Alpharetta Joins Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

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Bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we take each day.

However their numbers are declining, and their very survival is at a critical point. To ensure a healthy and sufficient food supply for our children and our children’s children, it is vital that we protect and increase the pollinator population.

While many factors are contributing to the recent decline, scientific evidence indicates that increasing the number and health of pollen producing trees and plants in our landscapes and natural environments will help to reverse the trend.

That is why more than a dozen national organizations have banded together to launch the National Pollinator Garden Network and issue the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.

The challenge seeks to register one million gardens across the country that support pollinators by mobilizing the gardening community and property owners to plant more native and non-invasive pollen and nectar producing plants.

To support pollinators, a garden or landscape should:

• Use plants that provide nectar and pollen sources
• Provide a water source
• Be situated in a sunny area with wind breaks
• Create large “pollen targets” of native or non-invasive plants
• Establish continuous bloom throughout the growing season
• Eliminate or minimize the impact of pesticides

The city of Alpharetta has accepted and will be promoting the challenge through its Alpharetta’s Wild Side Initiative. One of the primary goals of Alpharetta’s Wild Side is to increase the number of pollinator-friendly places throughout the community and become certified through the National Wildlife Federation as a Community Wildlife Habitat.

One of the requirements for Alpharetta to earn certification is for at least 225 property owners in the city (including at least 200 homes) to submit a form to the National Wildlife Federation indicating that their property supports wildlife.

More than 120 homeowners, 6 schools and 12 other properties have already completed this registration. Registering your property will not only give Alpharetta points toward certification, but it will automatically include your property in the count for the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.

By accepting the challenge and adding pollen and nectar producing plants to your home landscape, you will help ensure sustainable and healthy food supplies, bring natural beauty to your backyard, increase your property’s curb appeal and value and help Alpharetta become a recognized Community Wildlife Habitat.

Additionally, if you register your property with the National Wild life Federation by July 31, you could be one of three lucky winners of a four-person pass to the Chattahoochee Nature Center.

Registration places no restrictions on the use of your property; it simply means that the property has food, shelter and water that can be used by wildlife, such as trees, shrubs and flowers.

For more information about the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, visit the campaign’s website. For information on Alpharetta’s Wild Side and other efforts being led by the volunteers of Alpharetta’s Natural Resources Commission, visit the commission’s website.

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Image via Shutterstock