Eight Grady County 4-H’ers and more than 400 students installed a pollinator garden at Shiver Elementary School as part of a yearlong program highlighting the importance of pollinators.
Grady County is one of several national sites chosen earlier this year to participate in a grant project sponsored by the National 4-H Council and Corteva, an agriscience organization, aimed at educating youth about the importance of pollinators in their community.
The pollinator ambassadors taught fellow Grady County students about the importance of pollinators to the food supply and community ecosystems through a school partnership.
The project culminated with the installation of a pollinator garden at Shiver Elementary School in Pelham, Georgia, in collaboration with the Shiver Elementary School FFA program. Corteva played an active part in preparing the site for planting and Quail Forever, a nonprofit conservation organization, provided the seed for planting and the educational program for the field day.
Students planted native pollinators in hopes of attracting bees, butterflies, birds, moths, bats, ants and lizards.
Deron Rehberg, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension county coordinator and 4-H agent for Grady County, and Lisa Pollock, Grady County Extension 4-H agent, helped facilitate the program.
“The pollinator planting site will serve as an example of what families can plant on their own property to attract various pollinators. Planting a pollinator garden doesn’t have to be complicated,” says Rehberg.
Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships and community awareness. As the largest youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches more than 242,000 people annually through UGA Extension offices and 4-H facilities. For more information, visit georgia4h.org.