A number of conservation and gardening organizations joined together to form the National Pollinator Garden Network and launch a nationwide campaign called the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.
The Network launched the initiative in support of President Barack Obama’s call to action to reverse the decline of pollinating insects, such as honeybees, native bees and monarch butterflies.
The initiative challenges the nation to reach the goal of one million additional pollinator gardens by the end of 2016. In order to reach this goal, the Network is rallying gardeners, horticultural professionals, schools and volunteers to contribute by planting for pollinators, no matter how small or large the habitat.
According to President Obama’s 2014 Presidential Memorandum on Pollinator Health and National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, federal action combined with private sector partnerships and citizen engagement can restore pollinator populations to healthy levels.
“If we all work together—individuals, communities, farmers, land managers, and local, state, and federal agencies—we can ensure that every American child has a chance to enjoy the beauty of creatures like bees, monarch butterflies, and hummingbirds,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “By joining forces with the National Pollinator Garden Network on the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, the National Wildlife Federation and our affiliates are amplifying these collective efforts to address the growing threats affecting so much of America’s treasured wildlife.”
The organizations in the National Pollinator Garden Network include America in Bloom; the American Horticulture Society; the American Public Gardens Association; the American Seed Trade Association; AmericanHort; the Captain Planet Foundation; the Home Garden Seed Association; Keep America Beautiful; the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; Monarch Watch; the National Environmental Education Foundation; the National Gardening Association; the National Garden Bureau; National Garden Clubs; the National Recreation and Park Association; the National Wildlife Federation; the North American Butterfly Association; Pollinator Partnership; the Society of American Florists; USDA People’s Garden; Wild Ones; the Wildlife Habitat Council; and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Biology.
