Partner Biologists Share Upcoming Working for Wildlife Video Series by Sophia Sorboro, Pollinator Partnership
November 25, 2024
Bee on coneflower, by Jimmy Giannone
Our Partner Biologist staff in Indiana and Ohio serve as on the ground support to both farmers / landowners and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). We act as the link between the office and the producer by providing technical and conservation planning assistance in the form of site visits, maps, planning timelines, seed mixes, cost estimates, and project management. In addition to our responsibilities out in the field, we also conduct a number of outreach objectives to educate the farmers, landowners, and natural resource staff in our respective areas.
As part of our outreach objectives, we are planning to release our Working for Wildlife video series in January 2025. The Working for Wildlife series is a collection of short videos highlighting methods of pollinator conservation. They are a mix of conservation practice videos and Habitat Heroes videos.
The conservation practice videos provide quick summaries of 10 different conservation practices that benefit pollinators and other wildlife. These conservation practices include tree and shrub plantings, pollinator habitat creation, riparian buffers, cover crops, wetland restoration, no-till, and invasive species control. Each episode explains what the practice is, how it is beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife, how it is beneficial to agricultural systems, how to implement it, and which Farm Bill program could provide technical or financial assistance during planning and implementation. Additionally, three of the 10 videos break down Farm Bill programs that are commonly utilized by farmers and landowners for financial and technical assistance.
Our Habitat Heroes videos are focused on interviewing agricultural producers and landowners who have received technical or financial support through a Farm Bill Program (Environmental Quality Incentives Program [EQIP], Conservation Stewardship Program [CSP], Conservation Reserve Program [CRP], etc.) to install habitat or adopt practices that support pollinators and other wildlife.
Example of a CRP planting
These interviews are a great way to hear firsthand accounts of farmers about the habitat creation process, as well as any lessons they learned or benefits they have seen since adding pollinator and wildlife habitat to their property. Our goal with these videos is to help other farmers and ranchers understand what’s possible on their lands and inspire them to explore assistance programs that can help them achieve their own conservation success story. To connect with a Partner Biologist or watch our Working for Wildlife Video Series, please visit our Partner Biologist website.