Upcoming Events at The Alliance for Florida's National Parks
Fri Jul 1, 9:00 AM - Sun Jul 31, 5:00 PM
The Alliance for Florida's National Parks
1390 South Dixie Highway, Coral Gables, FL 33146
Community: Homestead
Description
“Blooms Over Balloons” aims to reduce the number of balloons found on the shorelines and in the waters of Biscayne National Park
Event Details
For the month of July, The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks is teaming up with the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for “Blooms Over Balloons,” a campaign that aims to reduce the number of balloons found on the shorelines and in the waters of Biscayne National Park.
Biscayne National Park removed a record-breaking 30,881 pounds of debris from its beaches and waterways this season. Most debris collected is single use plastics – or remnants of single use plastics – and some items have become so prevalent in recent years that the national park rangers began tracking the numbers on them specifically. One of those items is balloons – the park removed more than 1,500 balloons through its beach clean-ups this season.
Just in time for summer and prime birthday celebration season, “Blooms Over Balloons” encourages South Floridians to choose flowers instead of balloons to commemorate their special occasions. For donations of $50 or $100, supporters will be hand delivered a Florida Dancing Lady Orchid or a Mule Ear Orchid, respectively. Both are very rare and listed as endangered by the state of Florida – and both orchids are provided through the Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project, the nation’s largest educational outreach program dedicated to orchid conservation, which aims to establish 1 million new orchids throughout South Florida.
The money raised through “Blooms Over Balloons” will support the beach clean-ups within Biscayne National Park, which are part of the park’s greater sea turtle conservation efforts. In preparation for the incoming sea turtle nesting season each year, Biscayne National Park dedicates significant resources between December 1 – April 30 to making sure its shorelines are as safe and clean as possible for sea turtle mamas and their future hatchlings.
The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks has funded the different iterations of Biscayne National Park’s beach clean-up program for nearly a decade because it knows that removing this trash from shorelines and waterways is essential for the health of Florida's plant life, wildlife, and the communities that are dependent upon these resources.
Donations can be made in support of the “Blooms Over Balloons” campaign from July 1 – 31, 2022, through The Alliance’s website. More details can be found at https://floridanationalparks.org/blooms-over-balloons/.
Biscayne National Park removed a record-breaking 30,881 pounds of debris from its beaches and waterways this season. Most debris collected is single use plastics – or remnants of single use plastics – and some items have become so prevalent in recent years that the national park rangers began tracking the numbers on them specifically. One of those items is balloons – the park removed more than 1,500 balloons through its beach clean-ups this season.
Just in time for summer and prime birthday celebration season, “Blooms Over Balloons” encourages South Floridians to choose flowers instead of balloons to commemorate their special occasions. For donations of $50 or $100, supporters will be hand delivered a Florida Dancing Lady Orchid or a Mule Ear Orchid, respectively. Both are very rare and listed as endangered by the state of Florida – and both orchids are provided through the Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project, the nation’s largest educational outreach program dedicated to orchid conservation, which aims to establish 1 million new orchids throughout South Florida.
The money raised through “Blooms Over Balloons” will support the beach clean-ups within Biscayne National Park, which are part of the park’s greater sea turtle conservation efforts. In preparation for the incoming sea turtle nesting season each year, Biscayne National Park dedicates significant resources between December 1 – April 30 to making sure its shorelines are as safe and clean as possible for sea turtle mamas and their future hatchlings.
The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks has funded the different iterations of Biscayne National Park’s beach clean-up program for nearly a decade because it knows that removing this trash from shorelines and waterways is essential for the health of Florida's plant life, wildlife, and the communities that are dependent upon these resources.
Donations can be made in support of the “Blooms Over Balloons” campaign from July 1 – 31, 2022, through The Alliance’s website. More details can be found at https://floridanationalparks.org/blooms-over-balloons/.
