In the Finley Woods Neighborhood in Gainesville Florida, there are several neighborhood natural areas that are maintained by the homeowner association. These forested areas provide habitat for a variety of wildlife. In particular, the stormwater natural areas, both the basins and around the edges, are meant to regenerate naturally and very little mowing occurs in these areas. These natural retention areas provide habitat for wildlife. Finley Woods developers, managers and residents collaborated with University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and IFAS Extension to install ten educational signs that have 16 educational panels that discuss wildlife around a pond, water quality and quantity issues, sandhill cranes, invasive exotics, landscaping with native plants, pollinators, bird habitat and several other topics. These panels are rotated throughout the year by a management company associated with Finley Woods developers (for questions regarding the signs – contact Lynette FinleyWoods@vestapropertyservices.com).

iNaturalist: Residents in the Finley Woods neighborhood and nearby areas are monitoring plants and animals in the area with the iNaturalist program and their iNaturalist project can be found here. If interested in participating in the iNaturalist project, contact Dr. Mark Hostetler (hostetm@ufl.edu).

Restoration Activities: Several residents within the community are landscaping with native plants and utilizing water saving techniques to reduce irrigation. If interested in learning more, contact Dr. Mark Hostetler (hostetm@ufl.edu).