Wildlife
Community Wildlife Habitat
In 2019, Forest Heights Neighborhood Association became a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) certified Community Wildlife Habitat.
The overall goal was to engage and promote a sense of community among residents with a united vision to promote, protect, and enhance wildlife habitats while utilizing talents and expertise of neighborhood residents.
Neighbors were genuinely excited and enthusiastic for the wildlife certification! To compliment the Community Wildlife Habitat certification for the neighborhood, 24 individual residences certified their properties as NWF Wildlife Habitats.
The project team coordinated education and outreach events so neighbors could learn more about the wildlife certification and how they could serve a role in enhancing and preserving wildlife habitats in the neighborhood. Many of these outreach events, such as our neighborhood cleanups, have become annual traditions.
Forest Heights Pocket Park continues to serve as a central hub of activity for nearly all education and outreach events.
Build-A-Birdhouse
An engineer and architect organized a build-a-birdhouse workshop where 12 families joined together to build birdhouses.
Bird Feeders
Paired with the birdhouse building, volunteers led a pinecone bird feeder project so the youngest of neighbors could participate.
Bat Workshop
Community volunteers coordinated a bat workshop led in partnership with Zoo Knoxville and installed a bat house in the Pocket Park.
Education Kiosk
A wildlife educational kiosk was created at the Pocket Park with the teamwork of a graphic designer, editor, and ecologist.
Remove Invasives
Community volunteers removed non-native invasive vegetation from Forest Heights Pocket Park.
Garden Demo
Certified Master Gardeners volunteered their expertise to create a demonstration garden with native shrubs and flowers.
Rain Barrel
Community volunteers installed a rain barrel with educational signage to provide water for the demonstration garden.
Garden Tours
Spring garden tours in the community showcased backyard gardens as certified NWF Wildlife Habitats.
Clean-Ups
Neighborhood and greenway trail clean-ups were completed with support from Keep Knoxville Beautiful and community volunteers.
Through this certification project, FHNA connected neighbors and brought the broader vision of protecting and improving wildlife habitats into focus by highlighting various passions and interests of residents and sharing their knowledge throughout the community.
From Master Gardeners to graphic designers, wood workers and ecologists, the Community Wildlife Habitat certification brought together community members of all talents and abilities, shapes and sizes, old and young.