Hometown habitat heroes
From staff reports
You are invited to attend a free showing of Hometown Habitat — Stories of Bringing Nature Home at 7 p.m. on June 2 at the Empire Township Hall. Through the film’s profile of seven hometown habitat heroes, this film will help to answer these questions and more for you.
• Did you know that native plants – once established – do not require the use of chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides to maintain their beauty?
• Did you know that native plants don’t require extra watering from our precious supply of potable water?
• Did you know that our native pollinators and birds generally prefer native plants for nectaring and seed?
“Hometown Habitat” is an eye opening film about examining our current outdoor landscaping and gardening and how it impacts all life around us. As more and more or our native land is “developed” by being planted with imported cultivars, our native animals, insects and plant life’s very existence are threatened.
The narrative thread of this 8-part documentary is provided by renowned entomologist Douglas Tallamy, Ph.D. whose research, books and lectures about the use of non-native plants in landscaping sound the alarm about habitat and species loss. Tallamy challenges the notion that humans are here and nature is someplace else. Tallamy says, “It doesn’t have to and shouldn’t be that way.”
For two years, producer/director Catherine Zimmerman and film crew traveled around the country to visit hometown habitat heroes and film their inspiring stories of community commitment to conservation landscaping. Zimmerman shares these success stories and works in-progress that re-awaken and re-define our relationship with nature. The message will inspire you — all of us have the power to support habitat for wildlife and bring natural beauty to our patch of the Earth. The goal will energize you — to build a new army of habitat heroes and make natural landscaping the new landscaping norm.
This free 90-minute film is brought to you by the Glen Lake Library, Empire, Michigan and the Glen Lake Garden Club. Both the library and garden club’s service area is Empire Township, Glen Arbor Township and Kasson Township in Leelanau County Michigan.
For local information about this film: David Diller, Glen Lake Community Library, 10115 E Front St., Empire, MI 49630; email: Info@glenlakelibrary.net; phone: 231-326-5361.
