“The White House has taken the lead with the recent Pollinator Research Action Plan, but individual actions are just as important,” said Kim Eierman. “During World War II Americans rallied to create over 1 million Victory Gardens — food gardens for defense. Americans can do it again, this time creating Pollinator Victory Gardens to defend pollinators and our food supply. Every garden counts!”
Piggy-backing off the White House’s May release of the Pollinator Research Action Plan, environmental horticulturist Kim Eierman is launching a campaign to increase awareness of strategies that American homeowners and gardeners can implement in their own gardens and yards in support of pollinators.
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Kim Eierman. (Courtesy Photo) |
Eierman will kick off her campaign with “Planting for Pollinators,” the first of many events in the series, at the Nature Conservancy in East Hampton on Saturday, June 20th at 10 a.m. Just in time for National Pollinator Week (June 15th through June 21st), Eierman is also publishing “How to Create a Pollinator Victory Garden” on her blog at www.ecobeneficial.com.
“The European honey bee and our 4,000 species of native bees in the U.S. have suffered dramatic losses to their populations,” said Eierman. “Since bees pollinate a significant portion of our food crops, this is a problem that affects all of us.”
The environmental horticulturist noted that the drop in bee population could have a direct effect on the local environment. “Without bee pollination services, many of our common fruits, nuts and vegetables would no longer be available,” shared Eierman. “Most of our landscapes offer little in the way of nectar and pollen sources, which bees depend upon. To make things worse, our frequent use of pesticides, including seemingly benign lawn care products, is devastating to bees and other pollinators.”
Kim Eierman is an environmental horticulturist specializing in ecological landscapes and native plants. She is the Founder of EcoBeneficial!, a horticulture communications and consulting company.
The Nature Conservancy is located at 142 Route 114 in East Hampton. For more information, call 646-675-8550 or visit www.nature.org.
