Your Own Habitat Hero Haven

We’ve all dreamed about living on our own private refuge somewhere out there. Why not build your own little beautiful getaway right here at home? One that will provide more than your own satisfaction – it will help establish a welcoming sanctuary in our urban desert of asphalt and concrete. A place where birds, butterflies and hummingbirds can find a haven of natural food and shelter you’ve created for them. A place that gives you a smile, a mental and stress-reducing getaway in nature’s beauty, along with the rewards of lower water bills and the satisfaction of knowing you have helped create a Habitat Hero island for many to see and enjoy. Travel with us to this Habitat Hero haven: we’ll show you how as we take this journey together.

Don Ireland, your Habitat Hero Destination Guide, will be at Creek Side Gardens on Saturday June 18 at 10:00am to spread the news of the Habitat Hero program throughout the Audubon Rockies region, the Front Range and beyond. The discussion and presentation will include:

  • The need to improve or change landscaping, especially in urban areas (by increasing the use of native and Plant Select-recommended species) to attract more birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators that benefit all creatures.
  • Conserving water, an especially scarce natural resource in the Colorado River Basin.
  • Improving natural beauty and habitat diversity through Wildscaping.
  • Offering insight and potential resources to home owners, HOAs and owners of commercial-industrial properties so they can save money through more appropriate use of outdoor areas.

Class guide: Don Ireland is the volunteer president of Cherry Creek 3 HOA in southeast Denver and a former professional public speaker from Pittsburgh. Under his leadership, Don helped his Association reduce its annual water consumption by 15 million gallons annually, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years. The water savings, coupled with a xeriscape and native plants retrofit, has put the HOA in the statewide spotlight the past two years. In 2014, Cherry Creek 3 became the first HOA named a Habitat Hero in the state. In 2015, Don and Cherry Creek 3 were the recipients of the Colorado WaterWise Conservation Award, marking the first time a non-water professional organization received the honor.