‘Pollinator Friendly Roadside Zone’ proposed as refuge

Julie White proposes council designate a ‘Pollinator Friendly Roadside Zone’ along Long Point Road from Babylon east to Prince Edward Point.  She will speak to councillors at Thursday morning’s committee of the whole meeting. The request would be referred to staff for a report regarding its viability and other possible pollinator friendly zones.

“Honey bees and other insect pollinators are facing unparalleled threats to their well-being and survival as a result of pesticides and habitat loss,” said White in her deputation. “This is happening all across the province, but it has particular significance to PEC, both as an agricultural community requiring pollination and a place where valuing wildlife and nature are not just part of the fabric of who we are, but also an economic driver for tourism.”

White, owner of the Long Point Honey Company, said the pilot proposal provides a refuge for pollinators by supporting a diversity of wildflowers that provide nectar or pollen, as well as grasses that serve as caterpillar host plants for butterflies and moths, and in some cases, she says, roadside support plant communities that can no longer be found elsewhere.

“Roadsides offer nesting sites for bees, particularly ground-nesting bees because the soil is undisturbed compared to agricultural fields,” she said. “Additionally, roadsides promote connectivity between habitat fragments providing protective nectar corridors for insects such as monarch butterflies.”

The area is part of the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife area and consists primarily of old field and shrub thickets with ponds, wetlands and small forests. In addition to being designated an Important Birding Area for migrating birds, the point is also designated an International Butterfly Reserve due in part to the abundance of milkweed.

White’s deputation notes approximately 10 per cent of the area is made up of small, seasonal, and year-round residences (from Gravelly Road to the Point) – “all of whom have provided affidavits that they don’t use non-organic pesticides.” She notes business is limited to her company and a few fishermen and the one access road, County Road 13, enjoys limited traffic.

As there has been no commercial farms, orchards or livestock for over 20 years, this area is free of the agricultural contaminates that have been plaguing pollinators in North America,” White says. “It is also richly biodiverse in terms of plants and wildlife. However, the importance of roadsides cannot be underestimated as a source of nesting sites and forage for pollinators and small animals.”