With a $50,500 state grant, five Franklin County towns will begin putting together a pollinator habitat corridor action plan and toolkit.
Administered by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), the money will provide technical assistance to review land use regulations and potential revisions for pollinator habitats, as well as to expand the Regional Pollinator Habitat Corridor Implementation Toolkit, which provides guidelines and advice for towns looking to create more pollinator-friendly bylaws. The grant comes through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Land Use Planning Assistance Grant Program.
This round of grant money will help FRCOG work with Ashfield, Buckland, Colrain, Deerfield and Shutesbury as they create their own pollinator action plan.
FRCOG Senior Land Use and Natural Resources Planner Allison Gage said the grant will allow towns around the county to create pollinator support plans, which are essential to aiding pollinators as they help the environment.
“This is really an opportunity for us to have a specific focus on supporting pollinator habitats,” Gage explained. “Anything we can do to make sure we are planning now for pollinator habitat is really important.”
Previously, FRCOG worked with Greenfield, Heath, Shelburne, Conway, Bernardston, Montague, Wendell and Orange to develop their own plans, meaning towns created a map of pollinator habitats and came up with recommendations for the ways they could amend land use regulations to support pollinator habitats, all while contributing to a regional pollinator habitat corridor that will help pollinators move around the county.
Gage noted FRCOG helps towns look at their zoning requirements, such as zoning solar arrays to include space for native vegetation that supports pollinators.
Native pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, bats and hummingbirds, which are integral to the healthy functioning of ecosystems by advancing plant life cycles. As more native plants are pollinated and grow, ecosystems become more resilient to climate change, sequester carbon more efficiently and provide habitats for animals.
Pollinators, Gage said, are “especially” important in Franklin County as they “help our local farms and food systems.” Forty-five percent of Massachusetts’ agricultural commodities rely on pollinators. They also contribute to environmental biodiversity.
Pollinator numbers, however, are decreasing, according to FRCOG’s first regional pollinator plan. For example, the rusty patched bumblebee’s population has declined 87% over the last 20 years.
As five new towns are added to the pollinator action plan, Gage said FRCOG wants to return to the towns already included to see how their plans have been working.
“In addition to these five town plans, we’re hoping to expand the original plan,” she said. “We want to return to those communities to host a workshop and learn about implementation barriers and hopefully share some successes.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.