Why Forage?
• National Pollinator Losses
– Overall Populations
• Monarch
• Bees
– Native bees
– Honey bees
• Bee Issues
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CCD
Varroa/vectoring issues
Disease
Pesticides
Nutrition
Why Forage?
www.heathwood.org
Is this good?
For you?
For them?
Is this good?
For you?
For them?
Better?
For you?
For them?
Best?
For you?
For them?
Photo Credit: Rilke
Optimal Forage
• Needs to be clean and safe
– Pesticide free
– Organic
• Needs to offer floral
diversity
– 3 season nectar
– 3 season pollen
– A variety of shapes and colors
• Needs to be accompanied
by
– Clean and safe water
– Housing opportunities
Photo Credit: Rilke
Urban Stats
• 80% of US population lives in urban areas, 60% in
population centers greater than 200,000.
• Urban areas account for 3% of total land available
• So—why not focus on the other 97%?
• Because we are going to focus on the 80%!
There’s POWER in NUMBERS!
Urban Land Use
6%
5%
Residential
7%
40%
Transportation
Institutional
10%
Open Space and Rec
Industrial
Commercial
32%
Urban Forage is Doable!
• Because it requires:
– Little time
– Little money
– Little skill
• Because everyone can help!
• But it requires extensive public education
Urban Land Use
6%
5%
Residential
7%
40%
Transportation
Institutional
10%
Open Space and Rec
Industrial
Commercial
32%
So how do we get it done?
Residential Solutions
• Sell the Benefits!
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Plants cool and cleanse the air
Reduce energy/non-renewable resource use
Create a peaceful setting
Native plants require less resources
Native plants attract and sustain wildlife
• Provide the Education!
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Distribution materials
Talks
Booths
Media
So how do we get it done?
Residential Solutions
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
– Volunteer groups—
environmental/historical/civic/social etc.
– Home Owners/Neighborhood associations
– Youth groups—Scouts/4-H/etc.
– Gardening/Food Groups
– Package/Nuc folk
• Procure Money!
– Grants/Subsidies?
– Corporate/Civic/Government Donations?
– Volunteer time?
So how do we get it done?
Residential Solutions
• Tailor Solutions for Residential Density Differences!
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Container Gardening/Green Roof for High-Density
Turf Mitigation/Flower Lawns for Low-Density
Gardens/Urban Farms for Urban Blight
Innovative Solutions for New Development (DSA)
• Don’t reinvent the wheel!
– Landscape for Life
– Garden Contests
• Habitat Hero/Certified Bee Gardens/California Friendly
• Greenest Block in Brooklyn/Street Tree Stewards
• Branch Out Cider/City Citrus
Urban Land Use
6%
5%
Residential
7%
40%
Transportation
Institutional
10%
Open Space and Rec
Industrial
Commercial
32%
Why Urban Forage?
Transportation Solutions
• Sell the Benefits!
– Roadside Plantings
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Enhance the beauty of the environment
Reduce erosion
Minimize mowing costs
Increase safety for mowers due to less exposure
Lessen storm runoff
Control invasive plant species
Improve soil quality
Reduce litter
So how do we get it done?
Transportation Solutions
• Roadside Plantings
Photo Credit: Florida Highway Dept.
Why Urban Forage?
Transportation Solutions
• Sell the Benefits!
– Median Plantings
• Have psychological benefits
– Seem to have a positive effect on motorists’ mood and
behavior
– Citizens report feeling safer
• Improve the environment
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Trees absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants
Reduce erosion and storm water runoff
Reduce litter
Provide shade and reduce glare
Reduce the city “heat effect”
So how do we get it done?
Transportation Solutions
• Median Plantings
Photo Credit: High Country Gardens
Why Urban Forage?
Transportation Solutions
• Sell the Benefits!
– Parking/Hell Strip Plantings
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Eliminate mowing
Takes care of a problem in a beautiful way
Help with runoff
Increase curb appeal
So how do we get it done?
Transportation Solutions
Parking Strip Plantings--Before
Parking Strip Plantings--After
Photo Credit: Better Homes and Gardens
So how do we get it done?
Transportation Solutions
• Provide the Education!
– Talk to your
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Legislators
State DOT
Municipality
HOA/Neighborhood Association
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
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Alternative transportation groups
Environmental groups/Water and weed groups
City Foresters
Local nurseries/garden centers
Service Associations/Groups
So how do we get it done?
Transportation Solutions
• Procure Money!
– Grants/Subsidies?
– Creative Funding—license plates
– Municipal Encouragement
• Tailor Solutions for Roadway Differences!
– Municipal street departments
– Water conservation groups
• Don’t reinvent the wheel!
– Adopt-a-Highway projects
– Adopt-a-Median projects
– “Rip the Strip”
Urban Land Use
6%
5%
Residential
7%
40%
Transportation
Institutional
10%
Open Space and Rec
Industrial
Commercial
32%
So how do we get it done?
Institutional Solutions
• Who is the Institutional Component?
– Schools
• District
• Alternative/Charter Schools
• Higher Education
– Places of Worship
– Government
So how do we get it done?
School Districts/Alternative and
Charter Schools
• Sell the Benefits
– Improve test scores
– Increase understanding of science and math
concepts
– A great way to learn about the environment
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Land stewardship
Pesticides
Biodiversity
Food production
So how do we get it done?
School Districts/Alternative and
Charter Schools
• Sell the Benefits!
