Somerville Pollinator Action Plan

Offshoots, Inc. has completed the draft Somerville Pollinator Action Plan and it is uploaded on this page for your review. This document is informed by extensive work with the Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee (made up of community members and City of Somerville staff) since April 2023. We are all reading it closely now to decide what it needs to go from draft to final.

Look for the area on this page titled "Documents" either on the right side of your screen or by scrolling all the way down. Also check out the 'Videos' on this page for a recording of the June 10th presentation of the draft!

We'd LOVE to hear from you. Please take a look at the draft text PDF and the supplemental files (that's where all the charts, diagrams, and drawings are). You are welcome to email us at spap@somervillema.gov or call our office (ext. 2517) to share your feedback. You can even jot your thoughts down on a napkin and send us a picture! Or navigate to the Questions/Comments tab and post your thoughts in there. We want to know what you think.

Things to consider while reading:

• Does this document seem useful to you? What is helpful about it? What do you connect with most?
• Is anything confusing?
• Is something missing that would help you participate in this effort? Somerville can't become a habitat-rich city without help from everyone. Do you see ways you can join the effort?

Thanks for helping us write the best pollinator plan possible!

In addition to the June 10th meeting, we've got multiple opportunities to learn about the plan and its recommendations.

On June 26th and 27th, we are planting a demonstration garden in front of City Hall! Swing by to see what we are up to and to learn about planting techniques, the Pollinator Action Plan, and to chat with staff and the design team.

Are you new to this? Come see what a pollinator garden might look like and how you could transform part of a lawn into a beautiful garden and valuable habitat! We'd love to meet you.

Please join us at our next Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, June 10 from 4-5:30pm. The team at Offshoots will present their work and invite comments from the public and committee members.

This is a great chance to learn about pollinator species in Somerville and to learn how Offshoots staff developed the plan (with committee guidance). You’ll hear their recommendations for municipal staff and residents. And there will be time to share your reactions. This is arguably the most important meeting we have had yet! We want this plan to speak to many people in Somerville – homeowners, renters, developers, municipal staff, landscapers, etc. – so listen in and let us know what you think.

Do you know someone else who would be interested? Let them know! Do you know someone who might be new to the topic but have a slight curiosity? Invite them too!

You can find us next week on Zoom at this link:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84718702212?pwd=bHVGWEFydW1adXpUQ2pvdHljT2hmQT09

Meeting ID: 847 1870 2212

Passcode: 536134

**Please note that we will make the plan draft available for review a couple days after the presentation, so there are multiple weeks to share your feedback and notes with us. The document will get posted here on the SomerVoice page.

See you there!

We have just received a wonderful set of videos from Dr. Nick Dorian, entomologist and educator who founded the Tufts Pollinator Initiative (sites.tufts.edu/pollinators), an urban pollinator conservation and community outreach group. He is working very closely with the Offshoots team to analyze data and develop recommendations for the Pollinator Action Plan.

Check them out and learn about six pollinator species that we are trying to support in Somerville!

Check out our video tab (either on the right or scroll down past the News Feed) for more videos!

Hi all,

Our next meeting will be Monday, April 29th at 4pm. We'll talk about how outreach is going, what we are learning, and how we can increase our reach as advocates for this plan. If you'd like to share your thoughts about encouraging habitat for pollinators in the city or if you have suggestions about connecting with more people in Somerville, come join us!

See you soon!

Hello again,

The March 11th SPAP committee meeting at 4pm will touch on the "why" and "how" of reaching the residents of Somerville, what we can share, and what we hope to learn. The Offshoots team will be leading the discussion and presenting some ideas and materials. Come listen in and share your thoughts!

If you miss the meeting, remember that they are all recorded and the videos are uploaded to this page. Just keep scrolling down if you don't see them. Watch them any time and send us a note/question in the "Question/Comment" tab.

Hope to see you there!

Time: Mar 11, 2024 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84718702212?pwd=bHVGWEFydW1adXpUQ2pvdHljT2hmQT09

Meeting ID: 847 1870 2212

Passcode: 536134

This next meeting is going to be a good one!

The team from Offshoots, Inc, will be in attendance presenting on the start of the "Analysis" phase. They have been gathering and analyzing pollinator observation data to draw conclusions about what species are in Somerville, who we should target with pollinator designs, and what data is missing. This is their first time presenting their work to the committee, so it will be a chance for everyone to get to know each while learning a lot.

Come join us!

Monday, February 12th, 4-5:30pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87997330736

Hello again! We are back!

While the team at Offshoots gets going on their work, the SPAP Advisory Committee will be reviewing their progress, providing guidance along the way, and developing a plan for their own role as advocates of this work in our community. This is our first meeting back after completing the hiring process and it will be focused on external expert consultants and mobilizing our networks.

Come join us if you'd like to see where we are at! As always, we reserve time for public comment at the end, around 5:15pm, and we look forward to meeting you.

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87997330736

Meeting ID: 879 9733 0736

Hello all,

Since our last post, City staff guided the SPAP Advisory Committee through the process of selecting an applicant from the pool of qualified firms who responded to our "Request for Proposals." They had multiple internal discussions of their impressions and concerns, interviewed candidates, and voted on a final selection. After much deliberation, they selected Offshoots, Inc.! The team at Offshoots is now developing a project schedule, gathering data, research, and getting reading to dig into the "analysis" portion of the project. They'll be looking at data collected by community members over the past few years to understand pollinator populations/species in this area and will work to identify existing and potential pollinator habitat across Somerville.

We are excited to have them on board and look forward to seeing their work over the next few months.

Our next committee meeting will be January 8th from 4-5:30pm. We'll post more information on this page when it is available.

Stay tuned and thanks for following along!