HSV Audubon and Parks and Recreation Department hosted Dr. Dan “the birdman” Scheiman as the guest speaker, at the Coronado Center Auditorium on Thursday, January 13 at 10:00 am.
This is the first in a series of programs aimed at making Hot Springs Village a Bird-Friendly Community, presented by HSV Audubon and the Parks and Recreation Department.
His program, Creating a Bird-Friendly Yard, pointed out ways to attract and protect birds to your backyard with plants native to Arkansas. HSV Audubon provided a list of the top 50 native plants for the Village.
Dr. Dan Scheiman displays a Gold Certified Bird-Friendly yard flag. His house in Hillcrest features an all-Arkansas native plant yard.
HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED.
Over the past century, urbanization has changed once ecologically productive land into sterile lawns with exotic ornamental plants. We have introduced walls of glass, toxic pesticides, and domestic predators. The human-dominated landscape typically does not support functioning ecosystems or provide healthy places for birds. As a result, many bird species are in decline.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Your yard - and the kinds of plants in it - matters more than you may know. Native plants play an important role in providing the food and cover birds need to survive and thrive in a way that non-native plants cannot.
By increasing the number of native plants, decreasing non-native invasive plants, and making other changes to your yard and lifestyle, you can make your community a more bird-friendly community.
ABOUT DR. SCHEIMAN
Dr. Dan Scheiman is Plants for Birds Program Manager for Audubon Delta, a regional office of the National Audubon Society, and based at the Little Rock Audubon Center. Dan has a B.S. from Cornell University, M.S. from Eastern Illinois University, and Ph.D. from Purdue University.
He and his coworkers advocate for birds, restore wildlife habitat and help Arkansans improve their local environments. He has been birding for over 25 years. Since moving to Arkansas in 2005 to work for Audubon he has seen 365 of the 423 bird species documented in the state. His house in Hillcrest features an all-Arkansas native plant yard.