The votes are in and the project of choice is the San Antonio Zoo Butterfly Garden. Here is the tentative plan:

Each gardening show will encourage their listeners to sign up for their Challenge Team. They must be SAWS customers. We need the names and addresses by June 1.

 

You can sign them up at your sponsor’s place of business for the whole month of May or even on a website.  If the names are collected on a website, forward the names and addresses to Elliott Fry (efry@saws.org) in comma delimited format (CSV) as they come in, or when it is convenient. We will organize them in a database and monitor water use. Reports will be provided each month from the end of June (July 15) through October (November 15).

 

The goal will be to save 5% of the water use for the period of June1 through October 31, 2003, based on a per year average from a cumulative total of three years in the past (2000, 2001, 2002). If the group meets the goal, SAWS will provide the Butterfly Exhibit $1 x 5 (for the percent) x the # of participants. The goal will be to enroll 200 per radio show or 1000 total. More will be welcome. The contribution could be $5,000 in the name of the Radio Garden Shows of San Antonio.

 

Your listeners will be motivated to participate  in order to be on your Show’s Conservation Team and to help the Zoo Butterfly Exhibit. SAWS will also provide each participant a $10 gift certificate to your sponsor’s business the first month that the individual meet their 5% goal and another $15 gift certificate if they meet the 5% goal overall.

Promotional opportunities for you to consider:

 

 

1.                  The zoo and all the plantings and great displays. Zoo officials have expressed a willingness to be interviewed on our shows.

 

 

2.                  Plantings for butterflies. The blooming plants that attract butterflies are attractive and fun. Many are good xeriscape plants. It would be effective, too, for your sponsor to have special promotions on lantanas, pentas, zinnias, Asclepias, buddleia, and other butterfly plants. Invite speakers on butterfly plants to your shows. Feature a plant every week or every month.

 

 

3.                  Butterfly specialty items could be explored. There are some great books on butterfly identification and attracting butterflies. Butterfly larvae food plants or butterfly feeding items would make offbeat, interesting discussion topics. The butterfly life cycle and the habits of local butterfly species could be explored.

 

 

4.                  The water conservation angle in San Antonio could be explored. We have reduced water use by over 35% since the mid 80’s without major lifestyle changes. We can reduce it more by careful water use and more use of adapted plants like those in a butterfly garden.

 

 

5.                  Butterflies and youth is a topic that has appeal to families. We could remind parents and grandparents how fascinated children are with butterflies and then describe activities for kids with butterflies. Guest speakers could include naturalists and other educators.

SAWS will provide:

 

 

1.                  Wildscape publications prepared by Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologists for SAWS with a short plant list and recommended plan for a butterfly/hummingbird garden.

 

 

2.                  Signup sheets for Community Challenge.

 

 

3.                  $10 gift certificate to the individual participant for the first month where they achieve the 5% goal and another $15 gift certificate if they achieve the 5% goal overall.

 

 

4.                  Maintain database and provide monthly reports. Handle communications with the participants after the signup.

 

 

5.                  Butterfly plant list for San Antonio.