Good Deeeds + Good Stewardship + Community + Generous Funding = Happy Pollinators and a Happy #143DayInPA ! Here's how: WPC’s Emerging Leaders Advisory Committee planted our community garden 🌻 🌼🏵️ on North Charles Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side this past Saturday…with a little help from some very young Emerging Leaders in Training 😊. Not only do the Emerging Leaders financially support the garden, but they plant it in the spring, put it to bed in the fall and now steward it throughout the season! That support enabled our community greening team to use some grant funding to install more native perennials in the garden this year! Because the Emerging Leaders offered physical stewardship support, we were able to increase pollinator habitat using funding from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, knowing the plants will be well cared for. You can help plant WPC community gardens this spring. Check out all of our volunteer opportunities ➡️ https://bit.ly/2pcZ9zE #143Day #EmergingLeaders ##ELAC #CommunityGardens (fb)

Any guesses what the word "Chelonia" means? Scroll down and then learn more! A. The urgent desire to consume large amounts of chalupas. B. A wonderful land far, far away where inhabitants chillax all day. C. The order of shelled reptiles, including turtles. As much as we'd like it to be a combination of A and B, the answer is C: shelled reptiles. #WorldTurtleDay is a great day to learn about our chelonian friends and how to protect them. Read on! Despite their hard exterior, turtles are really just softees inside and at heart (except snapping turtles...those will bite!). Some are endangered. And although not listed as endangered or threatened in Pennsylvania, the wood turtle is noted as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the PA Wildlife Action Plan and populations are being monitored by Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP). Pictured are some turtles we have in PA. 🐢 The main threats to most turtles are: Being collected as pets, being killed on the road, and losing their habitat due to development or land use changes, water pollution or fragmentation by roads. 🐢If you see a turtle crossing a road, it is okay to help it across but ONLY if it is safe for you to do so. Be aware of unsafe traffic situations and do not endanger yourself or other people. Wash your hands thoroughly afterward to avoid potential salmonella. 🐢If you come across a turtle in the woods, in a bog, etc., it’s best to leave it in its natural habitat so as not to harm their population. #PAWildlife #turtle #conservation #nature #WorldTurtleDay #WaterLandLIfe (fb)