Nashville Zoo's Grassmere Historic Farm has been certified as a Backyard Bird Sanctuary by The Habitat Connection, a local non-profit that encourages businesses and individual homeowners to create native habitats that support wild bird populations.
The certification is another step in the Zoo's ongoing efforts to practice local conservation by regenerating native habitats that provide food for pollinators, birds, and other species.
"Everyone can make a significant contribution to protect the environment right here at home," said John Kell, Co-Founder of The Habitat Connection. "Establishing native habitats just takes a few basic necessities, and once that's in place, it lays the foundation for biodiversity and an ecological balance."
Certification from The Habitat Connection requires multiple sources of food and shelter as well as a clean source of water. In addition, the certification requires several ongoing practices like eliminating pesticides, removing non-native, invasive plants, and reducing light pollution. More information on the certification program can be found at www.thehabitatconnection.org.
Nashville Zoo's other local conservation efforts include the establishment of an apiary in 2022; head start programs for streamside salamanders, alligator snapping turtles, and Easter hellbenders tracking Eastern box turtles on the Zoo's property, tracking and banding loggerhead shrikes, and monitoring populations of Nashville crayfish. More information about the Zoo's conservation efforts can be found at www.nashvillezoo.org/conservation.
About Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is a nonprofit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, exemplifying the highest standards of animal care and husbandry. The Zoo is actively engaged in conservation research, habitat protection, breeding programs, and education initiatives in our backyard as well as around the world. With support from the Nashville community, donors, and sponsors, the Zoo is ranked the number one tourist attraction in Middle Tennessee and welcomes more than 1.4 million guests annually. Nashville Zoo is located at 3777 Nolensville Pike just six miles south of downtown. For more information about Nashville Zoo, visit nashvillezoo.org.
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