main website auxillary website

www.manaproject.org www.greensong.org

sites under construction

In 2006, we launched the Conservation Easement Project to save the Garden so that it will remain undeveloped forever.  With the help of Jennifer Grossman, Open Space Institute, New York, Mana Project began working on the plan in April, 2006.  By August 8th, 2006, Amy Paige Condon of the Trust for Public Land, Florida Office, visited the garden and agreed to assist the project from the beginning to completion.   The TPL agreed to develop a capital funding plan, recommend and arrange for grant and funding sources, prescreen grant applications, draw up instruments for the purchase of the value of the development rights and the placement of the conservation easement.

On May 9, 2006, Mana Project held its first Teacher’s Appreciation Day:  featuring Eco Projects with Poinciana School students, Music Lessons in Nature by renowned Violinist Myron Makris, and Avian Education.  Approximately 40 children attended the event which featured 5 learning stations placed around the Garden.  The event was filmed by Steve Panariello and with the assistance of local editor Chad Newman, of Digital Island Media.  It was open to the public for free.

In the spring of 2006, Nancy Forrester received a gift of rare botanica.   From May  to October 2006, the entire rainforest collection planted by Jerry Kranz’ at Crane Point Hammock, Marathon Key, was transported to the Secret Garden.  His Rainforest had been evicted from its 2 acre site at the Florida Refuge thereby extinguishing one of the rarest botanical treasures in Florida. (See Key West Magazine, Dec. 2005, www.kwmag.com for a description of Jerry Kranz’s rare botanica).  Thanks to Nancy’s one-year effort of personally transporting and planting the new botanica, rearranging the garden, and installing several water ponds and a bog, Mana Project members are now able to enjoy a much expanded garden, including a world class collection of aroids.

In June 2006, Mana Project created and launched its new auxiliary website www.greensong.org.  This website was created, so that control and updates could be made online without having to rely and correspond with Larry Specht, who had generously created and donated the original Mana Project Website in 2001.  Nancy Forrester donated her time and effort to this project, which meant enrolling in webpublishing courses at Key West Community College in the spring/summer of 2006.

The 13th Annual Rare and Exotic Palm Sale and Event was held on the weekend of Feb. 9-11, 2007, with a member preview on Friday.  Twelve Mana volunteers greeted guests at the membership tables.  Rain on Sunday drove down the second day attendance.  The Palm Sale weekend is our major annual membership drive event

During the winter season, we had six environmental artists in the cottage, all exemplifying green living, doing community outreach,  teaching creative writing and life drawing, and putting on art shows.  From February to March, the art of handling parrots was taught to the public by Russ Erickson. www.kwmag.com/2007July/KWCharacter.html Mana’s Parrot Program said goodby to Pearl, a  Moluccan cockatoo,  and acquired the orphaned  ‘Chatsworth,’ a Catalina macaw, and  former mascot at a now closed Key West B & B.

The Third Annual Environmental Film Evening was held on March 28, 2007 featuring MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES, a Canadian award winning film by Edward Burtynsky.  The film portrayed the beauty, the stark reality and spiritual dimensions of industrialization and globalization in China and Southeast Asia.  Mana Project obtained the film for a pre-release screening. The film came directly to Key West after its premiere showing at the National Gallery of Art as a part of the prestigious Nation's Capital Environmental Film Festival.  Not available in theaters until later in the summer, the one night only showing raised over $5,700 in tickets and donations with 120 people attending the gala.  Ten exclusive restaurants donated food for the event.  Flowers by Gilda were displayed and restaurateur Gail Brockway of Old Town Mexican Café oversaw and managed the event, assuring that food and wine flowed freely

On March 2007, Lloyd’s Tropical Bike Tour brought the New York Times reporter to the Secret Garden.  Lloyd gives educational botanical tours of the fruit tree collection and care education in the captive bird rescue sanctuary.  With his tours, he brought national attention to the Garden.  It was featured, with a map, in the April 29, 2007 Sunday New York Times Travel Section in a full page article on Key West. Lloyd and the Orchid Lady Tours are invited by Mana Project to do environmental education at the Garden.

Mana Project began work in February of 2007 on making educational botanical labels for the rare palm collection.  The information of the more than 70 palms also form the inventory and baseline documentation needed for the conservation easement  The signage was put in place in the Garden in June, 2007.

On March 31, Mana Project was an exhibitor at the GLEE (Green Living and Environmental Education) Fair in Marathon.  Mana Project’s booth offered information about behavior modification for sustaining the plant.  The displays encouraging the public to plant priority crops such as fruit trees, to protect and build soil, and to preserve our existing trees.  A brochure was also produced by Mana Project for the event.

Katrina Arnhold, Executive Director of Mana Project, attended 4 of the 9 required courses of non-profit management offered by Barry University and FANO.  The course tuition was donated to Mana by the Florida Association of Non-Profit Organizations (FANO).

Katarina Arnhold, Executive Director

RECENT EVENTS & NEWS

April 15, 2007-- 
began forming Advisory Board for the Conservation Easement Project

August 18, 2007 –
After soliciting further bids, the Board of Directors decided that Padron of Appraisal Co. of Key West had the expertise required.  Mana Project signed a Letter of Engagement with the company, paying $2,100.  The appraisal will be completed in 4-6 weeks.