Gardeners hoping to motivate county residents to help environment
Apr. 18—KINGSVILLE — Several organizations are working together to urge Ashtabula County residents to start conservation efforts in their own backyards.
The Northeast Ohio Pollinator Society and the Ashtabula County Master Gardeners urge people to read "Nature's Best Hope" and apply some of the ideas in the book.
The groups started with January visits to libraries and are doing follow-up visits in April.
On Saturday, an event was held at Kingsville Public Library that included a luncheon and a discussion on the book led by ACMG Milli Morrison.
Donna Geddes, of North Kingsville, said the talk was fantastic and she learned a lot, including the difference between native plants and those that have been added to the area's plant life.
Morrison said she has been gardening since she was a child. She said to be a master gardener a prospective member must have 30 hours of training and volunteer 20 to 30 hours a year.
Events related to "Nature's Best Hope" include:
—April 22: 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at Ashtabula Public Library.
—April 23: Noon-2 p.m. at Harbor Topky Library and Rock Creek Public Library.
—April 24: Noon-2 p.m. at Grand Valley Public Library.
—April 25: Noon-2 p.m. at Conneaut Public Library.
—April 30: Noon-2 p.m. at Geneva Public Library.
The event is called NEO Pollinator Society All County Read and the book is written by Doug Tallamy. The organizations are hoping county residents will read the book and try some of the suggestions regarding planting native plants in home gardens.
"Pollinators are declining and 75 percent of our food sources depend on it," said Carol Jones, a member of the ACMG Volunteers.
She said people will learn how adding native plants to their property can attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
The culmination of the community-wide read is set for 7 p.m. on June 7 at Lakeside High School. Tallamy will be featured and the event is free.
Jones said the book details the declining populations of insects and birds in North America.
"Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth," Jones said. "The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Choosing the right plants for our landscapes will not only address the biodiversity crisis but help fight our climate crisis as well."
Jones said the NEO Pollinators received generous funding from the Ashtabula and Robert S. Morrison foundations to bring Tallamy to Ashtabula County.
