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Wash. state highway median changes will help natural pollinators

Photo from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

SEATTLE — One week of every June is dedicated across the country to natural pollinators. Special attention in Washington state is devoted to the milkweed, purple lupine, Scotch broom, blackberries and meadow thistle that attract pollinating birds and insects.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved Pollinator Week nine years ago. Widespread honeybee deaths were inspiring conversations on the significance of pollinators.

The first annual week was held in 2007, from June 24-30. A series of special stamps was also commissioned celebrating the week, entitled "Pollination." The stamps displayed pollinators with their corresponding native plants.

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"Pollinators are crucial to plant fertilization and help support our state's $49 billion food and agricultural industry," officials with the Washington State Department of Transportation wrote in a release about the special week.

A new mowing policy was announced by state transportation officials on the first day of 2016’s week. They say their goal is to create meadows desirable to pollinators and also to encourage native plant species’ growth.

Mowing in medians will still be done for drivers’ safety -- but back from the pavement edge by 15 to 20 feet, plants will flourish.

"Where we have room, the more natural setting will provide pollinators with sources of nectar, pollen, larval host plants and nesting locations," WSDOT officials wrote.

As well as helping pollinators, reduced mowing of Washington state's medians will also save an estimated $550,000 annually, reduce fuel usage by 2,500 gallons each year and also reduce carbon emissions.

Native plant vegetation already exists in the grassy areas close to Wash. roadways.

A new focus for transportation officials is planting flowering, woody shrubs that bloom at different times “to give pollinators a more consistent source of nectar and pollen.”

Many pollinators are considered keystone species. The concept of keystone species was developed by a Washington state ecologist in the mid-1960s.

Robert Paine developed the concept in Makah Bay, Washington, where he peeled and returned starfish for three years from the coastal rocks to the water. Paine taught at the University of Washington. He passed away on June 13 of this year in Seattle, at 83 years old.

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"Before Paine's experiments, scientists believed that each species had equal bearing on the functioning of a habitat," Natalie Hisdahl with the University of Washington wrote of the concept. "He showed that when a common starfish (Pisaster ochraceus) was removed from its natural coastal range, its prey - mussels and barnacles -- were free to proliferate and push out other organisms like algae and snails. This cascade effect first observed by Paine helped explain the importance of other keystone species such as killer whales, sea otters and lions in maintaining species richness in various ecosystems."

In an interview with the UW, Paine said even his earliest childhood memories involved biology.

"I remember sitting in the dirt driveway when I was around two-and-a-half years old and watching ants. I was utterly fascinated with nature from a very young age," Paine wrote.

Pollinators are considered keystone species in many habitats because of the vital service they provide to their ecosystems.

If you want to help pollinators thrive during this special week in our state, here are some steps you can take, provided by WSDOT.

  • Reduce your impact: reduce or eliminate use of insecticides, increase green spaces, and minimize urbanization.
  • Plant for pollinators. [Create pollinator-friendly habitat with native flowering plants that supply pollinators with nectar, pollen and homes. Use the BeeSmart pollinator app to find bee-friendly plants for your area.]
  • Design your garden with a continuous succession of plants flowering from spring through fall; gradually replace lawn grass with flower beds.
  • Plant native to your region using plants that provide nectar for adults plus food for insect larvae, such as milkweed for monarchs.
  • Select old-fashioned varieties of flowers whenever possible because breeding has caused some modern blooms to lose their fragrance and/or the nectar and pollen needed by pollinators.
  • Install 'houses' for native bees: Use wood blocks with holes or maintain small open patches of soil and mud.
  • Supply water for all wildlife. A dripping faucet or a suspended milk carton with a pinhole in the bottom is sufficient for some insects. Other wildlife need a small container of water that allows for easy access for drinking.

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