Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Somerville’s Public Space and Urban Forestry division (PSUF) invite the community to attend a virtual Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, June 10, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. The consultant team, Offshoots, Inc., will present the draft Pollinator Action Plan and invite feedback from the committee and members of the public. This presentation kicks off a summer event series aimed at promoting habitat and biodiversity in the city. Events include the release of the plan, a volunteer event to create a pollinator demonstration garden, arbor day festivities, and a “pollinator alle” at Somerville Art Council’s ArtBeat event. 

The meeting is an opportunity to learn about Somerville’s pollinator species, ways residents can create habitat in their yards or in pots, and how City projects can support native pollinators. This plan must speak to a range of audiences since the majority of land in Somerville is privately owned. It will include many recommendations for residents planting their own pollinator gardens including plant lists, garden designs, and best maintenance practices.

 

The draft plan will be available on the Somerville Pollinator Action Plan SomerVoice webpage after the meeting for the community to review. The virtual meeting details are below:

 

Draft Pollinator Action Plan Presentation

Additional upcoming events will give residents the opportunity to meet the team involved in writing the plan and to learn about its recommendations.

 

On Thursday, June 27, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., residents are invited to City Hall for the planting of a pollinator garden. All are welcome to swing by including beginners, master gardeners, residents without gardens, and those with even a slight curiosity about this project. The design team from Offshoots will share about the Pollinator Action Plan and planting and maintenance techniques. The event will take place rain or shine.

 

The community is also invited to join a celebration with Mayor Ballantyne on Monday, July 8, when the final Pollinator Action Plan will be presented at City Hall (93 Highland Ave) from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

 

More than 75% of all flowering plants depend on pollination for survival, including thousands of global food crops, but due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and light pollution, pollinator populations are declining in New England and worldwide.

 

The City of Somerville’s Pollinator Action Plan prioritizes local pollinator health to establish and maintain a healthy and biodiverse urban ecosystem. The plan is the first of its kind in a city as densely populated as Somerville. 

 

The Pollinator Action Plan is part of an ambitious undertaking by the Ballantyne administration to support, protect, and maintain biodiverse urban ecosystems. These initiatives include Mayor Ballantyne’s signing of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, research collaborations with the Tufts Pollinator Initiative, and planting pollinator gardens throughout the city. 

 

This project also builds on Mayor Ballantyne’s work as a City Councilor to pass a Native Plant Ordinance, which requires City plantings to contain certain percentages of native species.