Hello ,

As we bid farewell to 2024, we’re thrilled to share some end-of-year milestones, including welcoming new members to our Practitioners Circle and the successful completion of two Catalyst Grant projects. More details about these developments are shared below.

We’re also starting 2025 on an exciting note with the launch of The Microhabitat Manual: A Guide for Startups and Community-Based Organizations. Looking ahead, we’re eager to introduce new initiatives, such as the Incubator Grant for startup programs—stay tuned!

We dedicate this issue of the newsletter to our generous donors, whose support has been instrumental in establishing Village and Wilderness, launching the Microhabitat Program Incubator, and providing the resources necessary to advance our goal of “More Programs, Better Practices.” If you’d like to learn more about supporting this work, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Kind regards,

Tom & Tripti

RESOURCE

The Microhabitat Program Manual

This manual serves as a practical guide for community-based organizations looking to launch impactful microhabitat programs. Drawing from his conservation background, hands-on experience in establishing microhabitat initiatives, and valuable insights from our Practitioners Circle, Tom has synthesized lessons learned into this resource.

The manual addresses key considerations for startups, ranging from defining a program’s purpose and strategies to designing signage, and sourcing native plants. As the first version of a living document, it is designed to evolve over time, with updates planned periodically. We welcome your comments and feedback to help improve future editions.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHTS

The MPI Practitioners Circle welcomes two new members

A warm welcome to the latest programs joining the Practitioners Circle: 

Forsyth Audubon's Bird Friendly Habitat Certification Program, Winston-Salem, NC

Green Lents, Lents, Portland, OR

The MPI Practitioners Circle comprises community-based programs—typically nonprofits and local agencies—with two elements in common. One, they provide on-site recommendations for microhabitats. Two, they have ongoing efforts to renaturalize multiple spaces over time within a community. Know of programs that might be a good fit? Send them our way!

Visit our directory to find even more microhabitat programs across the country.

2024 CATALYST GRANT SPOTLIGHT

Expanding urban habitats through improved efficiency

Coordinating microhabitat site visits can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, limiting the reach of many programs. With support from a 2024 Catalyst Grant, Deep Roots, KC tested and customized the scheduling app Acuity to streamline coordination among volunteers, staff, and participants. In its project-wrap presentation to the Practitioners Circle, Deep Roots shared its experience using Acuity to improve efficiency, increase site visits and expand program impact.

2024 CATALYST GRANT SPOTLIGHT

Sustainable Landscapes: Demonstration, Data and Outreach Openlands

The landscape contractor community serves as the “trusted front line” for suburban homeowners, often shaping landscaping choices and practices. They are also frequently residents of underserved communities. This Openlands project, supported by a Catalyst Grant, aims to empower contractors with data and demonstration tools to expand the use of ecologically beneficial services. Phase 1 included the planning and design of four residential-scale demonstration microhabitat gardens in a high-visibility village center in Lake County, IL, alongside a data-driven approach to showcase the costs and benefits of seven sustainable landscaping practices, such as native plant selection, leaf management, and permeable hardscaping. Resources and updates are now available on a Landscaping Project webpage—check it out to learn more!

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Life After Death: America’s Cemeteries Are Rewilding

We recently came across an intriguing article about rewilding cemeteries—could this be a new avenue for microhabitat programs looking to expand beyond residential yards? It also led us to discover related efforts like the Constellation of Living Memorials project in Dallas, TX.

What is a “Microhabitat Program”?

Microhabitat programs restore ecosystem function in the fragmented landscape be it for people or biodiversity or both. Examples include community-scale efforts to create backyard habitats, bioswales in urban areas, pollinator patches along agricultural margins and more.

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Interested in supporting our work?

Donate today. Your support allows us to provide pro bono services to community-based nonprofits to help them create and share community-scale climate adaptation strategies—such as microhabitat programs. 

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We help community-based organizations invent, share and grow replicable, climate adaptation solutions. Our flagship project is the Microhabitat Program Incubator.