Tipping Point Grant Proposal
TIPPING POINT GRANT PROPOSAL
Project Description*
In 2021, the Swannanoa Community Council (SCC), a 501c3 volunteer organization, acquired, through a donation, a 2.35-acre parcel of land in the Grovemont neighborhood containing a rich and varied habitat, including wetlands and cove forest. Due to neglect and continuous disturbance the site had been overtaken by invasive plants. Since the acquisition, community volunteers have begun work on the removal of invasive, creating access to the site, and educating the community about invasive and native plant species and their impacts on biodiversity.
Goals for the Fox Creek site:
~ To assess and restore the wetlands and surrounding native habitat through the removal of the invasive plant species.
~To promote community involvement and education by engaging Swannanoa community volunteers in the restoration project.
~To create a site for environmental education with walking trails, signage and educational programming.
Tipping Point Project Goal:
To acquire a professional ecological assessment of the site, a management/restoration plan and training for volunteers that will inform and support the current and future actions of community as we work to restore a healthy and diverse habitat and develop Fox Creek Park as a site for environmental education and enjoyment.
Specifically we seek:
1. A wetlands delineation map to be registered with the US Army Corps of Engineers, as required, for future wetlands restoration and/or any future development to the site (e.g. walkways, signage).
2. An inventory of plants, wildlife and habitat types in the park to establish baseline environmental conditions that will inform the restoration plan and allow us to track changes in the environment over time.
3. A habitat management/restoration plan to inform ongoing and future management actions by the community.
4. Training for community volunteers in invasive plant removal, native plant identification, habitat restoration and monitoring of vegetation and keystone wildlife species.
Vision*
The project has already proven to be a vehicle for community building, generating excitement and involvement as volunteers from throughout the Swannanoa valley have attended work days in the park and have donated time, energy, and equipment for clearing an entrance and creating paths, signage, rudimentary maps, an initial a species list, and a website (http://foxcreekpark.org). The park workdays have included a strong community-building element, as a local chef prepared and donated a picnic lunch for each workday so that participants could spend time together afterwards. One workday involved a plant identification scavenger hunt that had volunteers working in groups to find and identify the invasive species and native plants in the park.
As the park develops it will provide the community with an educational site to explore and learn about the variety of different ecozones within the 2+ acre site including upland forest, wetlands, and various sub-classifications of each. Through the park we intend to emphasize and educate the community about the vital importance of promoting biodiversity and how we can all support that goal both in the park and in our own yards, by nurturing native plants and avoiding invasives.
As a tipping point, this grant will provide key resources that will allow us to take this project to the next level in furthering our goals of restoration of biodiversity on the site, promotion of community engagement and environmental education. The wetlands delineation will be necessary before we can add walkways or signposts to the park which will be key to our educational mission which involves bringing visitors safely into the park without negatively impacting the environment. The ecological assessment will allow us to establish baseline conditions in the park, as a basis to compare to future conditions and develop comprehensive plans for the most environmentally friendly and efficient methods of invasive species removal.
Goals*
This project supports the goal of “Ensuring Positive Place” as it focuses on reclaiming and restoring the biodiversity, health, and natural beauty of 2.3 acres of land in the center of a small community. One of the primary reasons that invasive species, like the kudzu and the others that have taken over Fox Creek, are problematic is that they out-compete the native species and, over time, they drastically reduce the diversity of species in the area that they invade. Each native species that is lost, has an impact on the healthy functioning of the ecosystem. Biodiverse and healthy ecosystems have value, in themselves and they also serve several functions that can have effect on the health and well-being of humans. Diverse ecosystems help cycle carbon, fix nutrients in the soil, clean the water, encourage pollination, and prevent flooding and erosion. The removal of non-native species will help to restore this piece of land to its natural biodiversity, contributing positively to the health of the environment and the health of the inhabitants.
This project is also designed to serve the goal of “Connecting People” both through its educational mission and as a volunteer-driven project that has already attracted a diverse group from throughout the Swannanoa Valley who are inspired by its goals. An Eagle Scout built a “little library” for the site, woodworkers have donated time to making a sign for the park, people with knowledge of plants and birds have worked on species lists, others have taken photographs for the website, a drone owner took aerial pictures and someone else turned those pictures into a map, a chef prepared meals for volunteers, people with tools and equipment have come out to work on paths and remove kudzu crowns and children have attended workdays and participated in plant identification. There seems to be no limits to the ways this project will create new connections within and beyond the Swannanoa Valley.
Partners*
The partners on this project are two Swannanoa based 501c3 community organizations: The Swannanoa Community Council (SCC) and The Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS) which have a long history of cooperation and mutual support.
The SCC is a 501c3 all volunteer organization that owns and maintains Grovemont Park and the Swannanoa Branch Library Building. The SCC has a fifty-year history of developing and supporting cultural, recreational, and health-related initiatives for residents of the Swannanoa Valley. The SCC sponsors an annual summer concert series, a fixture for many decades, and recently added a Winterfest. The organization raised the funds to build a small covered bandshell in Grovemont Park and is currently working on a project to make that Park more accessible by creating rubberized walking paths. SCC initiated the Fox Creek Park project by working with the former owner of the property to secure the donation of the property to the council. The SCC has collaborated with other community members to organize the workdays in the park, the development of the website, the educational programming, the creation of signage and other progress so far on the project
FANS is a volunteer, 501c3 community organization that distributes a community e-newsletter with 2,000 subscribers and actively promotes community issues, news, and events on social media. Among the FANS projects are the Swannanoa Community Garden a volunteer-supported garden that provides fresh produce to neighbors in need as well as a meeting place for classes and community events, including a kids’ summer garden camp. FANS also leads roadside trash-pick-up events and Swannanoa River clean-ups. Through FANS advocacy efforts the Swannanoa community obtained its first covered bus shelters on U.S. 70. FANS role in the Fox Creek Park project will be to help to promote the Fox Creek Park project and related events and to recruit new volunteers through its newsletter and social media presence.
Sustainability*
The Swannanoa Community Council (SCC) has a long history (fifty years) of successfully maintaining and developing of Grovemont Park including many successful grants for park maintenance and improvements and regular successful annual fundraising efforts. In taking on the restoration of Fox Creek Park, it has committed to additional fund raising, as needed. Donors can earmark donations to the SCC specifically for Fox Creek Park and small donations have already come in.
This Tipping Point grant will address all the costs needed to take the project to the next level and, because our proposal intentionally places a strong emphasis on training for volunteers, it will help to create a self-sustaining cohort. The wetlands delineation, ecological assessments and equipment that we have requested in the grant will provide a platform for years’ worth of ecological restoration and management, on-the-ground and hands-on strategies that can be achieved by the community, and timelines which will minimize impacts during the process. Fox Creek Park has obtained tax exempt status and has no current ongoing maintenance costs so, much of the sustainability of the project will depend on the ongoing commitment of volunteers which has been amply demonstrated so far.
Tipping Point Grant Budget
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