City of Pembroke Pines to
Recognize Winners of the 2017
Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award and
Broward County NatureScape Emerald Award 

Pembroke Pines, FL... May 26, 2017...The winners of the City of Pembroke Pines 2017 Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award and the 2017 Broward County NatureScape Emerald Award will be recognized at the June 7, 2017 City Commission Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers at the Charles F. Dodge City Center, located at 601 City Center Way in Pembroke Pines.  
 
Now in its sixth year, the Great Yards Award contest was created in memory of Natalie Belmonte, a well-known resident and business woman who was known for her love of nature, particularly butterflies, and who tragically lost her life in July of 2011. Members of the Pembroke Pines Environmental Advisory Board judged the yards on
five components: Butterfly (the preservation of all stages of a butterfly's life), Design and Function, Maintenance, Florida Friendly Value and Use of Hardscapes. Applicants provided a brief description of their property, its landscaping, how it met the goals of the Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award Contest and attached photographs. The winners representing each City Commission District and an at-large winner for 2017 are Linda Schainberg for District 1; Cathy and John Whitt for District 2; Erno Rosa and Mary Zappia for District 3; the Secret Garden at Century Village for District 4; and Joseph Zappia from District At Large.
 
During a Water Matters Day ceremony, the Broward Countys Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division presented the 2017 NatureScape Emerald Award to Pembroke Pines resident Eddie Linares. Linares was one of only four homeowners chosen in Broward County to receive the NatureScape Emerald Award, recognizing his efforts to create and maintain model Florida-friendly landscapes, designed to conserve natural resources and provide valuable habitat for native and migratory wildlife. Linares has been a two-time recipient of the Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award in 2015 and 2016.
 
Pembroke Pines residents interested in entering the 2018 City of Pembroke Pines Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award contest, please contact the Planning and Economic Development Department at 954-392-2100 or email landscape@ppines.com
 
The Pembroke Pines Environmental Advisory Board welcomes residents to attend its’ meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Carl Shechter Southwest Focal Point Community Center Campus, 301 NW 103rd Avenue in Pembroke Pines. Please visit www.ppines.com  for the monthly meeting agenda.

###

Media Only:
Valerie L. Moran, Publicist Pembroke Pines Media
C: 954.392.9494 / E: VLMoran@ppines.com