We can all do our part to protect pollinators
For most of her life, Anna Hansen has been passionate about the environment. Influenced by writer Rachel Carson and the late former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, the Santa Fe County commissioner from District 2 recently introduced Resolution 2020-51 “to protect and enhance pollinator species and their habitat throughout Santa Fe County.”
As stated in the resolution, “threefourths of the world’s flowering plants and approximately 75 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollination to reproduce.” Without pollinators we face a big problem.
In her capacity as vice president of the board of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, Hansen learned the National Park Service had sponsored a similar resolution. She felt this was an important way to support their goals.
Hansen is happy to point out that the resolution was passed unanimously. All the commissioners recognize the gravity of the decline in pollinator populations. Reversing this trend is perceived as integral to their role as stewards of county land and the well-being of their constituents. The resolution further states, “Santa Fe County recognizes the identification and protection of nectar corridors for migratory pollinators such as bats, hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly as critically important.”
We can all do our part. “Pollinators
are our partners, and they have no voice,” Hansen said. “It’s really up to us to protect them.” The effort can start in our own yards. Santa Fe residents can also share this information with neighbors, homeowners associations and other groups that have an impact on local habitats.
The Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a significant nectar and host-plant corridor for the monarch butterfly and many other vital pollinators. The Audubon Society is committed to preserving populations of the beautiful feathered creatures we love to see in our gardens and to conservation efforts to provide the sustenance and habitat birds need. The National Wildlife Federation has excellent information on attracting pollinators to your yard or even to your porch.
The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit dedicated to invertebrate conservation. Kaitlin Haase, the organization’s new Southwest pollinator conservation specialist, and her colleagues hope to identify existing clusters of pollinators and expand them by adding native plants. As these clusters gradually link together, they become corridors of permanent habitat for native pollinators, with all their associated ecosystem services, rather than just places to rest and find nectar. The society plans to establish a pollinator trail, and Haase will promote collaboration with groups such as Bumblebee Watch and Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper to expand individual involvement.
In addition to encouraging citizens to get involved, Resolution 2020-51 directs Santa Fe County staff to consider the goals of the resolution in the strategic planning process for the county. Actions such as utilizing integrated pest management, opting for pollinator-friendly landscapes at all newly landscaped county buildings and working with other groups committed to pollinator habitat protection will be explored. I was pleased to learn the board of directors of my homeowners association in
Rancho Viejo North unanimously voted to support this resolution and will look into landscape practices consistent with its goals.
The resolution is a significant step toward a more sustainable and beautiful environment for all of us. It spreads awareness into new corners of our communities and validates a shift toward native plants as we all clamor to reduce pesticide use. Most of all, as Hansen said to me, “This is not some old flower-child issue.” She pointed out that the problem of pesticides is still with us decades after Carson’s Silent Spring resulted in the ban on the pesticide DDT in the 1960s.
Readers can access the full test of the resolution at www.santafe countynm.gov/county_commissioners/anna_hansen.
Laurie McGrath has been a Master Gardener with the NMSU Extension in Santa Fe County for 20 years. She was a co-host of the Garden Journal radio show and is a founding member of the Santa Fe Native Plant Project.