At least 600 species of native bees in Washington contribute to the important work of pollinating favorite local crops like squashes, cucumbers, berries and apples. Three-quarters of all flowering plants and roughly 35% of food crops depend on pollinators to reproduce! The abundance and diversity of native bees and other pollinators on farms, and their contribution to pollination and crop productivity are enhanced when basic habitat needs are met including nesting and overwintering sites and flowers on which to forage. Xerces Society is an invertebrate conservation group that estimates 40% of invertebrate pollinator species may be facing extinction, native bees in particular. And yet they are optimistic about the potential of land managers to effectively address the decline through habitat creation and strategic management choices. PCD has a number of new resources and upcoming events for landowners interested in joining the growing pollinator conservation movement and boosting pollinator and beneficial insect habitat on their lands.

1. Sign up for our full day pollinatorworkshop with Xerces Society onNovember 19th in Puyallup! The workshop will focus on concepts around protecting and enhancing populations of pollinators and beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. Topics include principles of pollinator biology and integrated crop pollination, the economics of insect pollination, basic field identification and evaluating pollinator and beneficial insect habitat, land management practices for pollinator protection, pollinator habitat restoration, and selection of plants for pollinator enhancement sites. Presentations from farmers actively implementing pollinator habitat restoration on their farms will be included.
2. We have a new Pollinator Pal Toolkit page on our website! We put together shortlists of our favorite pollinator resources and organized them into a Farm Toolkit and Home and Citizen Science Toolkit format. You’ll find all you need to design a land or farmscape for pollinators, source your planting material, prepare your site and install your planting successfully. 
3. Ask us about several new cost share opportunities available through PCD to fund your pollinator habitat planting! Our farm planning staff can assist with the planning and connect you with funds that cover 50-100% of installation costs. Several Pierce County farmers will be installing pollinator hedgerows this fall with PCD cost share dollars, and we hope many more can take advantage of this funding opportunity! 
4. Pre-order pollinator plants for your new habitat planting from PCD’s AnnualNative Plant Sale! Orders will open November 1st for plant pickup in March 2020. Our knowledgeable plant sale staff can help you put together the perfect pollinator habitat plant palette.