June 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 66

N R PA U P DAT E

What's the Buzz? Celebrating
Pollinators This June

s flowers continue to
bloom this month, we
see more of our favorite
bees and butterflies visiting pollinator-friendly plants and habitats. To celebrate our favorite
buzz-worthy friends, as well as to promote the
important work that parks and recreation plays
in protecting these vital species, NRPA is partnering with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation on
the #Parks4Pollinators Photo Contest.
Launching on
June 4, the #Parks4Pollinators Photo
Contest encourages everyone to post a pollinator photo
on social media, using the hashtag
#Parks4Polllinators. Each Friday,
NRPA will choose the best photo
and award a Miracle-Gro Nature's
Care prize pack that includes Nature's Care products, garden gloves
and a garden trowel (prize valued
at approximately $100). Photos
can be submitted each week of the
contest - that means there are
four chances to win. Examples of
pollinators include species of ants,
bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies,
flies, moths, wasps, as well as other
unusual animals.
You can learn more about and
enter the contest at www.nrpa.org/
parks4pollinators.
In addition, June kicks
off NRPA's partnership
with The Scotts Miracle-Gro

Foundation to provide funding
to five park and recreation agencies. The funding will allow onthe-ground
survey
research that will
aid in understanding the public's perception of the pollinator crisis. Five park and
recreation agencies have
been selected to help conduct the
research and include:
* Chicago Park District, Chicago,
Illinois
* Houston Parks and Recreation
Department, Houston, Texas
* Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, Miami, Florida
* City of Providence,
Department of
Public Parks,

Nearly all Americans agree that
promoting pollinator health
should be a conservation priority
across the United States.
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Providence, Rhode Island
* Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle, Washington
NRPA will be sharing results
from this research in the coming
months.
In a recent poll, conducted by
NRPA, nearly all Americans agree
that promoting pollinator health
should be a conservation priority
across the United States. We
know that the fruits, vegetables and many nuts
we eat, and the
flowering plants we
see are the result of
pollination. Pollinators
play a key role in agriculture, estimated to be
a $577 billion industry
that employs millions
of people worldwide.
Promoting
pollinator
health is an important
step to take to protect against the decline and death of pollinators, such
as honey bees and other insects, and
increasing their habitat.
NRPA is partnering with The
Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation because of their combined mission to
protect pollinators for the well-being of our health, food supply, natural environment and economy.
NRPA and The Scotts Miracle-Gro
Foundation recognize that parks
play a key role in protecting and
preserving pollinators and their
habitats.
Stay tuned to NRPA's social
accounts this month to celebrate
all things pollinators - especially during Pollinator Week, June
18-24.

June 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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