BTNEP partners with Nicholls State University to plant new pollinator gardens on campus

Be on the lookout for the brand new pollinator garden on Nicholls State University‘s campus! Wildlife Conservation Coordinator for Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP) Natalie Waters, partnered with Nicholls professor Dr. Allyse Ferrara to install native plants within three raised garden beds in front of the Nicholls Science and Technology building to attract local pollinators.

“We started out Pollinator Conservation Program at BTNEP in 2020, and our main goal is to build a framework that encourages landowners to manage their land in a way that creates a suitable habitat for pollinators,” explained Waters. “The great thing about pollinator habitats is that they can range from patio gardens with native plants to large plots of land. We want to emphasize that everyone can get involved helping with pollinator conservation.” Waters went on to explain that the all-important pollinators are currently in decline around the world due to habitat loss, climate change, parasites, diseases, and more. Pollinators help move pollen from one part of a plant to another to support fertilization and the creation of seeds, so the decline of their presence can have potentially disastrous consequences.

“Pollinators are a part of our everyday lives,” said Waters. “They are responsible for bringing us every one in three bites of our food, they help sustain our ecosystems, and keep our plants alive.” Some common pollinators include bees (Louisiana has over 200 native species of bees), butterflies, wasps, flies, moths, and hummingbirds.

BTNEP has continued to encourage the placement of pollinator gardens across Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes in many ways. “In 2020, we started off by growing out native plants to do a native plant giveaway to support pollinators,” said Waters. “We then started working on creating these pollinator gardens around the community. In 2021, we partnered with the St. Francis Vegetable Garden and planted four pollinator gardens on their campus as well. We also continuously monitor these gardens to ensure they are thriving, and last year, we created our first “Seed Library,” where local library patrons could get free, pre-packaged native seeds to create their own pollinator gardens. So far, we have created over 3,200 seed packets containing over 200,000 seeds from 23 different native plant seeds.” Locals can visit these Seed Libraries at the Lafourche Parish Main Library Branch in Thibodaux, the Terrebonne Parish Main Library Branch in Houma, and the Lockport Branch in Lockport.

The newest development in BTNEP’s efforts to support pollinators is their recent partnership with Nicholls State University. “We are so excited to partner with Nicholls,” said Waters. “Earlier this year we planted a 1-acre plot at Nicholls Farm to support pollinator conservation, and now, we were able to create even more pollinator gardens outside the Science and Technology Building. We are so excited to see how these will grow and use it as an outreach opportunity for Nicholls students and our community as a whole.”