Last Tuesday was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sierra Foothills Audubon Demonstration Garden located within Whitney Ranch, the amenity-focused master planned community in Rocklin. The Audubon Garden will feature a variety of different backyard designs and ideas aimed to connect people with nature and preserve the natural environment and habitat.  

“We want to encourage Whitney Ranch residents to keep their natural surroundings in mind,” said Bob Anders, project manager for Newland Communities. “We’ve (Whitney Ranch) gone to great lengths to preserve the habitat in and around the community. The Audubon garden area will help people understand what they can do to help.”  

Designed with the help of Audubon members in conjunction with Whitney Ranch landscape developers, the garden will offer ideas for planting and gardening in the Placer County region. It will feature native California plants, shrubs and trees, many of which are low-water plants, reducing their need for water consumption. The many ways homeowners can participate in Audubon’s conservation efforts will be on display, including bird and butterfly friendly ideas. Everything will be easily enjoyed by walking trails throughout the area, notes Anders. 

“There will be ideas that homeowners can apply to their existing backyards,” said R. Heath Wakelee of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, who attended the groundbreaking on Tuesday. “The garden areas have been created in different styles to appeal to a wide range of tastes and interests.”  

Planned to open in the summer of 2008, the garden is located adjacent to the new Whitney Community Park, which recently opened in February. The garden, like the park, will be open to the entire Rocklin community.  

“We hope the garden servers as a place of education and enjoyment for all who visit,” continues Wakelee. “It will be a nice place to meet up with neighbors and friends.” 

Representative Rick Forstall from The City of Rocklin’s Parks and Facilities department was present at the groundbreaking ceremony. Also in attendance were Peter Bridges, sr. vice president operations for Newland Communities (developer of Whitney Ranch) and Rebecca Parre, regional marketing director for Newland Communities.