Help Protect Ontario Pollinators!

Have your say: give feedback on the government of Ontario’s Pollinator Health Action Plan. 

Monday March 7, 2016 is the last day to comment on the draft Pollinator Health Action Plan. At present, schools and school boards are not included as key stakeholders in the action plan and we encourage you to send in a comment to highlight how schools and school boards can help with habitat creation/maintenance, awareness, and education.

Here is the link to the Action Plan: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/pollinator/actionplan-draft.htm

HOW TO COMMENT

  1. Compose an email to pollinatorhealth@ontario.ca
  2. Include one of the comments from below or write your own
  3. Send by Monday March 7, 2016

Potential comments
As a [teacher/principle/representative] from [school/school board name] I feel that schools and school boards can contribute greatly to the creation and monitoring of healthy pollinator habitat in Ontario. Schools can also play a key role in raising awareness through education that reaches beyond the school walls. Schools can act as examples to the wider community providing education on the plants, flowers, trees, shrubs and pollinator-friendly gardens that can help pollinators thrive.

As part of the Ontario EcoSchools network, pollinator health is already integrated into the our schools’ program. The School Ground Greening section of the program engages students in greening projects that improves biodiversity and environmental sustainability on their school grounds. The province can leverage this engagement to augment pollinator education and awareness throughout the province. Our school board has seen schools participate ….[describe a school project].

By incorporating public schools and school boards as key partners in the Pollinator Health Action Plan, students can play a role in planting pollinator gardens on their school grounds. With the framework of the Ontario EcoSchools program, schools can also help the province establish one million acres of self-sustaining pollinator habitat – and help to send the message home to individuals who can plant pollinator habitat on private property.