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Bee Inspired group to host June 22 workshop on plants and pollinators

June 16, 2016
by Molly Marcallo, Moab Times-Independent

The Moab Bee Inspired Gardens (BIG) group will host a free workshop, “Plants and Pollinators” on June 22, emphasizing growing the right plants for the right pollinators in the local community. The event is the second in a series of monthly BIG workshops, which representatives say aim to provide the community with opportunities to learn about sustainable landscaping and gardening practices.

Taught by BIG members, Roslynn Brain, assistant professor in Utah State University’s sustainability department, said the June 22 workshop, the first in a planned series, will highlight a diverse range of topics related to sustainability.

“Our team of people represent all of these great organizations with amazing expertise,” Brain said. “We haven’t yet been able to tap into that full potential, so these workshops gives individuals an opportunity to apply their expertise and allow the community to learn about these topics. The workshops are hands on, but it’s more focused on education using real life examples.”

At the end of the series, BIG member Claire Core says community members will have a greater depth of knowledge in permaculture and sustainable design, which they can apply to their own garden spaces.

“With this series of workshops we’re laying the foundational aspects of things so people can have a broader depth of knowledge,” Core said. “Then at the end of the series they would be able to go to their own home and put in a garden, be able to do it in a really holistic fashion and recognize the many different facets of what they’re putting together.”

BIG member Kara Dohrenwend says the June 22 workshop will focus on native plants and pollinators, and the importance of diversity in a landscape.

“[We’ll be] highlighting the symbiosis of having diverse blooming plants that attract, provide habitat for, and help ensure high diversity of food for pollinators around food crop areas [which] helps ensure good fruit pollination and therefore better food pollination,” said Dohrenwend.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the workshop will begin at Wildland Scapes Plant Nursery on 1471 South Mill Creek Drive before the group moves on to Easy Bee Farms in Moab.

Rhonda Gotway Clyde and Jess Oldham will instruct the Easy Bee Farms portion of the workshop. Gotway Clyde said it is important to highlight pollinators’ role in the food system.

“Pollinators are under tremendous stress from habitat loss and the chemical byproducts of human development,” Gotway Clyde said. “Bee Inspired Gardens raises the awareness of pollinator health and demonstrates how all communities can live together more harmoniously.”

For more information about the June 22 workshop contact Gotway Clyde by email at: rhondagotwayclyde@gmail.com. For the full schedule of BIG events, visit the group’s website: beeinspired.usu.edu.


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