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Greenwich Celebrated Earth Day by Becoming Pollinator Friendly Community

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On Earth Day 2021, the Town of Greenwich made a commitment to steward the pollinators we all depend on for the beauty of spring flowers and our survival. The commitment was memorialized by the Board of Selectman adopting a resolution proclaiming Greenwich a Pollinator-Friendly Community. The First Selectman’s Sustainability Committee, led by Jill Oberlander, Selectperson and Patricia Sesto, Director of Environmental Affairs, presented the proposal at the board’s meeting. 

The Conservation Commission, which oversees the Pollinator Pathway program, was pleased to see the resolution was readily adopted. Aleksandra Moch, Environmental Analyst, Conservation Commission heads up the Pollinator Pathways.  Moch expressed gratitude for the Board’s understanding of the issues, stating “This issue is crucial for us to pay attention to.  It is rewarding to have the Board’s acknowledgment of this fact.”

The resolution acknowledges the vital ecological services pollinators provide. Further, the resolution documents the Town of Greenwich’s pledge to conduct itself in a pollinator-friendly manner.

Over 80% of the world’s flowering plants reproduce with the assistance of pollinators. Pollinators include bees, birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and small mammals. Wind, water, and humans also play a role in the pollination of many plants. “Pollinators visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen and transport pollen as they move from spot to spot,” explained Dan Brubaker, Conservation Outreach Manager at Greenwich Land Trust. 

In the United States alone, the pollination of agricultural crops is valued at 10 billion dollars annually (United States Department of Agriculture).

 “Without pollinators, we don’t eat—it’s simple as that—and, at the moment, large numbers of pollinators are dying,” noted Oberlander. During the past 30-plus years, pollinator populations have suffered serious losses due to invasive pests and diseases, exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, loss of habitat, loss of species and genetic diversity, and changing climate. 

The loss of pollinators is not just a problem for commercial agriculture. Our backyard gardens, favorite berry patch, and fall traditions of picking apples and choosing the Halloween pumpkin are all threatened without pollinators.  Greenwich is an inextricable piece of the broader landscape and we must act accordingly.

“Pollination is an essential ecological function. Without pollinators, humans and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive,” stated Sesto.

Dr. Gregory Kramer, Superintendent of Parks and Trees Division / Town Tree Warden, Department of Parks and Recreation offered some guidance on how to be more pollinator-friendly.  Alternative land management practices such as organic lawn care instead of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, replacing large lawn areas with native plants are important steps in the creation of pollinator-friendly habitats, are suggested.  Native plants including trees, shrubs and herbaceous ground cover provide food and nesting space for pollinators and other wildlife. 

Healthy yards without pesticides are full of life and safe for children, pets and the rest of us, stated Myra Klockenbrink, member of Pollinator Pathway and Sustainability Committee. Planted with native plants, areas also support wildlife diversity, protect and enhance soil, prevent erosion, facilitate stormwater infiltration, filtration and absorption, as well as absorb air and noise pollution. 

The Pollinator Pathway group, a collaboration of local environmental organizations established in 2015, has been very active in building a pollinator pathway along North Street, working on edible landscape installations in Byram and Cos Cob, and pesticide-free zone efforts. The group provides a free Pollinator Friendly Garden Certification Program

The group’s most recent project is a large mural that will beautify the 100-foot long wall at the bus stop across from the GHS football stadium.  The mural, spearheaded by Klockenbrink, conveys the importance of pollinator habitat within our community.  Donations to complete the project are welcome. 

For more details and to donate to the mural project or for information on how you can incorporate your property into a pathway, please visit https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/greenwich  or contact Aleks Moch at a.moch@greenwichct.org.

To view the resolution got to https://www.townofgb.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif636/f/uploads/town_of_gb_pollinator-friendly_community_resolution.pdf 

The Greenwich Sentinel received this as a press release. The Greenwich Sentinel news department was not involved in the creation of this content.

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