[Pollinator] Jordan Winery Plants Pollinator Sanctuaries to Create Habitat for Native Bees, Western Monarch Butterflies

Mon Apr 5 16:21:35 PDT 2021

*Jordan Winery Plants Pollinator Sanctuaries to Create Habitat for Native
Bees, Western Monarch Butterflies*
*Three-year Program with Pollinator Partnership Focuses on At-risk and
Essential Insects*
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=243123

by Press Release - Jordan Winery
March 23, 2021

HEALDSBURG, Calif. (March 16, 2021)—*Jordan Vineyard & Winery* announces a
multi-year planting program to turn acres of non-native grassland into
preserved habitat for vital pollinators, including the at-risk Western
Monarch butterfly, native bees and other insects. In collaboration
with *Pollinator
Partnership*, the world’s largest non-profit dedicated exclusively to the
protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems, Jordan is
restoring habitat across four sites on its sustainably certified estate
this year with plans to expand habitats over the next 2-3 years. This
project at the 1,200-acre Jordan Estate, located on the fall migratory
route of the Western monarchs, will result in the largest dedicated
pollinator habitat of all *Bee Friendly Farming*-certified vineyards
nationwide, according to Pollinator Partnership.

With its diverse topography of rolling hills, grasslands, woodlands and
seasonal creeks, Jordan Estate is home to vast open spaces that bloom with
wildflowers every spring, but the winery saw an opportunity to do more for
pollinators beyond giving them plenty of wildland to forage.

“The beauty of diversified agriculture is how far it spans in multiple
directions in support of the overall ecosystem, from caring for cattle and
honeybees and farming grapes to growing vegetables,” says Brent Young,
director of agricultural operations at Jordan. “Although these pollinators
don't have a direct impact on grapevines, creating more habitat for them is
a natural extension of our approach to biodiversity at Jordan Estate.”

Over the course of a year, Young worked with Pollinator Partnership staff
to identify optimal sites and materials for the pollinator sanctuaries,
with a special emphasis on finding locations for milkweed. Monarch
caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed leaves. Without this plant, they
cannot complete their metamorphosis into butterflies, and their populations
decline. Additional plants were selected based on terrain, sun exposure,
proximity to watersheds, and most importantly, which pollinators each
habitat will ultimately support, including native bees, honeybees,
hummingbirds and butterflies.

Guests will be able to see these young pollinator sanctuaries first-hand
when the winery reopens for a series of Vineyard Hikes in honor of Earth
Week, April 22-25. Tickets for the four-mile hike, which includes a seated
charcuterie picnic lunch, salad from the chef’s garden and wine pairing,
are $110 per person and go on sale on April 7 at www.jordanwinery.com/events.
The Estate Tour & Tasting, a moveable feast for the senses from May through
October that transverses the ranch, also passes these pollinator habitats.

More than 3,400 plants, comprising about 100 species (sourced from
CalFlora, Cornflower Farms and S&S Seeds), will be planted across four
initial sites totaling eight acres in 2021, and the first plantings
occurred in late February and early March. Of these, approximately 600
milkweed plugs were planted to support monarchs. About 200 pounds of
wildflower seeds, including milkweed, were sowed this winter. Native
grasses, annual and perennial wildflowers, scrubs and trees were integrated
to provide year-round floral resources and nesting habitats for
pollinators. Blooms from seed are expected to take approximately three
years to emerge and begin attracting pollinators. Additional sites have
been identified on the Jordan Estate for pollinator sanctuaries, and their
plantings, expected over the next few years, will be based on learnings
from these first plantings. The winery expects around 10 acres to be
dedicated to pollinator sanctuaries total over three years. Jordan is also
working with Warm Springs 4-H in Healdsburg on a milkweed germination
project to grow up to 1,000 seedlings for planting this spring.

“This is the most diverse pollinator habitat restoration program that we
know of,” said Miles Dakin, Bee Friendly Farming coordinator for Pollinator
Partnership. “The initiative shown by Jordan Estate is remarkable, and we
are proud to have them as a Bee Friendly Farming Certified Member.”

The project has been under development for more than one year, and the
pollinator sanctuary planting sites were expanded in fall of 2020 after
vintner John Jordan read about the historically low Western monarch
migration numbers, which have been dwindling in recent years. According to
The Xerces Society, in 2020 the Western monarch butterfly “that winters
along the California coast hit a low of [only 1,914] butterflies—a 99.9%
decline since the 1980s.” Additionally, action is more crucial now than
ever before, as “this critically low number follows two years with fewer
than 30,000 butterflies—the previous record lows—indicating that the
western monarch butterfly migration is nearing collapse.” According to
BiologicalDiversity.org, population declines have occurred in 52 percent of
native bee species.

Natives, such as bumblebees and mason bees, are vital pollinators for
plants grown in the Jordan Winery garden, such as tomatoes, squash,
raspberries and strawberries, to name a few. Although bees do not pollinate
grapevines, they are the primary pollinators for cover crops grown between
the vines, which naturally replenish important soil nutrients. Monarch
butterflies, also native pollinators, are known as a flagship species for
conservation, holding tremendous cultural significance.

“Honeybees get most of the attention,” says Todd Knoll, executive chef of
Jordan Vineyard & Winery. “But mason bees pollinate many of the fruits and
vegetables we eat—they have a 95 percent pollination rate compared to
honeybees at 5 percent. Butterflies like monarchs also play an important
role in the ecosystem as both a pollinator and a food source, so they
cannot be forgotten.”

Jordan has been Bee Friendly Farming Certified through Pollinator
Partnership since 2013. Created in 2016, Jordan’s garden apiary features
seven beehives and a carefully designed bee flower garden to help promote
pollinator populations. Jordan has also been the winter “vacation” home of
traveling beehives that live across from Jordan’s petit verdot vineyards
until they are moved to the Central Valley to complete their annual
pollination of almond trees.

Through these plantings, Jordan hopes that he will inspire more landowners
across the West to plant milkweed and spread awareness about the importance
of protecting native pollinators. In addition to being a Certified
California Sustainable Vineyard & Winery, Jordan is a member of the Sonoma
and Bay Area Green Business programs, and all Jordan Estate and grower
vineyards are certified Sonoma Sustainable.

*About Jordan Vineyard & Winery*
Founded in 1972, Jordan Vineyard & Winery was inspired by the great wine
estates of France and the timeless connection between food, wine and
hospitality. Under the guidance of second-generation vintner John Jordan,
Jordan Estate is an extension of these traditions, with its iconic chateau,
breathtaking views, sustainably farmed vineyards, natural habitat for
wildlife and gardens for the chef’s inventive cuisine, offering a
distinctive sense of place in Sonoma County wine country. Learn more at
www.jordanwinery.com.

*About Pollinator Partnership*
Established in 1997, Pollinator Partnership (P2) is the largest 501(c) 3
non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the health, protection,
and conservation of all pollinating animals. Pollinator Partnership’s
actions for pollinators include education, conservation, restoration,
policy, and research. P2’s financial support comes through grants, gifts,
memberships and donations from any interested party. Its policies are
science-based, set by its board of directors, and never influenced by any
donor. To make a donation in support of its mission, or for information,
visit www.pollinator.org.

*About Bee Friendly Farming*
Bee Friendly Farming is a certification program from Pollinator Partnership
that provides guidelines for farmers and growers interested in promoting
pollinator health on their lands. https://www.pollinator.org/bff
-- 

Kelly Rourke

Director of Programs and Operations

Pollinator Partnership

475 Sansome St., 17th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94111

e:  kr at pollinator.org

w:  www.pollinator.org
o:  415.362.1137

c:  585.255.0962

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