A local environmental group is creating a “pollinator path” at Columbus’s airpark.
The first major planting event be at about 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 22, weather permitting, at the intersection of Ray Boll Boulevard and Grissom Street.
“We will be transforming a road island from lawn to native plants,” said Columbus Pollinator Committee Chair Eric Riddle.
The pollinator committee completed a fundraising campaign for the project in April, raising about $15,000 through local dollars and an Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority matching grant.
The committee exceeded its $7,500 goal for the grant, raising $7,710. These donations will provide funding for items such as native plant beds, raised beds for an Ivy Tech agricultural pilot project, educational signage, bee hotels and bird houses.
The committee is establishing a pollinator path that connects Blackwell Park to a new native plant meadow near Columbus Community Garden.
“The path will utilize the infrastructure of the existing Columbus People Trail and connect the two large native plant installations at the AirPark,” said organizers. “On areas along this section of the People Trail, new native plant beds, signage, and wildlife housing will be installed.”
The path will be certified as a sustainable trail by the Indiana Wildlife Federation. According to the federation, the Certified Sustainable Trails program was created to “encourage the transformation of trails among thriving habitat corridors that both people and wildlife can safely enjoy.”
The pollinator path will also be the Columbus Pollinator Committee’s primary Bee City project for 2022.
Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and is aimed at getting communities to preserve pollinators — and native species of bees in particular — by providing habitats with plenty of native plants, nest sites and protection from pesticides. Columbus became the first Indiana affiliate of Bee City USA in September 2021. The pollinator committee is facilitating the local program, and the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring it.
The pollinator path will include two major plant installation areas — a 750-square-foot native planting on a street island at Ray Boll Boulevard and an Ivy Tech “Agriculture Pilot Project” at the community garden.
“Ivy Tech Agriculture Department will start a pilot program to teach pre-service elementary and secondary teachers how to incorporate agriculture/horticulture into their regular curriculum,” the pollinator committee explained.
The plan is to create raised beds near the community garden with pollinator plants, herbs, vegetables and flowers. Students will learn about preparing soil, planting, weeding, and maintaining growth and “provide some mini-lesson plans for incorporating into a variety of courses.”
The pilot’s overall goal is to apply for a larger grant to expand the program to other teachers in surrounding school systems and “integrate training areas into the landscape of campus.” The project is part of an application to make the Ivy Tech Columbus and IUPUC campus an affiliate of Bee Campus USA (a sister initiative to Bee City USA).
Riddle said other upcoming pollinator activities include the installation of a memorial bench and flower beds at the new pollinator meadow. There will also be a National Pollinator Week celebration in June.
