Pollinator outreach blooms at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo
Pollinators provide invaluable support to agricultural production and supply chains — a message that matters to farmers and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, especially during Pollinator Week.
To provide outreach about the importance of pollinators, the zoo hosted its third annual Pollinator Week education collaboration alongside community partners from Illinois Farm Bureau and the Cook County area. Tourists and residents of all ages visiting on June 18 had the chance to learn about the work pollinators do to support food production and how farmers and consumers alike can work to implement practices that can support them long-term.
“This is a really easy way for everyone to come together and contribute in our own ways to pollinator education conservation efforts,” said Raelynn Parmely, Illinois Farm Bureau environmental program manager. “Hopefully, people learn something from the day and can see how they can dig into pollinator resources locally.”
Pollinators are responsible for fertilizing over 180,000 plant species and 1,200 crops. Some scientists estimate three out of five bites of food exist because of pollinators such as native bees, butterflies and beetles. “A lot of our specialty crops would not be produced without the help of pollinators,” said Parmely.
Bona Heinsohn, Cook County Farm Bureau (CCFB) director of governmental relations and public affairs, said that talking with consumers about pollinators and bringing in other community partners is extremely beneficial. The conversations help the public see how much farmers are doing to support pollinators.
“I consider pollinators to be kind of a gateway question,” said Heinsohn. “People ask about bees and what we’re doing with pollinator habitats, and then it’s really easy to talk about what farmers are doing on a large and small scale.”
The partnership with the zoo grew with assistance from IFB’s pollinator grant program. Since 2021, the grants have helped county Farm Bureaus apply for funds to implement projects such as planting pollinator habitats or providing outreach events. With grant funding, CCFB grew its pollinator network locally and connected with Lincoln Park Zoo.
Through stronger community outreach, CCFB also added community partners to Pollinator Awareness Day such as Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and Cook County Ag in the Classroom. Natasha Nicholes of The We Sow We Grow Project was also a part of the day as this year’s “Ask a Farmer.”
Emma Martell, Lincoln Park Zoo director of Child, Teen and Family Engagement, said the day also brings awareness to the zoo’s participation in Monarch SAFE (saving animals from extinction), a consortium of over 100 accredited zoos providing educational programs or equipping people with tools to create pollinator habitats.
“We are always looking for ways to get the message out there that anyone, whether they’re located in a city or in a rural area, can create pollinator habitats in their own homes,” said Martell. “At Lincoln Park Zoo, we are for wildlife, and we want to continue supporting others making conservation-friendly choices.”
MORE INFORMATION:
To learn more about the zoo and its work with pollinators can visit Lincoln Park Zoo in person for free or visit its website, lpzoo.org