Photo credit: Elk Root Conservation Farm Society

Awarded to Elk Root Conservation Farm Society to create a pollinator Highway in the Slocan Valley and support pollinator habitat connectivity vital to environmental conservation

PROPONENT: Elk Root Conservation Farm Society

DESCRIPTION: Pollinators, including monarch butterflies and wild bumblebees, provide some of the most important, well-known ecosystem services. However, according to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, declines in native pollinator populations have become a significant concern for conservation due to habitat loss and lack of floral resources caused by climate change and other factors. Pollinator declines, including an 80% reduction of monarch butterflies over the last 20 years, puts the health of natural ecosystems at risk. Pollinator highways, through the establishment of native plants, offer significant benefits to wild pollinators by providing food sources such as wildflowers for pollen and nectar, and breeding and nesting habitats. Most notably, pollinator highways encourage the movement of pollinators through the landscape by connecting otherwise fragmented habitats. Thus, this project will contribute to the maintenance and distribution of wild pollinator populations in the Slocan Valley and provides an exceptional opportunity for addressing connectivity habitat.

OBJECTIVE: This project has the following objectives:

  1. To reduce the threats to biodiversity imposed by transportation and service corridors by creating habitat connectivity.

  2. To enhance the biodiversity of native plants and pollinator species to increase the distribution of pollinator species in the Slocan Valley.

  3. To manage and reduce the impacts of invasive plants on native plants and pollinator species.

  4. To share up-to-date information about the project via signage and tours to inspire engagement of community members in stewardship activities for the restoration of wild pollinator habitat in the Slocan Valley.

  5. To use Phase 1 of the PHP as proof of concept for its extension (Phase 2) through the Slocan Valley from its current Phase 1 site along Passmore Lower Road connecting to Highway 6 and/or the Rail Trail and south down the Slocan Valley as deemed appropriate based on Phase 1 results.

Watch this video for an excellent overview of this project.