Urbanization has created a situation where pollinators are especially vulnerable. Because of the acceleration and amount of built environment, pollinators such as bees, birds and butterflies have found it especially difficult to find areas to inhabit or drop by/rest in the case of a long voyage. Because of this unfortunate reality, the goal of this project focuses on increasing the amount of pollinators as well as their success rates. Through research regarding pollinators, desired pollinator plants, the relation between pollinators and an urban environment, and what makes a pollinator habitat successful, we have gathered information that we feel best fits the criteria for accomplishing our goal with the habitat. Additionally, by reaching out to stakeholders in these fields of study, we have compiled a large amount of feedback that provided beneficial additions as well as alterations necessary to create the most successful pollinator habitat possible. The research conducted and feedback received has therefore created a situation where the area, the members of the community, and the natural environment will receive the highest amount of benefits possible. For this project we are very excited to be working with Other Way Ministries (https://theotherway.org). Other Way Ministries is an organization devoted to community development in the Grand Rapids area along with food programing and early childhood education.

Pollinators are extremely important to our everyday lives. Around 35% of crops grown in our world rely on pollinators for reproduction. Every year, commerical beekeepers haul their bees all around the country to pollinate different crops. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Some examples of these foods include almonds, apples, blueberries, beans, lettuce, pumpkins, etc. A common theme among all of these foods is their health and nutritional value. Almonds are rich in vitamin E, blueberries have vitamin C, and beans are full of protein along with antioxidants. If we were to lose these foods because pollinators could no longer pollinate these crops we would lose the nutritional value of many healthy foods in our diet, decreasing the world's overall health. Pollinators aren’t only important for our health, they offer a gentle reminder of the amazing beauty in our world. Pollinators and the plants that they pollinate are the result of millions of years of coevolution. Flowering plants especially are extremely diverse in color, aroma, and pollen all because of their symbiosis with pollinators. Sadly, most pollinator friendly habitats are gone today which is why it’s so important for us to create projects such as this one, where pollinator friendly plants can be reintroduced in a meaningful way that benefits us and the environment.

Since there is a designated garden area already, our plans involve creating a blueprint of what can be improved. The original garden does not have any available plots in it but there is lots of green-space around it that could be utilized. The top graphic in this section is what the current garden looks like, and the second shows what we would add.

They can utilize the extra space and put in a bird bath in the middle, adds shrubs around the outside, leave an un-mowed area, and put in a small plot of native plants.