宾州州立大学白兰地酒 was recently certified as a 宾西法尼亚 Pollinator Friendly Garden by the Penn State Master Gardeners.
蜜蜂不仅仅会螫人、酿蜜和嗡嗡作响. In fact, these insects have a proven positive effect on our ecosystems. A national strategy was created to save honey蜜蜂 and other 传粉者 because of this impact and 宾州州立大学白兰地酒 is now an important part of the movement.
According to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Center for Pollinator Research, “授粉对我们的食物供应至关重要. Insects and other animals are a key element in facilitating this transfer. In fact, one of every three bites of food comes to us by 传粉者.“不幸的是, bee populations are facing sharp declines and this drop is creating what some describe as an “ecological disaster.”
“The beautiful manicured lawns that some homeowners are striving for creates an ecological desert that makes it impossible for 传粉者 to survive,——马修·费尔德曼, 生物讲师兼养蜂人, 说. “The pollinator 花园 is a small step in ending these deserts.”
最近，白宫宣布了第一个 national strategy to promote the health of honey蜜蜂 and other 传粉者. 传粉者健康特别工作组, a federal task force developed to create a national strategy, laid out three all-encompassing goals: limit the reduction of honeybee colony losses during the winter months by 15 percent within the next 10 years, increase the monarch butterfly population and restore or enhance 7 million acres of land for 传粉者 over the next five years.
这一策略的时机非常完美, as 宾州州立大学白兰地酒 just received certification from the Penn State Master Gardeners recognizing the campus as a 宾西法尼亚 Pollinator Friendly Garden.
"This pollinator friendly campus is an important step in supporting our ecosystem and creating a healthy future for the Brandywine community."
-- Mary Fran McLaughlin, reference librarian at Vairo图书馆 and “bee advocate"
以便申请认证, 宾州州立大学白兰地酒’s Green/可持续性 Committee met challenging requirements with the help of Charles Daly, 校园景观组组长. This certification verifies that 宾州州立大学白兰地酒 provides food and a habitat for native insects and animals, which in turn provide the pollination necessary to protect plant diversity and food sources.
“It is a challenge to prepare and maintain our campus according to the certification guidelines,戴利说。. “We limit herbicides but do use them to control weeds in our flower beds and turf. 我们在申请时非常明智."
获得认证, the property must provide nectar and pollen food sources, 毛毛虫的食物来源, 水源, shelter for 传粉者 to nest and follow a policy to reduce pesticide use and not grow invasive plants.
以便申请认证, 宾州州立大学白兰地酒’s Green/可持续性 Committee met challenging requirements. This certification verifies that 宾州州立大学白兰地酒 provides food and a habitat for native insects and animals, which in turn provide the pollination necessary to protect plant diversity and food sources.
“I use 传粉者 as much as possible when designing 花园s and we do plant native plants, 但也不完全是,戴利说。. “我也会考虑场地条件(太阳), soil and water) and whether they will coexist with the campus deer population and how much care they require.”
The 宾州州立大学白兰地酒 community is excited to add this qualification to the emergent list of how the campus is growing.
“随着我们校园的发展, it's exciting that Brandywine is committed to conserving and incorporating pollinator habitats into our structural design,玛丽·弗兰·麦克劳克林说, reference librarian at Vairo图书馆 and “bee advocate.” “This gives all of us an opportunity to appreciate not only the functionality of native plantings and 传粉者, 但是美丽. This pollinator friendly campus is an important step in supporting our ecosystem and creating a healthy future for the Brandywine community.”
Penn State Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by the Penn State Extension. The master 花园ers support the Extension by utilizing research-based information to educate the public on best practice in consumer horticulture and environmental stewardship.
