The Pollinator Partnership Announces “Million Pollinator Garden Challenge”
The Pollinator Partnership is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 1997 to promote the health of pollinators, which are critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.
In the 10+ years since its conception, the Partnership has developed signature initiatives including the NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), National Pollinator Week, and a free Ecoregional Planting Guide initiative that allows gardeners, farmers, and stewards of public greenspaces to search for specific planting guides according to their zipcode– a feature that is available for 31 eco-regions in the United States. The partnership’s website is a comprehensive resource for community engagement over issues affecting pollination– pollution, the destruction of native habitat, pesticide use, and more– and there’s even an educational component focusing on the lesser-known pollinators in our gardens (bats, despite their negative reputation, play a critical role in native gardens).
Still, despite growing awareness over issues affecting pollination, a compendium of worldwide research suggests that pollinating animals have suffered as a result of habitat loss, chemical misuse, invasive plant and animal species, disease, and parasites. Many pollinators are “federally listed species”, meaning that there is evidence of their disappearance in natural areas. The U.S. has lost over 50% of its managed honeybee colonies over the past 10 years alone.
As a result of this disturbing trend, the Pollinator Partnership launched the “Million Pollinator Garden Challenge”, an initiative that goes under the alias of S.H.A.R.E. (e.g. Simply Have Areas Reserved For the Environment). The goal is to register a million planted areas on the interactive S.H.A.R.E. map on the organization’s website, in an attempt to build a database connecting habitats of all sizes that are supporting bees, butterflies, moths, bats, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
In the United States, pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually, which is more than a small incentive to protect these species for the future.
Homeowners, land managers, farmers, individuals, corporations, schools, roadside managers, gold courses, and any people with large tracts of land are invited to participate in accordance with the Partnership’s planting guides.
To register your garden, click here.