Naturehoods Unite: We’re Joining the Neighborhood Natural Area Network

We’re excited to share that Sunbridge is now part of the Neighborhood Natural Area Network, an inspiring initiative that brings environmentally focused, like-minded neighborhoods together to help share ideas on how to conserve local wildlife, protect natural resources and deepen our understanding of Florida’s rich biodiversity.

What Is the Neighborhood Natural Area Network?

Many residential neighborhoods, including ours, are located near natural areas such as oak forests, wetlands and open green spaces. These landscapes, when woven into our backyards and shared spaces can become thriving habitats for all kinds of wildlife.

The Neighborhood Natural Area Network was created with two important goals in mind:

1. To raise awareness about the value of shared natural areas and the role that neighborhood yards play in supporting them.
2. To encourage communication and collaboration among residents to help conserve water, energy and wildlife habitat, while creating more opportunities to experience nature right outside your front door.
   

What Does Participation Look Like?

Across Floprida, communities are rolling up their sleeves. From hosting citizen science projects, having educational events, and restoring native landscapes, there are many ways to get involved:

• Citizen Science with iNaturalist: Residents are using the iNaturalist platform to photograph and document local wildlife. This helps build a neighborhood-specific record of species sightings and encourages learning through shared observation. With support from the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, a Sunbridge iNaturalist project has been created and you can view the species that people are recording here. You can add to this list by simply uploading species with the iNaturalist platform. Using the iNaturalist platform, photos of species taken in the neighborhood automatically get added to the Sunbridge project.
• Restoring Habitat: Some communities are taking it a step further by removing invasive plants like Coral Ardisia and planting native species in their yards and open spaces. These hands-on efforts directly improve local ecosystems.

Sunbridge’s Role

Our naturehood is proud to be part of the Neighborhood Natural Area Network. Combined with our ongoing work with the Florida Headwaters Foundation, we are deepening our commitment to sustainability, environmental education and ecosystem restoration. The foundation plays a vital role in supporting community engagement and scientific research throughout Sunbridge and our region.

How You Can Get Involved

Whether you’re interested in planting native species, learning how to attract more pollinators to your yard or contributing to iNaturalist, there are plenty of ways to participate.

Together, we can build stronger connections between our neighborhoods and the natural world around us, right here in Sunbridge.

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