SCHOOLYARD HUMMINGBIRD HABITATS
- How To Apply for Funds -

NOTE: Funds for Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitats for the 2002-2003 academic year have not yet been received. If and when they are awarded, Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History will publicize a new competition for funding. At that time, a procedure similar to what is described below will be followed.

The formal application consists of four parts, submitted in the following order: 1) a completed Application Form, 2) a cover letter on school letterhead signed by the building principal, 3) a Proposal Narrative up to four pages long, and, 4) up to four additional pages of photos, sketches, or other supporting materials of the applicant's choosing. (All pages should be 8.5" x 11" unlined paper, one-sided, single- or double-spaced in 12-point type with 1" margins all around, and stapled once in the upper left hand corner.) Completed applications must arrive at Hilton Pond Center not later than 5 p.m. on Friday, 1 February 2002.

A successful proposal will: 1) take a creative approach, 2) show that students have been and will be involved throughout the entire process, and, 3) will demonstrate that the applicant:

• Is familiar with the goals and objectives of Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project and will participate in some aspect of the project
• Is familiar with the basic life history and behavior of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Is strongly committed to installating a Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat in Spring 2002 AND to maintaining the garden thereafter (including summer months)
• Has the support of the faculty and administration of the school
• Has the support of parents (especially the school's Parent-Teacher Organization, if any) in helping students install and maintain the Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat
• Has investigated sources for hummingbird plants that will be purchased and installed in the Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat (see Top Ten Native Hummingbird Plants for a sample list; native plants are preferable to exotic plants, especially those that may escape from cultivation)
• Will integrate the Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat into existing curriculum, including subject areas outside of science
• Will cooperate in timely fashion with the staff of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
• Will make arrangements for staff from the Center to visit the applicant's school in Spring 2002 for possible hummingbird banding demonstrations
• Has plans to continue to use the Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat for instructional purposes beyond Spring 2002
• Will submit by 15 June 2002 a final report with information and images suitable for publication on the Operation RubyThroat Web site

Click here for access to a downloadable Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat Application Form.

• Winners of the 2002 Schoolyard Hummingbird Habitat Competition

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