Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, birds, and bats have been on the decline. It poses a real threat to our natural environment and our ability to produce the foods we all eat. In response to this issue, the kids, staff and interns of the Native Youth in Science Preserving Our Homeland (POH) camp have made two pollinator gardens, providing vital resources needed to revive the health of the pollinators.

The first pollinator garden was planted last year thanks to the hard work of the 2017 POH team and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS). The USFWS provided funding for the plants and supervision during the planting. This year’s campers tended the garden planted in 2017 and made a second garden, which was just planted last month and will be fully grown in 2019. The garden planted last year is now thriving and serving as a fertile ground for the pollinators.

A pollinator garden is planted and designed, with specific nectar and pollen producing plants, in a way that attracts pollinating insects known as pollinators. Besides the benefit to the insects, they also benefit the gardens, current and future at the farm providing substances to the tribe.