The power of pollinators

Minnesotans showed up in droves to the Midwest’s largest public garden earlier this month to learn about pollinators and the ways in which bees, butterflies, beetles and more need the public’s help to thrive.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Farm at the Arb, in partnership with Great River Energy, welcomed over 500 people to the Honey Harvest & Flowers for Pollinators event on Saturday, Aug. 3.

There, visitors engaged with the interactive Farm Crawl: Pollinator Power by taking a tour around the farm’s pollinator interpretation and native garden plantings, and hearing about Minnesota’s own rusty-patched bumble bee, which was listed as endangered in 2017.

The event provided an opportunity for experts to connect visitors with farmers and learn about Great River Energy’s Pollinator Strong initiative through firsthand experiences around the farm. For years, Great River Energy has re-established habitats across Minnesota that pollinators need in order to eat, live and do the work that provides benefits to peoples’ daily lives, the agricultural industry and the environment. To date, 300 acres of land has been restored.

This new community partnership with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, which is served by Great River Energy member-owner cooperative Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, is the cooperative’s latest effort in educating the public on the importance of pollinators.

In addition to gaining more knowledge about Pollinator Strong, visitors to Great River Energy’s booth received a seed packet of their own to plant at home.

“It was a great day to continue sharing our Pollinator Strong story with visitors at Farm at the Arb as we continue working to restore pollinator-friendly habitats in the communities we serve,” said David Ranallo, director, culture, communications and strategy at Great River Energy.