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Lake County Audubon Society
Community:
Lake County
Focus Areas:
- Nutrition / Food / Gardening Education
- School Programs / Youth Education
- Environmental Organizations
Organization Mission:
The mission of the Lake County Audubon Society is education, conservation, and restoration of natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.
Description:
The goal of our Pollen Aiders project is to increase populations of pollinator species in Lake County by educating children and adults about the appropriate selection and planting of native species and the critical function that pollinators have in the ecosystem as well as their impact on food production. Current partners are Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Waukegan, and the Prairie Crossing Edible Landscape Project.
Pollinators are an essential link in agriculture. Animal pollinators, especially bees, are critical for producing more than one-third of our food products. In fact, bee-pollinated commodities account for $20 billion in annual U.S. agricultural production and $217 billion worldwide. In addition to bees, other pollinators, including butterflies and moths, beetles, flies, wasps, birds, and bats are necessary for pollinating more than 80% of plants in nature.