Somerville Pollinator Action Plan

Share Somerville Pollinator Action Plan on Facebook Share Somerville Pollinator Action Plan on Twitter Share Somerville Pollinator Action Plan on Linkedin Email Somerville Pollinator Action Plan link
A monarch caterpillar crawls along a blooming milkweed leaf


Engagement Opportunities

**Have 2 minutes? Tell us how you feel about pollinators and how (if at all) you'd be willing to help out! https://forms.gle/i1tqWDYoAAtuULvd8

**Do you have a garden? Tell us where it is to create a map of existing pollinator habitat in Somerville: https://arcg.is/1SjXr40

____________________________________________

Due to habitat loss and pesticide use, pollinator populations are declining in New England and worldwide. In response, Mayor Ballantyne’s Office and the Division of Public Space and Urban Forestry (PSUF) are developing a Somerville Pollinator Action Plan (SPAP) to identify spatial and behavioral interventions that create the best habitat for pollinators and wildlife in the city.

The Somerville Pollinator Action Plan will:

  • Describe Somerville-specific and regional pollinator species.
  • Explore pollinator habitat within the city’s network of urban open spaces.
  • Educate public servants and city residents on the interdependence of pollinators, habitat, and resilient urban life.
  • Propose ways that public servants and residents can foster Somerville-appropriate pollinator habitat.

The mayor has appointed a Somerville Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee to lead this effort. The committee is comprised of youth, community members and advocates, inter-departmental City staff, and members of relevant Somerville non-profit groups. They will set out goals for the planning process, engage the public, and hire a consultant to write the Plan. Through harnessing the expertise and passion of our citizenry and a qualified consultant, we will produce a document to guide how we care for and foster pollinator habitat to support regional populations and our own urban lives.


Engagement Opportunities

**Have 2 minutes? Tell us how you feel about pollinators and how (if at all) you'd be willing to help out! https://forms.gle/i1tqWDYoAAtuULvd8

**Do you have a garden? Tell us where it is to create a map of existing pollinator habitat in Somerville: https://arcg.is/1SjXr40

____________________________________________

Due to habitat loss and pesticide use, pollinator populations are declining in New England and worldwide. In response, Mayor Ballantyne’s Office and the Division of Public Space and Urban Forestry (PSUF) are developing a Somerville Pollinator Action Plan (SPAP) to identify spatial and behavioral interventions that create the best habitat for pollinators and wildlife in the city.

The Somerville Pollinator Action Plan will:

  • Describe Somerville-specific and regional pollinator species.
  • Explore pollinator habitat within the city’s network of urban open spaces.
  • Educate public servants and city residents on the interdependence of pollinators, habitat, and resilient urban life.
  • Propose ways that public servants and residents can foster Somerville-appropriate pollinator habitat.

The mayor has appointed a Somerville Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee to lead this effort. The committee is comprised of youth, community members and advocates, inter-departmental City staff, and members of relevant Somerville non-profit groups. They will set out goals for the planning process, engage the public, and hire a consultant to write the Plan. Through harnessing the expertise and passion of our citizenry and a qualified consultant, we will produce a document to guide how we care for and foster pollinator habitat to support regional populations and our own urban lives.

  • Next Meeting - June 26, 4-5:15pm

    Share Next Meeting - June 26, 4-5:15pm on Facebook Share Next Meeting - June 26, 4-5:15pm on Twitter Share Next Meeting - June 26, 4-5:15pm on Linkedin Email Next Meeting - June 26, 4-5:15pm link

    Stay tuned for our next meeting on Monday, June 26th from 4-5:15pm!

    The committee continues their work in small teams to refine the priorities and goals for the Pollinator Action Plan consultant team. Much of the session will take place in breakout groups to give them time to discuss, brainstorm, and build their arguments. Then they will present their ideas to each other. Join us!


    Note that there is a new Zoom link for the next three meetings: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87467480669?pwd=UEc5eTAzRjRzZWVUc0JQbG1wMHZoQT09

    ID: 874 6748 0669
    Passcode: 398990
    One tap mobile
    +13052241968,,87467480669# US
    +13092053325,,87467480669# US

    As a reminder: We always welcome your feedback! Five minutes will be set aside at the end of the meeting for comment and you are always welcome to leave questions/ideas on this page.

  • Next Meeting - June 5, 4-5:15pm

    Share Next Meeting - June 5, 4-5:15pm on Facebook Share Next Meeting - June 5, 4-5:15pm on Twitter Share Next Meeting - June 5, 4-5:15pm on Linkedin Email Next Meeting - June 5, 4-5:15pm link
    supporting image

    Hello again!

    Our next meeting is on Monday, June 5th from 4-5:15pm and you are invited to join us. The committee members continue to work through big questions about the goals of the Pollinator Action Plan. These conversations and decisions are key to framing how we eventually hire someone to write the Plan. At the next meeting, the committee members will spend most of their time in breakout rooms to move toward decisions about these key questions. If you'd like to see this process, log on and listen in.


    We always welcome your feedback! Five minutes will be set aside at the end of the meeting for comment and you are always welcome to leave questions/ideas on this page.


