Wild Ones and Two Thirds for the Birds unite to promote native landscaping

| National News

The staff and National Board of Directors of Wild Ones Natural Landscapers, Ltd. are thrilled to announce that Wild Ones National is now allied with Two Thirds for the Birds to promote the use of native plants in landscapes.

Two Thirds for the Birds is an initiative founded by Edwina von Gal, a renowned landscape designer, founder of the Perfect Earth Project, and longtime Wild Ones member. She has pioneered environmentally sensitive landscaping since 1984. Her clients and collaborators include many accomplished celebrities, such as Cindy Sherman, Ina Garten, Calvin Klein, Maya Lin, and Frank Gehry.

Two Thirds’ mission is to restore dwindling bird populations, which it advances by educating and encouraging gardeners and landscapers to use at least 70% native plants in their gardens while avoiding pesticides. These are perfectly aligned with Wild Ones’ mission and activities, according to Wild Ones National Board President Sally Wencel. “Alliances like those between Two Thirds and Wild Ones strengthen their conservation efforts and help spread the message of planting native,” said Wencel.

Two Thirds has an illustrious group of advisers recruited by von Gal, including John Fitzpatrick, the executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Elijah Goodwin, ecological database coordinator for the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture; Carl Safina, founder of The Safina Center; Evan Abramson, principal with Landscape Interactions; and Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware professor, entomologist, author, and Wild Ones honorary director.

In addition, Two Thirds also has an impressive group of allies, again recruited by von Gal, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Native Land Trust, the Garden Conservancy, the Homegrown National Park, the Sarafina Center, the Perfect Earth Project, the Conway School, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut, the Aspetuck Land Trust, the Pollinator Pathway Project, and the Perfect Earth Project.

“Wild Ones National is honored to be allied with Two Thirds, Two Thirds’ amazing team of advisers, its other allies, and most of all, Edwina von Gal. This alliance will accelerate our goal to heal and save the earth, one yard at a time,” said Wild Ones Executive Director, Jennifer Ainsworth.

Wild Ones members can further increase the efforts of the alliance by adding their names to Two Thirds list of individual supporters. To do so, please visit Two Thirds website at www.234birds.org and click on The List.