{"id":16674,"date":"2020-04-20T17:59:15","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T17:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/?p=16674"},"modified":"2026-04-20T19:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:07:54","slug":"wild-spaces-community-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/wild-spaces-community-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"WILD Spaces: Community Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Just joining in now? Check out the first blog in this journey: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/gardening-for-wildlife-connect-and-learn\/\"><em>Connect and Learn<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Plant Recipients Have Been Chosen!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Thank you to every school that applied for free native pollinator plants and submitted their garden project! Our 2026 plant recipients have now been selected.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If your school was chosen<\/strong>, you will have <strong>already received a separate e-mail<\/strong> with the next steps.<\/li>\n<li>Schools that requested plants <strong>but were not selected<\/strong> will receive a <strong>small package by mail<\/strong> to the address submitted on the application. (Packages are reserved for <strong>schools<\/strong>\u2014not groups or )<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Didn\u2019t Get Plants? You Can Still Plant a Garden!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-standard wp-image-4674\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/kids-gardening-1100x640.jpg\" alt=\"Kids gardening\" width=\"1100\" height=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are many ways to create a thriving pollinator garden this spring:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Find Native Plants Locally \u2014 <\/strong>Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/gardening-for-wildlife\/?src=EL\">CWF Gardening for Wildlife hub<\/a> to locate a <a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/gardening-for-wildlife\/plants\/buy\/native-plant-suppliers\/\">Native Plant Supplier<\/a> near you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Try Low\/No\u2011Cost Habitat Wins<\/strong> \u2014 Add value now with brush or rock piles, leaf\u2011litter corners, hollow stems left standing,<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use Other Forms of Support <\/strong>\u2014 Many organizations in Canada offer grants, small funding streams, or education to support outdoor learning, greening projects, or habitat creation. Here are some that schools frequently succeed with:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>Local community foundations<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/gardening-for-wildlife\/plants\/buy\/native-plant-suppliers\/\">Local plant nurseries <\/a><\/li>\n<li>Local horticultural societies<\/li>\n<li>Municipal environmental grants<\/li>\n<li>Provincial electric utility community grants (e.g. Hydro\/Fortis local programs\/)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.td.com\/ca\/en\/about-td\/ready-commitment\/funding\/fef-grant\">TD Friends of the Environment Foundation<\/a> (TDFEF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wwf.ca\/take-action\/apply-for-funding\/go-wild-school-grants\/\">WWF Go Wild Grants<\/a> (when available)<\/li>\n<li>School district innovation or environmental stewardship funds<\/li>\n<li>Parent council fundraising<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can combine even small grants to cover expenses like soil, mulch, pollinator plants, tools, signage, and student materials.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Classroom\u2011ready Resources (CWF Learning Library)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/education.cwf-fcf.org\/library\/resources\/get\/232415\/pages-from-colouring-pages-template-v2-1.pdf\"><strong>A Bird\u2011Friendly Garden<\/strong><\/a><strong> (activity\/colouring)<\/strong> \u2014 introduces habitat needs and observation skills for younger learners<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/education.cwf-fcf.org\/library\/resources\/view\/286534\/\"><strong>How to Start a Garden<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 practical tips for sequencing your project (site, soil, layout, maintenance)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/education.cwf-fcf.org\/library\/resources\/get\/229825\/factsheet_pollinators_en.pdf\"><strong>Helping Pollinators in Your Garden<\/strong> <\/a>\u2014 quick wins students can add to their garden<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>After You Plant: Get Certified (Free Sign for Schools!)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10276\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10276\" style=\"width: 1100px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10276 size-square\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/garden-signs-1100x1100.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"1100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/garden-signs-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/garden-signs-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10276\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CWF Wildlife-friendly Garden Certification signs. | \u00a9 Sarah Coulber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once your garden is established, apply to <a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/gardening-for-wildlife\/action\/get-certified\/\"><strong>certify your garden as a \u201cWildlife\u2011friendly Habitat.\u201d<\/strong><\/a> Certification recognizes gardens that provide food, water, shelter and are cared for in earth\u2011friendly ways, and it\u2019s a great way to celebrate student stewardship.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus for schools:<\/strong> When your school garden is certified, you\u2019ll receive a <strong>free sign<\/strong> to showcase your achievement and inspire your community!<\/p>\n<p><strong>April Events to Inspire Your Students<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/national-wildlife-week.html\"><strong>National Wildlife Week \u2014 Check out our week of webinars<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/inaturalist\/cnc\/\"><strong>City Nature Challenge<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> <strong>April 24\u201327, 2026<\/strong> (use <a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/inaturalist.html\">iNaturalist<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Thanks For Growing With Us!<\/h4>\n<p>Whether your school received plants or not, your efforts are creating real habitat and rich outdoor learning. Every native plant, water dish, log pile, and student observation helps local biodiversity.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you discovered this blog on our website, be sure to sign up for the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/wild-education\/?src=EL\"><em>WILD Spaces e\u2011blast.<\/em><\/a><em> You\u2019ll receive monthly updates, next\u2011step reminders, and resources featuring each month\u2019s highlighted pollinator\u2014everything you need to stay inspired and keep your garden growing strong!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-excerpt\">Just joining in now? Check out the first blog in this journey: Connect and Learn Plant Recipients Have Been Chosen! Thank you to every school that applied for free native&hellip;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":16675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642,641],"tags":[1274,10362],"class_list":["post-16674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-gardening","tag-wild-spaces","tag-wild-spaces-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16674"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16687,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16674\/revisions\/16687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}