4,000 planted on Hands On Miami Day at Historic Virginia Key Beach!

On Saturday, 11/7/2009, a 113 **Outstanding** Volunteers
**Changed the World.

Historic Virginia Key Beach was absolutely beautiful, as usual. Today it got even better.

We planted over 4,000 native plants. Two long bands of **new dune ecosystem** (including 6 distinctly different plants) are complete!

100 hard working Volunteers from Hands On Miami
led by Urban Paradise Guild's 13 Team Leaders and the Site Coordinators from HOM (Hands On Miami).

All the Urban Paradise Guild Team Leaders were really pleased with the HOM Volunteers. The huge progress we made speaks for the great **Team Work** and spirit.

We had a great time, and and everyone got a real workout, self-paced for comfort. The weather was cool, overcast, and ideal working conditions. The steady 22+ mph breeze off the Gulf Stream kept us comfy while we worked.

Our technical advisers from M-D DERM give our work 4 thumbs up (2 each).

The Board Member from Historic Virginia Key Beach Trust who worked with us couldn't stop smiling to see what we accomplished. Three Members of the Trust Nature Committee (including Sam Van Leer, the writer of this report) also served as Urban Paradise Team Leaders. Both Trust Staffers planted a lot of Spartina.

The HOM Site Coordinators and Staff were great to work with. Virtually all needs had been planned for, and problems had easy solutions.

A series of Volunteer-based projects during the summer had planted around half of the area. Then two Urban Paradise projects on 10/18 and 10/24 planted 2,600 paspallum and sea oats (10/24 was the International Day of Climate Action).

The 11/7 HOM Day 2009 Event finished it. Over 4,000 more, and the new dunes are mostly complete. Urban Paradise will continue to fill in a few remaining gaps, and augment with some new plants.

To everyone who helped make it happen:
WOW!
**Thanks**

Special Mentions:

BDO Seidman, LLP. Their employees were the main Site Coordinators for HOM at Historic VK Beach. They arranged the people-details months in advance. On 11/7 they arrived early, for set-up, took a crash-course in Dune Habitat Planting and worked like troopers.

Urban Paradise Guild's 3 fantastic Service-Learning Interns from Miami-Dade College. William, Cecilia and Max have been working and learning on a series of training projects, and their commitment of time and energy has been making a big difference.

Bob Bowyer, Urban Paradise Guild Team Leader. He came early, he learned, the led. Then he took on watering what we planted. After he had lunch, he stayed late & watered for hours.

HOM Staff, for all the invisible work it takes to put on a seamless event. Nice.

If you (yes, I'm getting personal now) want to help watering the plants, or would like to participate in a future
URBAN PARADISE GUILD project,
**please click the 'Become a Volunteer' button.**
Fill out the user-form, and note in the comments if you were part of 11/7 (or any other Urban Paradise event).

I'd say **Thanks** another 3,999 times if I thought anyone would read it. Besides, dinner is calling. Do I smell sesame oil?

Best & Warmest Regards,

Sam Van Leer
Executive Director
Urban Paradise Guild

"Creating Sustainable Paradise in South Florida, one Habitat at a time."
www.urban-paradise.org