New York State Pollinator Task Force
Formed on April 23, 2015, the New York State Pollinator Task Force was charged with developing a plan for New York State to conserve and grow its pollinator population. The Pollinator Task Force focused on four priority areas:
- Development of Best Management Practices for all pollinator stakeholders;
- Habitat enhancement efforts to protect and revive populations of all pollinators;
- Research and monitoring efforts to better understand, prevent and recover from pollinator losses; and
- Development of an outreach and education program to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and engage the public as active participants in reversing pollinator decline.
For actions you can take to support pollinators, download the New York State Pollinator Protection Plan:
Federal Pollinator Guidance
In 2014, in response to the Presidential Memorandum, Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, the federal government developed an addendum to its Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes titled Supporting the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.
Both federal documents were incorporated into the EO 4 Sustainable Landscaping specification and provide useful information about supporting pollinators through landscaping practices, plant selection, and vegetation management.
Top 20 Native Plants for Pollinators
Top 20 pollinator-friendly native plants (perennials, shrubs, grasses):
- Asclepias (Butterfly Weed)
- Veronicastrum
- Cornus (Dogwood)
- Echinacea (Coneflower)
- Phlox
- Monarda (Bee Balm)
- Amelanchier (Shadbush)
- Panicum
- Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan)
- Viburnum
- Prairie Dropseed
- Aster (New York, New E)
- Acer (Maple)
- Indian Grass
- Baptisia (False Indigo)
- Bearberry
- Little Bluestem
- Pycnanthemum (Mountain mint)
- Ilex verticillata (Winterberry)
- Big Bluestem