Rotary Pollinator Project

"The Pollinator Pledge"

 
The Oak Forest Rotary is partnering with other clubs and local organizations to create "The Pollinator Pledge," a collaboration to do what we can, big or small, to save the pollinators of the world. Pollinators don't just help our pretty flowers, but are essential to honey production, food production, and environmental sustainability.

 

Click here for our Pollinator Pledge Form

 
 
Chris Stein, National Park Service Ranger, who now oversees the National Park Service’s eight National Heritage Areas in the Midwest, agrees. “No project is too small,” he says. “Someone planting one milkweed seed is good. If someone wants to go out and restore a prairie, that’s even better.”

 

Restoring habitat will be key to the monarch’s survival. But there are even bigger stakes. Butterflies aren’t the only pollinators in trouble: So are bees, bats, moths, and other insects. Researchers have found, for example, that native bumblebee populations in North America have declined 46 percent in recent years. And the work those pollinators do has a direct effect on our own lives. (Excerpt from Rotary Magazine, October 2020)

The Oak Forest Rotary is partnering with other clubs and local organizations to create "The Pollinator Pledge," a collaboration to do what we can, big or small, to save the pollinators of the world. Pollinators don't just help our pretty flowers, but are essential to honey production, food production, and environmental sustainability.

The POLLINATOR RESOLUTION summarizes several potential options such as supporting regional partners in strategic pollinator planning, planting pollinator gardens, avoiding or limiting pesticides, creating meadows and diversified lawns, implementing pollinator-friendly mowing practices, pollinator education outreach. You may have additional ideas. If you wish to be part of this movement Rotary’s Pollination Project may assist you to track your annual accomplishments.

Please see the attached form and share your participation with us!  For more questions, please contact Dave King, Oak Forest Rotarian and project manager for our pollination projects, at Dave.King@shpbeds.org or our partner with the Oak Forest Park District, Kirsten Dahm kdahm@oakforestparks.org.

To date, we would like to recognize The Homewood Rotary Club Foundation for their generous donation, as well as Rotary District 6450 and District Governor Chuck Corrigan for their show of support in this endeavor.

 

 
The monarch butterfly has decreased in population by 80% over the last 20 years!

 

 
To start, The Oak Forest Rotary will be planting pollinator gardens in and around our community in hopes of preventing further decline. These gardens will be specifically designed to help the monarch butterfly eat and reproduce along its 3,000 mile migration process. We will educate our volunteers and the community and we will even encourage participants to raise and release butterflies on their own! Together, we will improve local habitat and have a positive impact on our environment. In order for us to successfully accomplish our mission, we will be partnering with any and all organizations or residents that are interested in helping us help bees and butterflies! Please complete the Pollination Pledge below if you are...

 

 
1) Interested in volunteering your time!
2) Interested in learning/teaching about plants, planting, pollinators, monarchs and more!
3) Interested in donating or sponsorship!
4) Interested in raising & releasing butterflies!
5) Have any ideas, seeds, plants, resources or potential contributions to our overall impact & success!
 

Click here for our Pollinator Pledge Form