The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is highlighting ongoing efforts to help pollinators thrive during National Pollinator Week (June 16-22).
Implemented in 2017, the CTDOT Pollinator Program began with eight sites, encompassing roughly 10 acres. This year, the program has grown to 154 conservation areas comprised of approximately 250 acres. Earlier this month, for example, CTDOT was at the Route 44 and Route 202 split in Canton establishing a new site.
WATCH: CTDOT Pollinator Week Video & Sound
The goal of the Pollinator Program is to provide critical habitats for pollinating insects, such as bees and monarch butterflies, through strategic seeding operations and vegetation management, such as intentional reduced mowing. The conservation areas will then be mowed in the Fall, setting the stage for the next growing season.
“We’re proud of these continued efforts to help pollinators thrive, by creating safe habitats for them across Connecticut. Every year, we’re identifying additional conservation areas that we can add to this program,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “Just as our roads and highways connect people, we’re establishing pollinator corridors to ensure these critical species can travel freely throughout the state and region.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are many benefits to pollinators and pollination. For example, 80% of food and plant-based products require pollination, including almost all fruit and grains.
The CTDOT pollinator corridors, which bloom in late-June and continue through the summer months, are marked with special conservation area signage. People traveling throughout Connecticut can see these corridors near highway ramps, medians, and along roadside shoulders. While these sites are beautiful to see, motorists are reminded to not put themselves in danger by stopping on the highway to take photos or videos of the conservation areas.
For more information about the CTDOT Pollinator Program, visit the CTDOT Vegetation Management Guidelines.
For more information about National Pollinator Week and the importance of pollinators, visit pollinator.org.