    The meeting link is always posted under the tab "Zoom Meeting Link". You can find us next Monday at the following meeting link:

    Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88169073083?pwd=YlR2R2hwRnAydWVmTHA1YnBQeFN4QT09
    ID: 881 6907 3083
    Passcode: 172997
    One tap mobile
    +13052241968,,88169073083# US
    +13092053325,,88169073083# US

  • Next Meeting - May 22, 4-5:15pm

    Share Next Meeting - May 22, 4-5:15pm on Facebook Share Next Meeting - May 22, 4-5:15pm on Twitter Share Next Meeting - May 22, 4-5:15pm on Linkedin Email Next Meeting - May 22, 4-5:15pm link

    Greetings!

    Thanks for following our work. We're happy to you're here.

    Our next meeting will be on Monday, May 22 from 4-5:15pm. We'll be talking through the #1 task of the committee's first phase of work: writing a "scope of work." When we begin to look for a consultant team to develop the Pollinator Action Plan, interested firms will refer to this document to understand the project goals and process. This document also helps us to define the most important elements of the Plan, the impact we want it to have, and it helps us to envision what makes a successful project. Some questions we'll discuss:

    • What are the major goals of the Pollinator Action Plan?
    • What does the consultant need to consider while developing the Plan?
    • What materials do we need the consultant to develop?
    • How do we measure the success of this Plan?
    • ...among others

    If you'd like to hear the committee talk through these ideas, come join us on Monday. Everyone is welcome to listen in and we'll take public comment at the end. If you can't attend but you'd like to leave us feedback or ask a question, please feel free to do so in the Questions/Comments tab.

    Hope to see you there!

  • Next Meeting - May 8, 4-5:15pm

    Share Next Meeting - May 8, 4-5:15pm on Facebook Share Next Meeting - May 8, 4-5:15pm on Twitter Share Next Meeting - May 8, 4-5:15pm on Linkedin Email Next Meeting - May 8, 4-5:15pm link
    supporting image

    At our third meeting, we'll talk about the committee's tasks ahead, the process of hiring a consultant, and public engagement events. Come join us if you'd like to learn more about our goals and our operations!

    If you can't attend, register to "Stay Informed" and we'll keep you updated about future meetings and opportunities to participate. You can always post in our "Questions/Comments" tab if you want to share an idea or question.


    Photo courtesy of Nick Dorian/Tufts Pollinator Initiative

  • Next Meeting - April 24th, 4-5pm

    Share Next Meeting - April 24th, 4-5pm on Facebook Share Next Meeting - April 24th, 4-5pm on Twitter Share Next Meeting - April 24th, 4-5pm on Linkedin Email Next Meeting - April 24th, 4-5pm link

    At the next meeting on April 24th, the SPAP committee will discuss pollinator action plans made by other towns, regions, and organizations. We'll be trying to understand what has been done, what went well, and what we would like to do differently. You can find PDFs for these existing project examples under "Documents" on the sidebar. Come join us to hear the conversation and to learn about what others have done.

    We'll be thinking about these questions:

    • How is the plan organized?
    • Who participated in the making of the plan?
      • Was the public involved in any way?
        • If so, what role did they play?
    • Who is it written for? Who do they expect will read it?
      • Do you think it’s legible to that audience? Why or why not?
    • What kind of proposals are made?
      • A toolkit of parts?
      • Changes to a specific location?
      • Policy?
    • How do they describe those proposals?
    • Are those proposals convincing? Why or why not?
      • Imagine yourself in the shoes of different audience members:
        • …a constituent who loves pollinators
        • …a constituent who is unfamiliar with this issue
        • …a DPW worker
        • …a policy-maker


    If you'd like to join us in this work, take a look at the plans! What do you think? Share your feedback with us under the "Questions/Comments" tab on this webpage.

    We hope to see you on Monday!


    Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88169073083?pwd=YlR2R2hwRnAydWVmTHA1YnBQeFN4QT09

    ID: 881 6907 3083
    Passcode: 172997
    One tap mobile
    +13052241968,,88169073083# US
    +13092053325,,88169073083# US

  • Listen In - April 10, 4-5pm EDT

    Share Listen In - April 10, 4-5pm EDT on Facebook Share Listen In - April 10, 4-5pm EDT on Twitter Share Listen In - April 10, 4-5pm EDT on Linkedin Email Listen In - April 10, 4-5pm EDT link

    You can register to listen in on the Introductory Meeting of the SPAP Advisory Committee at:

    https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1168000637375254106

    This meeting will be held from 4-5:00 PM EDT and a recording will be posted to this page following the meeting.

  • Getting Started

    Share Getting Started on Facebook Share Getting Started on Twitter Share Getting Started on Linkedin Email Getting Started link

    Our first committee meeting will be April 10th, kicking off what we hope will be an exciting year of work to develop Somerville's Pollinator Action Plan. Stay up to date by checking this website often and signing up for our mailing list. We'll send you updates about public engagement events and opportunities to share your thoughts with the committee. We look forward to hearing from you!

Page last updated: 03 May 2024, 01:11 PM