Our Habitat Projects

Westland High School students in AP Environmental Science, Biology and AP Biology recently helped install a new pollinator garden on campus.  Students planted native species and added features including bird feeders and a bird bath to help provide food and habitat for declining pollinator populations. This hands-on project gave students the opportunity to support local ecosystems while applying their classroom learning in a meaningful way. This fall some serviceberry and other native trees and shrubs will be added to support an adjacent shade garden.  Two rain barrels are being connected to harvest rainwater from the roofs of nearby buildings. This project was supported with an Ohio Environmental Education Fund mini grant and the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District mini grant.

Second Baptist Church, on the Near East side, is the oldest Black Baptist church in Columbus and was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Church members wanted to revive a community garden in a square plot on their property that had been filled with turf grass. FCPP volunteers assisted with site clean-up in the fall of 2025, and in April 2026 a stellar crew of volunteers laid seven yards of mulch and planted native wildflower seeds around the perimeter of the plot. Pollinators visiting the new native plants will also benefit the vegetable garden the church members are starting in the middle of the site to support their food pantry. FCPP is proud to partner with such an historically important institution that continues to play a critical role in the community! This project was supported with an Ohio Environmental Education Fund mini-grant.

For several years, FCPP board members have provided presentations for the Grange Insurance Audubon Center’s “Native Plant Backyard Challenge.”  Many people are expressing interest in going “native” but also uncertainty about how to get started.   In 2025, we offered a lottery to provide technical advice to 20 Franklin County residents on garden design, site preparation and plant selections, along with 12 plant plugs to start a small pollinator garden.  We were delighted when more than 500 people applied!  Twenty site hosts were randomly chosen. Volunteers conducted short site visits and helped the hosts with turf grass removal or planting if needed.  Hosts were provided a lavender butterfly logo sign and asked to register their garden on the national Pollinator Pathway website. Twenty new pollinator gardens were installed in October and November 2025, thanks to mini grant funding from Ohio EPA’s Environmental Education Fund.