A campaign has begun to ensure the survival of Nevada County’s honeybees and other types of local pollinators that officials with the Bear Yuba River Land Trust will be permanent. It’s called the “Pollinator Project” and has a number of components. The Trust’s development and programs manager, Melony Vance says the ongoing decline is due to a number of factors, including climate change, pesticides, disease, smog, and habitat loss. The drought has also worsened the problem…

click to listen to Melony Vance

The Trust says one-third of all food consumed in the world depends on the work of pollinators. Vance says one of the features of the project is community education and outreach for backyard gardeners, who can grow a variety of pollinator-friendly plants that bloom at different times of the year…

click to listen to Melony Vance

A list of suggested plants can be found on the website of the Bear Yuba River Land Trust. Vance says the Land Trust will also be doing test pollinator plantings and plots this fall to see what’s most effective, that gardeners can also refer to. They are also working with local beekeepers in need of large open spaces to station apiaries. Also, by donating change from purchases at BriarPatch Co-op, customers will help the Land Trust restore pasture lands and native grasslands and create healthy habitats.