Harbour Heights Civic Association
Environmental Committee
The Environmental Committee for Harbour Heights is a voluntary group of individuals who share a common interest in preserving, identifying and assisting in improving our community. We are also open to additional volunteers to assist with such activities as water sampling, protection of our unique ecosystem inclusive of the listed species, the gopher tortoise, and the FL scrub jay. Raising awareness in conjunction with other entities such as nature conservancies, University of Florida's environmental programs, Peace River Audubon, Peace River Wildlife Center, and several others is our main objective.
We hope to see more volunteers to help with Earth Day and other events planned in the future.
Events
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April 22, 2023 HHCA Earth Day Cleanup. 10am-2pm. Meet us at 2530 Harbour Drive. Supplies will be provided as they last, T-shirts,
bags. Please bring your trucks or cars for there will be a lot of debris to collect. Following the hurricane, there is a lot of debris that
needs to be picked up. We recommend you wear a hat and bring grabbers, sun screen and water. We hope to see you there!
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Wildlife in Harbour Heights
We are blessed to live in a biologically diverse area that is home to unique flora and fauna, wildlife such as the FL scrub jay, the gopher tortoise and other species. Because they and others are listed with the state and/or federal government, they deserve our care.
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FL Scrub-jay: for more information how to be a good scrub-jay neighbor, please visit this video of a public workshop provided by some different conservation groups:
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Gopher tortoise: Please move the tortoise when he's in the road out of harm's way, always in the direction he was moving in. If you see one hurt, please take it to the Peace River Wildlife Center hospital. Visit their website for phone number, address, etc. For more information about the gopher tortoise, please visit:
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Waterways in Harbour Heights
We are fortunate to be surrounded by the waterways in our community and no doubt that's why many of us moved here. They include the canals and the Peace River that eventually lead to the harbor. As you're likely aware, the harbor has its challenges with pollutants that enter. These cause the die-off of seagrasses which in turn affects the clarity of the water and the habitat for marine life. What comes with the enjoyment of living on or near the waterways is a responsibility. Fortunately there is knowledge how we can be helpful water stewards. IFAS provides information about Charlotte County's fertilizer ordinance, found here:
In addition, Charlotte County offers insight to how we can improve our roles in keeping healthy waterways, found here:
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