Conservation & Environment

Protecting & Preserving…for Generations to Come!

As gardeners, we spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying nature and the beauty that surrounds us every day here in Maine. We enjoy not only plants and trees, but also birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, and want to help preserve their habitat. The GCFM has been a champion of the environment since its founding in the 1930s. We encourage our members to become stewards of the land. The Conservation Pledge, adopted by the NGC in 1994, confirms our commitment to take care of our natural surroundings…

Conservation Pledge

I pledge to protect and conserve the natural resources of the planet Earth and promise to promote education so we may become caretakers of our air, water, forests, land, and wildlife.

Garden clubs around the state focus on conservation and the environment in many different ways. Clubs often have speakers on current topics from state agencies, universities, greenhouses or nurseries. Many members choose organic methods of gardening and have club programs that address those practices. Nature walks and tours of wildlife sanctuaries or arboretums take place during the warmer months and some clubs assist with helping to maintain these public areas. Planting bird, butterfly, and pollinator gardens is a popular activity. Identifying and removing invasive plants and working to reestablish native plants, trees, and green spaces are also club projects.

On the state level, the GCFM hosts many events featuring speakers on environmental and conservation topics. Our scholarship recipients are often majors in environmental studies. An annual award is available for an outstanding project furthering environmental interests. Our newsletter regularly touches on conservation projects and environmental issues and educates our members on various topics.

The National Garden Clubs curriculum for Environmental School focuses on environmental science. The four courses, each taking several days to complete, have remote and in-person sessions. These are an ideal lifelong learning opportunity!

Whether you’re from a more rural area or one of Maine’s more populated centers, clean water and air are vital to all of us. Protecting our land and wildlife are also vital to the economy of our state, where we depend on tourism, wood products industries, blueberry and potato harvests, and many more agricultural businesses to provide significant revenues each year. Together with our fellow gardeners, we strive to make a difference and to educate those in our communities to do their part to preserve and protect our beautiful state of Maine for the enjoyment of future generations!