Rotary District 7930 and the Essex National Heritage Area have signed a “Pollinator Resolution” in joint support of helping to reduce pollinator loss. In addition, the Salem Rotary Club and Marblehead Rotary Club have also co-signed the agreement on behalf of Rotary.
“Pollinator loss is a global environmental issue,” said Alexander Falk, Operation Pollination ambassador and Rotary District 7930’s district governor for 2022-23. “It’s a global problem, as pollinators have declined by more than 45 percent worldwide in the past 50 years and are responsible for the reproductive success of more than 85 percent of the world’s plants.”
Falk’s predecessor, Terry Rezendes Curran, agrees.
“Rotary’s 1.2 million members are all about helping make the world a better place for our children and their children,” she said. “By engaging Rotary’s pollinator movement, known as Operation Pollination, District 7930 is doing its part to help solve a global environmental crisis. We’re grateful for the critical partnership and cooperation of the Essex National Heritage Area in helping us move this important initiative forward in the northeastern Massachusetts area, and we are excited that two local Rotary Clubs – Salem and Marblehead – have already signed on.”
Essex Heritage CEO Annie Harris said, “We are very pleased to team up with Rotary on this important endeavor. Natural resource conservation and environmental education are important to our mission, which is to preserve and enhance the heritage assets of Essex County. Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and bats, are critically important for healthy food, a clean environment, and a strong economy. In recent years, the number of pollinators has declined precipitously.”
The National Park Service has joined this effort by helping to build collaborative partnerships between Rotarians and National Heritage Areas leaders across the nation. The Salem Maritime National Historic Site provided the venue for this signing ceremony on the steps of the Custom House.
Harris pointed out that Salem Maritime’s Colonial Revival Garden behind the historic Derby House provides an excellent example of a pollinator-friendly environment, and she invited everyone to attend a garden talk-and-walk this Saturday, June 25 from 10 a.m. to noon with Anna Spencer, NPS facilitator and grounds supervisor. This event is part of a series of activities planned by Essex Heritage for National Pollinator Week from June 20-26.
To learn more about Operation Pollination, see operationpollination.net and esrag.org/pollinators/.
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