The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge needs your yard

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), of which we are a proud state affiliate, has joined dozens of conservation and gardening groups to form the National Pollinator Garden Network, which recently launched the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.

The decline in pollinators has been alarming, and the Challenge is a nationwide call to action to preserve and create gardens and landscapes that will help maintain and improve the health of bees, bats, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators. 

Pollinators are responsible for one out of three bites of food we take each day. Despite their critical importance, they are at a pivotal point in their own survival. While the reasons for their decline are many, we know that more nectar and pollen sources will help improve their health and increase their numbers.

Every household, business, community, and school can provide food and habitat for pollinators by adding pollinator-friendly plants and trees to their gardens and landscapes. NWF will work to rally hundreds of thousands of folks, just like you and me, to help reach the goal of one million pollinator gardens by the end of 2016.

You can easily participate in the Challenge by turning your yard or garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat. It’s easy!  Just provide some food, water, and cover for pollinators and visit NWF’s website to certify your yard.

Jen Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.