Brunswick, Ga. – The University of Georgia Marine Extension Service and Georgia Sea Grant will celebrate National Pollinator Week this month in coastal Georgia. The university’s CoastScapes Conservation Landscaping Program and its partners will host a kickoff event June 20 from 9-11 a.m. at the UGA Brunswick Center located at 715 Bay Street.
National Pollinator Week is a celebration of the ecosystem services provided by animals such as bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. The June 20 event will include tours of the station’s pollinator habitat garden and other native-plant-themed gardens and talks on pollinator protection and native plant pollinator landscaping. Area honeybee keepers will be on hand with an observation hive and honey tasting, and a local expert will help visitors with butterfly and moth identification.
“Pollinators are profoundly important to our well-being and the health of our environment,” said Keren Giovengo, CoastScapes’ program manager. “In addition to their beauty, pollinators provide an important link in our environment by moving pollen between flowers and ensuring the growth of seeds and fruits.
“In the United States, approximately one out of every three bites of food you eat and beverages you drink depends on the work of a pollinating animal.”
The pollination work that bees accomplish annually accounts for more than $15 billion in added crop value nationally, particularly for specialty crops such as almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables.
“Regretfully, both the European honeybee and some of our native bees are disappearing,” Giovengo said. “Our event is all about celebrating pollinators and educating folks on the importance and need to protect these invaluable animals.”
For more information on pollinators, see www.coastscapes.org and choose “landscaping for wildlife.” The site features information on creating pollinator friendly landscapes and other ways to promote and protect pollinators.
For more information on the event, call Giovengo at 912/280-1586.
UGA Marine Extension Service
The University of Georgia Marine Extension Service is a public service and outreach unit serving the Georgia coast to increase efficiency of existing marine industries, identify new industries that do not harm the environment and increase public awareness and understanding of coastal ecosystems.
Georgia Sea Grant
Georgia Sea Grant, one of 32 state programs funded by the National Sea Grant, promotes education and outreach directed at creating a balanced approach toward land use, economic development and ecosystem health in the state’s coastal region. The University of Georgia is a land- and sea-grant institution.
