Minnesota Pollinator Partnership

Pollinators play a key role in ecosystem function and in agriculture, including thousands of native plants and more than one hundred U.S. crops that either need or benefit from pollinators. However, pollinators are in dramatic decline in Minnesota and throughout the country. The causes of the decline are not completely understood, but identified factors include loss of nesting sites, fewer flowers, increased disease, and increased pesticide use. Fortunately, there are known actions that can be taken to help counteract some of these factors, such as adding diversity of flowering plants to the landscape in order to provide nectar and habitat for pollinators. Pheasants Forever is using this appropriation to pilot an education and habitat restoration program in 40 communities around the state that will involve 800 youth and 200 adults in learning about pollinators and their habitat and engaging them in conducting community pollinator projects that establish pollinator foraging habitat on a total of at least 40 acres.