Pollinators are essential for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, which includes more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species. Pollinators are also necessary in most terrestrial ecosystems as roughly 25% of all birds and mammals depend on insect pollination for the fruits and seeds that make-up their diet. Despite pollinators being crucial to our environment and food security, many species are suffering from habitat loss, introduced diseases, and drastic population declines. At the University of Michigan, there is still an essential need for comprehensive pollinator planning, education, and outreach in order to better conserve our threatened pollinating species. By raising awareness, enhancing habitat, and celebrating achievements, our project can help to foster a community that engages in sustainable, pollinator conservation practices.

Our clients for this project were Anya Dale, Manager with Waste Reduction Management for the Office of Campus Sustainability and William Kronberg, Horticulture Supervisor for Grounds Services. Both clients engage in sustainability practices across campus that enhance pollinator conservation efforts. With Anya working for the Office of Campus Sustainability and William working for Grounds Services, their departments continuously collaborate in ways to make campus landscapes more diverse in habitat and more sustainably managed. 

The goals of our project are to raise awareness, enhance habitat, and celebrate achievements. More specifically, we aim to:

1. Raise campus-wide awareness for pollinator conservation
2. Enhance pollinator habitats on campus
3. Build a community support network for long-term stewardship of pollinator habitat and curriculum and outreach events

In working to enhance pollinator habitat across campus, we successfully:

1. Assessed existing habitats relative to what is known to be favorable pollinator habitat
2. Identified high-quality areas and gaps
3. Enhanced existing habitats and installed a new pollinator habitat at the Natural History Museum using best practices
4. Developed an on-going pollinator habitat assessment using Survey123 as a habitat assessment tool and created a maintenance plan to continuously enhance pollinator habitat in all zones of the Ann Arbor Campus

When engaging in efforts to strengthen outreach and education, we effectively:

1. Identified existing efforts on campus and current interest in pollinators
2. Filled in current gaps with new outreach and education tools and resources created by our team
3. Provided recommendations for continued education and engagement 

In our efforts to create a support network of champions who will carry on further pollinator conservation practices across campus, we were efficient in:

1. Establishing a steering committee that will continue education and service-learning opportunities focused on pollinators
2. Cultivating a strong online presence to continuously celebrate achievements on campus
3. Submitting an application for Bee Campus USA certification through the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation