[Pollinator] Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Pollinator Garden aims to spread more than pollen

[Jennifer Tsang]

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2009/06/24/news/30pollinatorga
rden.txt

Pollinator Garden aims to spread more than pollen

published on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:14 PM MDT

By MIKE GERRITY Chronicle Staff Writer

The new patch of fresh dirt in Langohr Park is being pushed to raise
awareness to a kind of sustainability that advocates say often goes
overlooked: pollination.


Bridget Gleason, director of development for the national Pollinator
Partnership, said that Bozeman's new educational pollinator garden -
installed at Langohr Park just this week - is the first such project the
group has attempted in the country. It also reflects on the city's values in
regards to sustainability, she said.

"Bozeman has taken it upon itself to make it a local issue," Gleason said.

The partnership has been working in conjunction with the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service and the Gallatin Valley Land Trust to create
a patch of land that can demonstrate how to grow plants that are pollinator
friendly.

David Kascht of NRCS estimated that the project took about $10,000 of
funding from NRCS and other affiliates.

The Pollinator Partnership's Web site claims that at least 80 percent of the
world's crop plant species require pollination. If a serious decline in
pollinators continue, Gleason claims, it could have a significant impact on
food crops worldwide.

"Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we
take," she said.

The patch of land is intended as a showcase of what a pollinator habitat
might look like and will feature an informational kiosk that will teach
people how to make their gardens pollinator friendly.

"It's primarily choosing the right plants," Gleason said.

Ted Lange, community trails planner with GVLT, said that although the garden
is being fed off of an irrigation system already available to the community
garden in Langohr Park, using native species can reduce the need for
irrigation.

"They can handle the wet springs and the dry, hot summers," Lange said.

Lange suggested that GVLT might at some point be selling memorial benches
around Langohr Park to help finance future upkeep of the garden and the rest
of the park.

Mike Gerrity can be reached at mgerrity at dailychronicle.com. 

 

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