– Teacher Benefits:
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Increased teacher effectiveness
Better preparedness
Increased job satisfaction
Utilize more teaching time outside
– “Ripple Effect” within the Community
So how do we get it done?
School Districts/Alternative and
Charter Schools
• Provide the Education!
– Distribution materials
• Educational Materials from Resource Document
• Stickers/Bookmarks
– Talks
• Administration
• Parents
– PTA/PTO
• Children
– Classroom
– After School Clubs
– Other organizations (Scouts/FFA)
So how do we get it done?
School Districts/Alternative and
Charter Schools
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
– PTO’s/PTA’s
– Xerces/Pollinator.org/Pollination Planet
– Departments of Ag
– Farm to Table (School)/Other Food Programs
– Curriculum Coordinators—“Adopt a Hive”
So how do we get it done?
School Districts/Alternative and
Charter Schools
• Procure the Money!
– It’s EVERYWHERE! (Theoretically)
• Don’t Reinvent the Wheel!
– Plant Project
– Smart Potatoes
– Pollinator Photo Contests for upper grades
So how do we get it done?
Higher Education
• Sell the Benefits!
– Already a part of most mission statements
– Healthier Learning Environment
– “Learning by Leading”
• Most do not “Walk the Talk”
– Notable Exception
• UC Davis
Honeybee Haven
Photo courtesy of MK-Accounting.com
So how do we get it done?
Higher Education
• Provide the Education!
– Public Demand
• Land Grant Expertise Demand
• Extension
– Student Demand
• Sustainability
– Academia itself?
So how do we get it done?
Higher Education
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
– Solicit Institutional Support
• Student Organizations
– Sustainability/Entomology/Ecology
• Grounds/Maintenance Departments
• Alumni Associations
– Community/Business Support
So how do we get it done?
Higher Education
• Procure the Money!
– Probably from the Strategic Partnerships
– Corporate monies/Endowment
– Crowd Funding?
• Reinvent the Wheel for Higher Education!
– This is an area sorely needing a project model.
So how do we get it done?
Places of Worship
• Sell the Benefits!
– Part of mission
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Feed the poor—food gardens
Educate the children—community gardens
Beautifying derelict property in cities
“All God’s creatures”
– Decrease costs of property maintenance
– Increase energy efficiency
So how do we get it done?
Places of Worship
• Provide the Education!
– Distribution materials
– Pollinator Partnership Brochures
• Buddhism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism
– Sermons
– Letters
– Money, money, money!
So how do we get it done?
Places of Worship
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
– Interfaith Opportunities
• Common interest area
– Church Leadership/Committees
– Membership diversity
So how do we get it done?
Places of Worship
• Procure the Money!
– Maintenance/Grounds Budget
– Grants
• The Tributary Fund
• Don’t Reinvent the Wheel!
– A Rocha
• Eco congregation
– “Green the Church” Campaign
– “Engaging your Congregation in Pollinator Protection”
So how do we get it done?
Government
• Sell the Benefits!
– Economic value
– Healthy people=healthy communities
– Better resident and visitor experience
– Decrease costs of property maintenance
– Increase energy efficiency
So how do we get it done?
Government
• Provide the Education!
– Presidential Memorandum (Top Down)
• Federal Agency Plan
• State Agency Plan
– Grass Roots Advocacy (Bottom Up)
So how do we get it done?
Government
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
– National/State/Local
• Environmental and Conservation Groups
– Xerces/Pollinator.org/Sierra Club/Audobon etc.
– PANNA/CFS/Credo/Beyond Pesticides etc.
• Agricultural Groups
– Growers Associations
• Hunting and Fishing Groups
– Pheasants Forever/Trout Unlimited
Pollinator Pathway
Photo Courtesy of the Project
So how do we get it done?
Government
• Form Strategic Partnerships!
– Federal
• USDA/EPA/USFS/NPS etc.
– State
• Natural Resources
– Soil/Water/Land Conservation Boards
• Transportation
– Local
• Sustainability coordinators
• Urban planners
• Open Space/Parks/Rec Commissions
People’s Garden Initiative
Photo Credit: NRCS
So how do we get it done?
Government
• Procure the Money!
– Funding through a variety of programs
• Don’t Reinvent the Wheel!
– Lots of successful programs already in your
resource guide
– Nectar analysis
Plan—Year 1—2014
• Begin Pollinator City Program
– Don’t reinvent the wheel—Bee/Tree/Bird
– Determine and approach 2 test communities
• Begin the Residential Outreach
– Give Talks
– Give out seeds with Nucs/packages
• Begin the Transportation Outreach
– Talk to CDOT/Legislators
• Begin the Institutional Outreach
– Letters to churches with land/beekeepers?
– Municipality engagement
Plan—Year 2—2015
• Continue and Expand the Residential
Outreach
– Give Talks
– Give out Seeds with Nucs/Packages
• Continue and Expand the Transportation
Outreach
– Introduce (and PASS!) a Highway Bill in State legislature
– Modify Adopt-A-Highway to include planting/weed
management
• Continue and Expand Institutional Outreach
– School District
– College
Plan—Year 3—2016
• Continue and Expand the Residential
Outreach
– Give Talks
– Give out Seeds with Nucs/Packages
– Turf Mitigation Discussion
• Continue and Expand the Transportation
Outreach
– Turf Mitigation Discussion
• Continue and Expand Institutional Outreach
– Corporate Campuses
Plan—Year 4—2017
• Tweak Pollinator City Plan and begin
Statewide and Nationwide rollout
Go make YOUR city pretty!
Thank you