Author: Becky Griffin

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i-Three Corps Impact Information

i-Three Issue Corps – Pollinator Spaces Project Expands

I am excited to say that in 2016 the Pollinator Spaces Project registered over 60 new gardens in 20 Georgia counties.  As other gardeners have heard about the project we have been asked to continue the project into 2017.   We are happy to do so!

Oakhurst Community Garden Pollinator Space – complete with pollinator!

The Georgia Pollinator Census

After working with this initiative for a year we decided to add a new part to the project: the Georgia Pollinator Census.   The Georgia Pollinator Census initiative asks school and community gardeners who are experienced in growing pollinator habitat to identify and count pollinators.   There are two goals for the project.  The first is to find out if there is a difference in numbers and types of pollinating insects in rural, suburban and urban areas.  Secondly, we want to expand the insect knowledge of the gardeners.

How will the project work?

As a gardening group is interested in the project they contact me to sign up.  They will receive an insect identification/collection kit (thanks to grant monies) and an identification number.   I will deliver three aster plants to the gardens.  These plants will be put in the ground in the spring to mature and have many blossoms by September.

Gardeners will be trained on insect identification through in-person workshops, website resources, and videos.  I will also be available to assist gardeners, along with their county ANR Extension agents.

Many asters are Georgia natives that are very attractive to insects.

We will ask the gardeners to count during the month of September, once a week for three weeks.  We are asking for 15 minute count times, counting insects only on the aster.  They will log their counts on the website using their individual identification number.  We hope for up to 50 volunteer groups for this project.

Since the gardeners that have reported new pollinator habitat are from 19 very diverse Georgia counties, we are hopeful that we will get volunteers for the project from rural, suburban and urban gardens.  It will be interesting to see if the the pollinator counts are different.  And, we are hoping in inspire a few new entomologists!

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i-Three Corps

i-Three Issue Corps – Pollinator Spaces Project – An Update

Mason Bee Home
Mason Bee Home

Pollinator Planting Has Begun

It is planting season in Georgia.  The cold weather has hung on a bit longer than usual this year so in many parts of the state we are late planting our warm-season plants.  I am excited to say that at this time there are pollinator gardens going in all across Georgia and the Pollinator Spaces Project is in full force.  Gardeners from Savannah to Cartersville and from Monticello to Columbus are creating pollinator habitat.

Several conservation organizations are partnering with us and are adding pollinator habitat at their places of business.  Also, a few other Georgia colleges plan on adding pollinator gardens.  The project, which was originally designed for community and school gardens, has expanded.

Pollinator Project Info-Graphic Example
Info-graphics are an addition to my social media toolbox.

Effectively Using Social Media

At the i-Three Corps conference I was fortunate enough to spend time with social media specialists.  Since my project is statewide, much of the project is run by a website and driven by social media.  The specialists gave me some ideas to improve my social media presence.  I am now creating info-graphics and increasing my number of videos.   Using a social media manager means that I am spending less time on Facebook and Twitter and I am more deliberate in the timing of posts and tweets (our # is #gapollinators!)

Story Mapping in My Future

I was very excited to spend some time with Shane Bradt and learn about story mapping at the conference.  I plan to use story mapping at the end of this project.  Shane showed me many options on how I could present the story of my project to different audiences.  My Extension colleagues may need to see a different story map than the one presented to the public.  Since the conference I have gone through several tutorials and will be ready to work on this when the time comes.

For now, I am busy visiting gardens, assisting agents with pollinator habitats, and conducting workshops and presentations across the state. Stay tuned…

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i-Three Corps Information

i-Three Issue Corps – Pollinator Spaces Project – The Start

Green Meadows Community Garden Pollinator Plants
Green Meadows Community Garden Pollinator Space

We know that pollinators are in trouble.  Native bee habitat is declining.   Colony collapse disorder of honey bees is forefront in the headlines and the debate over pesticide use on butterfly populations continues.

As University of Georgia (UGA) Extension’s Community and School Garden Coordinator I work primarily with food gardeners.  Pollinator issues directly affect food production.   Increasingly, community gardeners are seeing a decline in crops, such as cucumbers and squash, that rely on pollinators.  Some are even hand-pollinating!  The Pollinator Spaces Project was designed to help.

 

The Project

The Pollinator Spaces Project encourages gardeners, especially community and school gardeners, to create or expand pollinator habitat in their gardens.   It is easy, fun, and rewarding for anyone to participate (learn, create and share!).

Step #1:  Learn about pollinators and pollinator habitat.  Gardeners learn about creating pollinator habitat through resources on the Pollinator Spaces Project website and through face-to-face workshops and events given by local Extension personnel.

Step #2:  Create your pollinator space. Gardeners create their pollinator habitat in whatever size, shape and design they choose.

Step #3:  Share photos of your garden with UGA Extension.  As pollinator spaces are created, gardeners send me photos of their created space to be posted on our Facebook page.  Participating gardens are sent a certificate of participation.

The photos are collected and used to assess project evaluation.  Also a Georgia map of newly created pollinator spaces is planned.

The i-Three Corps team has already been helpful in refining how I will conduct evaluation.  Also, the team is helping me create a digital storyboard that will help me tell the story of our project.

Planning

The project will be implemented during 2016 but the project planning began almost a year ago.

Pollinator Spaces Project Promotional Material

  • Research done at the UGA was used in conjunction with research done at other research universities to develop a suggested plant list.
  • An artist assisted in designing seed packages and cosmos seeds were ordered to be distributed to gardeners at events.  The artist also designed a special certificate that is unique to this Extension project.

UGA cosmos seed pack design front UGA cosmos seed pack design back

  • During the growing season of 2015 I took photographs of pollinators and pollinator plants to use during 2016.  I also created short videos that I will post on my weekly Community and School Gardening blog, the website, and our UGA Community and School Garden Facebook page throughout 2016.
  • I met with agents across the state to explain the project and elicit their support and promotion of the project.  The project was designed to not only be a state-wide initiative but to promote the local Extension office as well.
  • I met with possible collaborators outside UGA to see how we could partner.
  • I volunteered to speak about the importance of pollinators and the project at groups such as the Environmental Educational Alliance of Georgia and Georgia Organics.  Basically, I have volunteered to speak to anyone who will listen!

 

Next Steps

Spring gardening begins in late March and April across the state of Georgia.  Hopefully, all preparation and promotion of the last several months will result in gardens being planted shortly.  We have events and workshops planned throughout 2016 and we will be anxiously awaiting our first garden photos!  Stay tuned and I will let you know how the project progresses!