Above: The public is invited to a presentation on restoring habitats friendly to “at risk” native pollinators like bees and butterflies and simple ways to help. (image cropped from flyer)
For six years, Southborough’s Open Space Preservation Commission has partnered with an expert to support research on native pollinators, especially bees. Now, the Southborough Rotary Club is joining in the effort.
Next week, they are sponsoring a public presentation on why restoring native pollination systems matters, and what you can do to help.
Pollination systems are being degraded at an unprecedented rate worldwide due to human activity. Join Dr. Robert J. Gegear from UMASS Dartmouth for a discussion on what you can do in your own backyard to help ‘at risk’ native pollination systems and the biodiversity that they support.
Dr. Gegear will also discuss his Beecology Citizen Science Project, highlighting how Southborough and other communities in Massachusetts have used his research-based native plant list to support imperiled native plant-pollinator systems
The Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission has been working with Dr. Gegear since 2015 when he adopted Breakneck Hill Conservation Land as his first research site. Learn about the ongoing project and simple things you can do to make a difference.
In 2015, Dr. Gegear started studying pollinators at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land. Since then, the OSPC has been working to support native pollinators and plants. They’ve worked with Gegear and others to promote the importance of supporting native pollinator populations through many presentations and the creation of pollinator gardens throughout town.
An announcement explains that OSPC believes that Rotary’s help can strengthen the initiative:
The newly planted Pollination Preservation Garden at the Southborough Library is one of the first Public Display Gardens in the state using Dr. Gegear’s research to promote preservation of pollination systems. The OSPC is also partnering with the Southborough Open Land Foundation creating a garden at the Beals Preserve and other projects are ongoing at the Golf Course and at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land.
The Rotary/OSPC collaboration strengthens the capacity for town-wide projects. We are proud that Southborough is at the forefront of this statewide effort.
The talk will be held at St. Mark’s School on Wednesday, December 15 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. (Masks are required.) For more details on the initiative, the talk, and parking, click here.
Updated (1/31/22 11:37 am): For those who missed the event, you can watch a video here.
