NAPPC Award Opportunities
Each year, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), in conjunction with several partners, solicits nominations for eight prestigious awards: the Pollinator Advocate Award (3 countries), the Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award (3 countries), the Pollinator Roadside Management Award, and the Pollinator Electric Power Award.
Nominees in all categories understand just how important pollinators are to food, culture, and life. They have taken that extra step to help out the birds, bees, butterflies, moths, and bats that support agriculture and ecosystems everywhere. NAPPC, through its recognition and appreciation of all awardees, encourages their activities and hopes to catalyze future actions on behalf of pollinators. Each year, awards are given in Canada, the United States, and Mexico supporting all of the work that goes into protecting North American pollinator populations. Winners of these awards are recognized at the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Conference hosted annually in October.
2022 POLLINATOR AWARD WINNERS
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
2022 POLLINATOR ROADSIDE AWARD
The Ohio Department of Transportation, (ODOT) planted wildflower sites across the state purely for aesthetics in the 1990s. The Department realized the practice was not sustainable in its current form and discontinued the practice. In 2011, ODOT was approached by the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Wildlife and Pheasants Forever to install a sustainable prairie on the western edge of the state in Darke County. The planting was successful and with a subsequent test site focusing on plants that benefit pollinators and wildlife began ODOT’s pollinator habitat effort. With minor adjustments to its seed mixture, the Department determined a prairie could be created that would meet the needs of both initiatives, which greatly increased the number of public-private partners. In 2016, ODOT created a fully funded standalone Highway Beautification and Pollinator Habitat Program to capture the numerous opportunities available to enhance and establish pollinator habitat along the state’s 19,000 miles of roadside. The coordinator works with local, state and federal agencies, non- profit organizations and other partner organizations to plan and implement new roadside pollinator habitats.
DISNEY SOLAR POLLINATOR PROJECT
2022 POLLINATOR ELECTRIC POWER AWAR
Disney set ambitious goals to drastically improve the sustainability and carbon footprint of company operations by 2020 including a 50% reduction of net emissions by 2020 from 2012 levels. To help achieve this goal, Disney worked with ORIGIS Energy USA, Duke Energy, Reedy Creek Improvement District, and Reedy Creek Energy Services to bring two solar facilities online, which offsets enough electricity to operate two out of the four Disney theme parks in Orlando. However, the story does not stop at clean energy. In continued commitment to wildlife and conservation, teams from Disney Conservation, Origis Energy USA, Duke Energy, Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney Horticulture, other contractors, and individual experts worked together to create pollinator-friendly habitat at the solar facilities. The project goal is to not only add conservation value for native pollinators and wildlife, but also to provide valuable research meadow. Disney’s current research aims are to continue to develop best management practices for long term habitat maintenance, to study solar habitat impacts on native bees, and to study how under-panel microclimate affects flowering phenology and abundance. This project allows us to lead and support other businesses in setting a new bar for industry standards and corporate conservation.
To see ALL the Award Winners go to; Awards | Pollinator.org
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