– Press release

Have you considered creating a pollinator-friendly garden blooming with native plants, but don’t know where to start? Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are teaming up to help 20 local gardeners create habitat for bees, butterflies and more by giving away up to $200 per garden in free native plants.

A bee rests inside a bright orange Apricot Mallow bloom. This is one of the many beautiful native varieties that could bring pollinators to your backyard this spring.

A bee rests inside a bright orange Apricot Mallow bloom.
This is one of the many beautiful native varieties that could bring pollinators
to your backyard this spring.

To take part in this opportunity, participants must attend ESLT’s Native Plant and Pollinator Workshop on Saturday, March 28th from 10am-12pm at ESLT’s office at 250 N. Fowler St. in Bishop. Gardeners must also agree to certify their pollinator habitats with ESLT by October 2015. New pollinator gardens, as well as those already certified at the Silver level but not yet Gold, are eligible to receive up to $200 in native plants. Free plants only go to the first 20 people to sign up for the workshop, so contact ESLT’s Education Coordinator and AmeriCorps member, Sara Kokkelenberg at (760) 873-4554 to RSVP today!

Since last April, ESLT’s Eastside Pollinator Garden Project has been working to bring butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to backyards throughout Inyo and Mono Counties. Last summer, ESLT certified over 35 individual and community garden spaces throughout the region as pollinator-friendly habitat. This spring, with the support of USFWS and the Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), 20 more gardeners will get to see their backyards come to life with native plants and pollinators.

ESLT

ESLT’s Native Plant and Pollinator Workshop on March 28th will feature several speakers who will talk about pollinator habitat, share resources for getting started on a new pollinator-friendly garden, and discuss deadlines and required forms for getting certified. In addition, ESLT will host a taste-test of a variety of honeys to whet your pollinator garden imagination.

ESLT is committed to keeping the Eastern Sierra community up-to-date on upcoming workshops, events, and citizen science projects. Anyone interested in signing up for the Native Plant and Pollinator Workshop or in certifying a garden as pollinator-friendly habitat is encouraged to visit www.eslt.org to learn more, or contact Sara Kokkelenberg at (760) 873-4554.

ESLT works with willing landowners to preserve vital lands in the Eastern Sierra for their scenic, agricultural, natural, recreational, historical, and watershed values. ESLT’s goal is to preserve a healthy balance of land uses that can be sustained forever, ensuring both a strong local economy and environment. For more information about ESLT’s mission and preserved lands, visit our website at www.eslt.org.

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