Landowners and beekeepers work together to provide cost-effective, high-quality pollinator habitat to ensure honey bee and monarch butterfly populations thrive.
Applications for each state will be accepted online at BeeAndButterflyFund.org/habitat-programs starting March 1st. The application deadline is March 31, 2018 for spring planting. A second application period will open later in 2018 for projects to be planted in the fall.
“The fastest, most impactful way to improve pollinator health and increase populations is to establish habitat that strategically delivers maximum pollinator nutrition,” Pete Berthelsen, Partnership Coordinator with The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund explains. “We bring innovation and new technology to habitat by delivering projects that are cost-effective, establish quickly, provide greater pollinator value, and better handle weed competition.”
Enrollment is open to public, private and corporate landowners in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. These states were selected based on their critical role to address National Pollinator Partnership Action Plan goals.
Pollinator populations are experiencing critical population declines. Monarch butterfly populations have declined by more than 80% over the past 20 years, honey bee hive losses top 40% annually, and in 2017 the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee was listed as an endangered species. Landowners participating in The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund’s SEED A LEGACY Program can help reverse this trend.
“The Seed A Legacy program offers a unique opportunity to get high quality pollinator habitat on the landscape in a critical location of the country,” says Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch. “Establishing pollinator habitat is one of the most impactful ways that people can benefit monarch butterflies and other important pollinator species.”
Submitted applications will be ranked to ensure projects maximize benefits for both pollinators and landowners. Successful applicants will receive free or highly discounted pollinator seed mixtures proven to provide pollinator value for monarch butterflies, honey bees and native pollinators. All projects must meet program guidelines at BeeAndButterflyFund.org/guidelines and complete the appropriate state application online at BeeAndButterflyFund.org/habitat-programs.
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Press Release written and provided by the Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund. The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund is dedicated to establishing high quality pollinator habitat to ensure pollinator populations thrive. The Fund, in partnership with Project Apis m. and Browning’s Honey Company, works with landowners, conservationists, scientists, and beekeepers to design and build healthy and sustainable pollinator habitat.
The Monarch Joint Venture is a national partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic programs working together to conserve the monarch butterfly migration. The content in this article does not necessarily reflect the positions of all Monarch Joint Venture partners. Header photo by Pete Berthelsen.
Contact:
Pete Berthelsen, Partnership Coordinator, The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund
Cell | 308-390-0848
Office | 800-407-5337
BeeAndButterflyFund.org
pberthelsen@beeandbutterflyfund.org