MDOT/SHA Assists ts Native Pollinators

It plans native plants on some of its property to encourage pollinators to feed and nest.Photos of the development of some property into pollinator habitats (Photos from SHA)Frederick, Md (KM) We are all aware the Maryland Department of Transportation/State Highway Administration is known for building, repairing and maintaining the state’s road network, but it’s also  involved in assisting native pollinators. Spokesman Charlie Gischlar says SHA has the most land in the state, and native  plants are placed  on some of these parcels, alongside roadways and in medians,  to encourage pollinators to like honeybees, beetles, butterflies and hummingbirds to feed and nest.”But it also serves a more important part and that is to provide habitat for valuable pollinators,” he says. “They’re helping aid in the production of food and create great bio-systems. That’s something that we’re really passionate about here.”IN 2024, SHA installed several pollinator demo demonstrator gardens at some of its district offices around Maryland, including the one in Frederick. “Visitors that come there can look at the different plants we have. We also have placards that show which plants are there and what they attract. It’s very interesting, actually,” Gischlar says.The other locations with demonstration pollinator gardens are the SHA Hanover Complex, and district offices in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Prince George’s Counties.When SHA decides to create areas where pollinators can visit, Gischlar says it involves removing invasive species and putting in native plants. “Development of the pollinator habitat sites, in addition to the habitat important for the species themselves, provide the establishment of native plant community, stormwater management, greater potential to reduce carbon, and also promotion of healthier soil and eco-systems around the state.  So this program is  a multi-faceted one geared toward pollinators,” he says.SHA says there are seven acres of native meadow which were added along roadsides and medians in Howard, Anne Arundel and Queen Anne’s Counties.Right  now, some pollinators are in trouble. “The pollinators, some of them like the honeybee, are declining. The Monarch Butterfly is really been declining. We have all this land. We put together a plan with our partners. And that’s what  we’re doing here: trying to bolster the population, at least here in Maryland,” he says.The other agencies partnering with MDOT/SHA are the Maryland Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Maryland Environmental Service.June 16h though June 22nd is National Pollinator Week.By Kevin McManus