By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Funds raised at last year’s Super Plant Auction at the Hillsborough County Fair have been set aside for youth project mini-grants designed to address pressing environmental concerns in the wake of ongoing, breakneck development.
“As Hillsborough County continues to grow and urbanize, it’s especially important that we support and continue natural resources conservation practices,” said Betty Jo Tompkins, founder and president of the Florida Conservation Coalition (FCC), about the call for grant applicants.
This mini-grant kayak planter in Apollo Beach at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center was conceived and implemented by Nicole Humpreys, a home-school student in Riverview.
“From Brandon’s growth, to Riverview’s growth to the expanding growth in southeast Hillsborough County, including Balm, Ruskin, Plant City and Wimauma, it’s especially imperative that we don’t forget resources that greatly affect the quality of life are not unlimited,” Tompkins said.
Eligible to apply for ongoing competitive grant cycles are Hillsborough County students enrolled in public traditional, charter, parochial and private schools, as well as in homeschool and virtual learning settings. Students can work through their schools or other affiliations, including with clubs, churches, scouting troops and neighborhood associations. At least two adults are required to supervise the hands-on learning experiences.
“We’re looking for grant initiatives that address some of the most pressing issues in conservation, such as food insecurity, food waste, water quality and shortages, air pollution, plastic pollution and climate disruption,” reads the FCC mini-grant flyer for conservation and sustainability programs, projects and activities.
Initiative examples include road and waterway cleanups; wildflower and pollinator gardens; tree plantings; community and school gardens; composting, recycling and trash repurposing; and educational exhibits and presentations at fairs, festivals, schools and other settings.
Tompkins, a past Riverview Citizen of the Year, noted for her decades-long work and affiliation with conservation-minded initiatives for adults and youth, including the Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge, launched the Florida Conservation Coalition in June 2023.
This gives a birds-eye view of Nicole Humphreys’s mini-grant project at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach.
“We’re looking for unique ideas to enhance the environment,” Tompkins said, in an interview this week. “One of the past grants was for a Brownie troop that took a tutorial on how to build bat boxes. They then built bat boxes, which they put in the woods to increase bat habitat.”
The project, Tompkins added, addresses the need “to continue the diversity of the ecosystem, and bats are important because, among other things, as voracious insect eaters, they help keep plant pests at bay and out of the environment.”
In her past job, as executive director of the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District, for which she serves now as an elected supervisor, Tompkins ran a similar grant program that is no longer offered through the district.
The aim is for mini-grant projects to have a lasting effect, which is the case for the kayak planter with native plants at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach. Nicole Humphreys, a homeschool student in Riverview and a mini-grant recipient, conceived and executed the project with assistance from 4-H Civil Air Patrol and Scouting America members.
“The grant program gets kids involved in environmental matters and encourages them to create projects that benefit their learning and the community at large,” said Humphreys’ mother, Nicole. “It allows also for kids to get involved who might have not been able to complete a project because funds were low or not available.”
She added that she knew of two scouts who were able to complete “rather large Eagle Scout projects” who were at a standstill because funds ran short. “The mini-grant gave them the funds necessary to complete the project,” Humphreys said.
Committed to the mini-grant effort, the FCC at last year’s Super Plant Auction raised thousands of dollars to support youth programs, including the mini-grant initiative. Each grant is for $250, the receipt of which is predicated on a competitive review of project descriptions, including activity details, plans, outcome goals, locations and, if applicable, additional funding support.
Grant winners recognized prior to the 2025 Hillsborough County Fair will be invited to present a project display at the 11-day fair, set for Oct. 30 through Nov. 9, at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover. There, additional recognition will be given for outstanding project displays.
“We’re excited to again be sponsoring this mini-grant program, which gives youth an opportunity for hands-on activities that have a positive impact on their local environment,” Tompkins said.
Photos courtesy Nicole Humphreys
Students are engaged in a mini-grant project at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach.
Likewise, she added, “we are especially grateful for the continued support of the many nurseries that donate beautiful horticulture material that makes the annual auction such a huge success.”
The Super Plant Auction is held the final Sunday of the Hillsborough County Fair, which this year is Nov. 9. The plant auction, featuring legendary nurseryman Roy Davis as the auctioneer, is billed as “a unique opportunity to purchase high quality plants and trees produced by local nurseries, with proceeds going to great community service projects,” Tompkins said, as she gave a shout-out to Odiorne Insurance Agency for its continuing title sponsorship.
For information on the 2025 Super Plant Auction and ongoing mini-grant application cycles, including ways to support the initiatives, contact Betty Jo Tompkins by calling 813-477-8332 or emailing bjt6890@yahoo.com/.