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

Pembroke Pines, FL... June 14, 2017... Winners of the City of Pembroke Pines 2017 Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award and the 2017 Broward County NatureScape Emerald Award were recognized at the June 7, 2017 City Commission Meeting in the Commission Chambers at the Charles F. Dodge City Center, located at 601 City Center Way in Pembroke Pines.  
 
The Sixth Annual Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award contest was created in memory of Natalie Belmonte, a well-known resident and businessperson who was known for her love of nature, particularly butterflies, and who tragically lost her life in July of 2011.  Yards were judged 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, outlined how the landscape met the goals of the contest and attached photographs. Winners represented each City Commission District and an at-large winner for 2017.  The winners of the 2017 Great Yards Award were Linda Schainberg from District 1; Cathy and John Whitt from District 2; Erno Rosa and Mary Zappia from District 3; Vicky Mills and Lisa Sigelbaum from District 4 The Secret Garden at Century Village; and Joseph Zappia - At Large.
 
During a Water Matters Day ceremony, Broward County’s 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 applying to become a member of the Environmental Advisory Board or 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 N.W. 103rd Avenue in Pembroke Pines. Please visit www.ppines.com  for the monthly meeting agenda.

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