Greenwich Dedicates Pollinator Pathway Mural On Route 1

GREENWICH, CT — At long last, the Pollinator Pathway mural along the Post Road across from Greenwich High School was dedicated Wednesday during a brief ceremony.

The colorful artwork, which features flowers, a bee, ladybug and cardinal, was painted by New York artist Nelson Rivas, and illustrates the importance of native habitats and the crucial role of biodiversity for pollinating insects, birds and other wildlife.

Accompanying the mural is a 300 square foot pollinator garden that has over 250 native shrubs, herbaceous plants, bulbs and vines.

Inside the nearby bus shelter, there are fliers with QR codes to educate passersby about pollinators, native plants and the Pollinator Pathway mission.

"We are determined to make a difference," said resident Myra Klockenbrink, who helped spearhead the project along with Greenwich environmental analyst Aleksandra Moch. "Pollinator Pathways is more than just about butterflies and flowers. It is about restoring, preserving and protecting our native landscape. This mural is a symbol of our commitment to that mission."

Klockenbrink urged the roughly 30 people in attendance to educate others about protecting the planet.

Moch acknowledged the one year anniversary of Greenwich becoming a pollinator friendly community, and what her group has done in response.

"This put a lot of responsibility on our shoulders, which included promoting healthy environments for pollinators, planting more pollinator friendly plants in our parks, minimizing the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, purchasing plants which are not pretreated with pesticides, and utilizing the pollinator plantings as educational spaces," she said.

Moch also thanked many supporters of the project, including Greenwich Audubon, garden clubs, Greenwich Land trust and the Greenwich Botanical Center.

The project was completed without any cost to the taxpayer. Overall, the initiative cost $25,000, which was raised through donations.

But the mural took some time to come to fruition, and didn't come without some controversy.

Work on the mural began in May 2021, but it was halted after the Representative Town Meeting had questioned the process the Conservation Committee went through in planning for and executing the project. RTM members said they were not involved in the vetting process, and nearby neighbors were not asked for their input in public hearings.

RTM also had to approve the funds for the project.

The RTM gave the green light for the mural to go forward last September by a vote of 125 in favor, 68 opposed and five abstentions.

"What was a dirty, white wall for many years is now a very colorful point of attraction for people when they're going by the Post Road," said First Selectman Fred Camillo.

"It was not easy; you would think this would have been easy last year, but it became controversial. As we're seeing now, everything is controversial these days," Camillo added. "Certainly this is a great improvement, and as Myra was saying, it signifies really our commitment to the environment."