Native pollinators are important components of ecosystems and provide economically important ecosystem services

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded a $156,500 Cooperative Agreement under the Natural Resource Stewardship Program (CFDA 15.944) to the Save The Dunes Conservation Fund Inc. (Save Dunes) for a project to enhance native pollinator habitats across 115 acres in the Indiana Dunes region. The objective is to increase connectivity of pollinator habitat by improving marginal lands to serve as corridors. Key activities include invasive species management, converting turf to prairie, and planting native species to provide floral resources for pollinators from spring through fall. Save Dunes will collaborate with project partners, including Indiana Dunes National Park, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, and Northern Indiana Public Services Company, to implement the habitat restoration work. The project also aims to promote community gardens and backyard pollinator habitats to further enhance connectivity for native pollinators in the region.

The objective of this great lakes restoration initiative (glri) funded project is for indiana dunes national park (indu) to work with multiple partners to increase resiliency of native pollinators by increasing connectivity of pollinator habitat across the indiana dunes landscape.indu and project partners save the dunes conservation fund (sdcf) shirley heinze land trust (shlt) and the northern indiana public services company (nipsco) will improve pollinator habitat across 115 acres within the lake michigan watershed. The purpose of the project is to connect high quality natural areas by improving marginal lands that can serve as corridors for pollinators. This will be achieved through invasive species management along with turf to prairie conversions and native species planting and seeding. Seed mixes and native plant materials will be of local genotype and favor a full range of flowering times in order to provide floral resources for pollinators from early spring through late fall. Project partners will also promote community gardens and backyard pollinator habitats within the communities surrounding the indiana dunes national park to further enhance the connective corridors available to pollinators in this region. Free resources will be distributed to educate the public about native pollinator species and the native plants that support their life cycles.