Courtesy ADKAction
AdkAction is trying to create some buzz about the impact pollinators have on the region’s ecology and economy with Pollinator Project, a weeklong celebration of Pollinator Week, which runs June 21 to June 27.
The nonprofit organization tackles a wide variety of issues throughout the Adirondacks region, including food security, broadband access, the effect of road salt and support of the arts.
“We have a little bit of everything in our tool kit,” said Kristina Hartzell, AdkAction’s communications coordinator. “The Pollinator Project was originally just about monarch butterflies, then we were reading about how to care for all the pollinators, so we expanded.”
An estimated one-third of all food and drink is dependent on pollinators, AdkAction reported in a press release, contributing more than $350 million a year to the state economy. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that number is closer to $439 million.
The state Department of Agriculture and Markets include the $250 million-a-year apple crop, as well as squash and pumpkin ($74 million), tomatoes ($47 million), strawberries ($7 million), cherries ($3 million) and pears ($2.5 million) among the pollinator-dependent crops that boost the state’s economy.
Pollinator Project encourages planting of native species that provide pesticide-free habitat for pollinators; wildflower seed giveaways; community garden installations; and education about the effects mowing, pesticides and habitat degradation have on the environment.
“Pollinators help with biodiversity,” Hartzell said. “Having insect life is a good thing for the entire food chain. We need massive amounts of insects to support everything else above them.”
Groups such as The Wild Center, Lake Placid Land Conservancy and Paul Smith’s College are also working to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators such as butterflies (particularly monarchs), ruby-throated hummingbirds and, of course, the more than 110 wild bee species in the state.
Each group offers the public ways to celebrate Pollinator Week, including:
- Visiting the Butterfly House and pollinator-friendly vegetation at Paul Smith’s Visitor Information Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
- Stopping by the AdkAction tent at farmers markets throughout the area to learn about pollinator garden installation.
- Helping plan community gardens Friday, June 25, at Mountain Lake PBS in Plattsburgh.
- Attending The Wild Center to learn about pollinator habitats in the Adirondacks, including on-site monarch and bee habitats.
- Attending Lake Placid Land Conservancy’s all-ages Pollinator Workshop from 11 a.m. to noon July 15 at John Brown Farm State Historic Site.
To learn more, visit www.adkaction.org/pollinators.