug Tallamy's book "Nature's Best Hope" (there is also a youth edition)
• Read Doug Tallamy's book "The Nature of Oaks"
• Attend UF/IFAS workshops to educate yourself on native plants, wildlife and your local environment:

https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota/

https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/charlotte/

• Take the UF Florida Master Naturalist training:

https://masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/

• Educate yourself on urban sprawl with Jason Vuic's book "The Swamp Peddlers" or watch his video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsPvRogVcQk 
• Support other environmental non-profits in your area - collaboration is important to saving local nature.

If you live in a typical residential neighborhood in Sarasota County or Charlotte County it is highly likely if not certain that the plants/trees listed below once grew naturally on your land before your home was built.

Few to no native plants are replanted by a builder upon completion of a project. Trees they plant often do not survive due to lack of care after planting. Many new homeowners are unaware of the importance of native planting.

We encourage you to plant these back at the very least to restore true native habitat in your yard!

Coontie 

Southern Wax Myrtle 

Wild Coffee

American Beauty Berry 

Winged Sumac 

Shiny Lyonia, Rusty Lyonia 

Saw palmetto 

Chapman’s Goldenrod 

Blazing Star 

Narrowleaf Silkgrass

Wild Pennyroyal

Butterfly weed 

Black-Eyed Susan 

Tickseed 

Salt bush

Lyre-leaf Sage 

Gopher Apple 

Turkey Tangle/Frogfruit 

Muhly Grass 

Little Bluestem Grass

St. John’s Wort

Prickly Pear Cactus

Live Oak 

Sabal Palm 

Southern Florida Slash Pine 

Dahoon Holly 

Visit PlantRealFlorida.org for more details.

  Donation of your land during your lifetime to the Neighborhood Land Conservancy may bring you significant tax credit, possibly up to the current appraised value. Contact your accountant to discuss, and if you choose to move forward, we will handle the donation paperwork at no charge to you.  

A bequest is the giving of land, personal property or financial assets such as stocks, bonds and cash through the provisions of a will or estate plan. Freewill.com is a free will preparation service available for your use that partners with nonprofits. Contact an attorney for guidance, especially if you have complex estate planning needs. 

 Speak to your financial advisor for guidance on making a gift to the Neighborhood Land Conservancy of shares of stock.

Stock Donator is an entity that helps nonprofits accept stock donations. Click this link to learn more about the options they offer that can help you make a gift to us: https://stockdonator.com/how-to-donate/

Make the Neighborhood Land Conservancy a beneficiary of your retirement or annuity accounts or your life insurance. Speak to your accountant or financial advisor for more information. Provide  us with a copy of the beneficiary designation for our records for future reference.