Turning "Weeds" to Riches in the Eyes of your HOA Neighbors! [389]

Residents in an HOA may see "weeds" as unsightly, but littoral zone vegetation around ponds can bring lots of wildlife back into your community!
PLAYLIST Water Quality Champions: Success Stories from Sarasota Neighborhoods tinyurl.com/anjc8rmr
DOWNLOAD Videos, Photos, Fact Sheets for advice on HOA Pond Restoration tinyurl.com/yuw32h54
So shortly after I came to this community, I was engaged into a Lake committee. It's one of about four committees that run the elements of the HOA. And I really like that; partly because I'm a scientist and I can help make decisions and supervise our contractors, but also in outreach. A good example of that is in this community, a lot of the established residents are concerned about these plants that you see, the littoral zone plants, and they'll call me and say, I'm so concerned about all the weeds. When are you going to get those weeds out? And I explained that they aren't weeds, that they're plants that are here very much by intent. And I ask them, do you like the wildlife that's in the community? And they say, Oh yeah, you mean like those pink birds, the roseate spoonbills. I said, exactly. What do you think they use to live in and to nest in? Oh, those plants? And that's one of the ways to get people to accept them.