Eco Kids Project Spotlight- Recycled Pallet Bat House

Today’s EcoKids project spotlight comes to us compliments of the Boudreau family. EcoSRQ is always looking for innovative ways to use shipping pallets and Alex Boudreau and his girls found a great re-use project that also benefits wildlife. Their Recycled Pallet Bat House is constructed from a shipping pallet that otherwise would be discarded and end up in a landfill.

Bat houses provide important roosts for many of Florida’s 13 fantastic bat species. Bats are the most important controller of night flying insects, including mosquitoes. A single bat can eat up to 3,000 insects a night! Sadly, many bat species are disappearing from Florida. Lack of roost sites comprises the biggest threat to bats survival worldwide. For more information on backyard bat houses, including how to build your own bat house, check out the Florida Bat Conservacy.

Thanks to Alex, his wife Donna, Bailey (13), Erin (11) and Cameron (9) for sharing their great project with us….oh and for the muscle.

If you have an EcoKids project you would like to share, contact us.

Rain Barrels

A question we get regularly from our readers is: Where can a get a rain barrel locally that isn’t going to break the bank?

Easy. Sarasota County Water Resources is offering rain barrels to residents for $37. (including the spigot assembly)

Rain barrel classes are offered throughout the year. Details can be found: Here

 

The benefits of rain barrels are many, but here are just a few:

 

-Protects our rivers, streams and bays! Water stored in your rain barrel is water that won’t rush into our rivers and out to the bay. Instead, as you use the stored rain water around the home and garden, it will absorb slowly into the ground replenishing groundwater supplies. By decreasing the volume of stormwater runoff, rain barrels also help moderate stream erosion and the resulting pollution from fertilizers and other contaminants that are impairing our waterways.

-Reduces flooding in your yard, by collecting the water and using it for watering plants or slowly releasing it and allowing it to sink into the ground.

-Provides your plants with water they will love. Unlike treated water, which is often “softened” with dissolved minerals or has added chlorine, rain water is what plants are adapted to use. Chlorine-free water also helps maintain a healthy biotic community in the soil.

-Saves money and water! Instead of water from the tap or hose, you can use the water you’ve saved to keep your home landscape happy and growing. You’ll also reduce your water bill and sewage bill!

Bioswale Web Page Now Up and Running

Check out our new web page featuring a slideshow of our recently completed bioswale which shows step by step how we created a beautiful bioswale out of our existing drainage ditch. The page also has more information on bioswales and rain gardens as well as some useful links to get you started.

Click the link below to go to the site:

http://ecosrq.com/bioswale.html