Wildlife subcommittee ramps up outreach, considers events and registration drives ahead of Earth Day

The Wildlife Subcommittee reported on Feb. 12 that sign‑ups have picked up but remain below target, and members outlined outreach plans including presentations at the Botanical Garden, Entomology Museum notices and the Rotary Club.

Why it matters: The subcommittee is trying to increase resident participation in a wildlife/certification campaign (registration includes a fee and the sign‑up process has caused confusion for residents). Meeting organizers said in‑person outreach and follow‑up would likely increase successful registrations.

Details: The presenter said seven people signed up recently—the most for a month—but the subcommittee still needs roughly 80 more residents to meet its goal; April 22 (Earth Day) had been an initial target but may be optimistic. Subcommittee members suggested in‑person registration drives at community events (tree giveaways, botanical garden plant sales) and handing out seed packets as incentives. They noted a QR code on some materials points to the project homepage and not the direct sign‑up page; organizers agreed to produce a QR code that links to the exact registration URL.

Barriers identified: The group said the sign‑up process can misdirect registrants to an option to start a new campaign (a $100 option) rather than join the existing campaign (a $20 signup), and that taking credit‑card information in the field felt awkward. Members proposed collecting names, phone numbers and email addresses at outreach events and following up by email to complete payment online.

Next steps: The subcommittee will continue presentations (Botanical Garden, Rotary, League of Women Voters), try targeted drives at events, fix QR code links, and distribute seed packets as small incentives.