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Welcome to the Fairfield Pollinator Pathway Join the Fairfield Pollinator Pathway Fairfield is proud to be part of the Pollinator Pathway. Below are the local groups that are available to help you with your efforts. Please see what they are doing related to the Pollinator Pathway / contact them directly for more information. In order to officially be part of Fairfield’s Pollinator Pathway you must take the pledge . If you are interested you may purchase a sign to display that you are on the Pollinator Pathway at CT Audubon Society Center at Fairfield at 2325 Burr Street or Birdcraft Museum at 314 Unquowa Road for $10 each. Also, if you are interested someone from one of our local groups listed below can come to your garden to advise you, please let us know when you fill out the pledge . For more information contact the Forestry Committee at forestry@fairfieldct.org or (203) 701-8342. If you have an event you think others interested in the Pollinator Pathway would like to know about, please tell us using this form . Thank you. Fairfield Groups working to help you get on the Pollinator Pathway Aspetuck Land Trust Aspetuck Land Trust’s vision is to create a healthier community that better connects and engages our communities and safeguards our land, wildlife and water resources for generations to come. We will achieve our vision by creating a 40,000-acre Green Corridor that will extend through Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Wilton and Redding. The Green Corridor will protect, connect and improve the ecological health of our region for all people and wildlife. The Green Corridor is a massive connected landscape that encompasses more than 4 pollinator pathways in the region, encouraging the planting of natives, rethinking lawn, and reducing pesticide use. Connecticut Audubon Society The Connecticut Audubon Society conserves Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats. Founded in 1898, the Connecticut Audubon Society operates nature facilities in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury, Pomfret, Hampton, and Sherman, a center in Old Lyme, an EcoTravel office in Essex, and it manages 20 wildlife sanctuaries encompassing almost 3,300 acres of open space in Connecticut. Connecticut Audubon has been installing demonstration pollinator gardens and meadows across the state. Pollinator Pathways are essential for bees, butterflies, and migratory birds. Fairfield Forestry Committee The Fairfield Forestry Committee promotes stewardship of town-owned trees and assists the town Tree Warden with implementing the town’s Community Forest Management Plan. The committee promotes awareness and appreciation for the environmental, economic, and cultural value of trees in Fairfield. Native plants, including many trees, are important host plants for pollinators. The pollinator pathway helps to promote an appreciation of trees and other native plants and to encourage biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem. Mill River Wetland Committee Our motto is EDUCATE, ADVOCATE and ENGAGE. MRWC aims to educate the entire community about the precious natural resources we all share. In addition to being active in the community, we teach 3,300+ students and 600+ adult guides annually about the vital importance of watersheds. MRWC advocates to promote conservation and sustainable development. The pollinator pathway is a wonderful way to engage Fairfielders in the role they can play in being good stewards of their land. For more information contact the Forestry Committee at forestry@fairfieldct.org or (203) 701-8342. Print the Pledge

karens < Back 9 Sandy Meadow Way I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. sandy meadow, juniper,red oak,native grasses

Research & Citizen Science Along the Pollinator Pathway Become a community scientist! Here are some ways to report your findings as more pollinators visit your yard! I Naturalist Join the Pollinator Pathway iNaturalist project and add your observations to the over 400,000 others seen along the Pathway. Contact us (info@pollinator-pathway.org ) to get help setting up a project for your town or neighborhood. Beecology . Join this regional project run by Dr. Robert Gegear of UMass-Dartmouth to support pollinator species at risk specifically by tracking pollinator-plant interactions at sites across the Northeast. Anyone can submit observations by taking videos using a smartphone or tablet, and all data uploaded is verified by Dr. Gegear's lab. To participate in the project, download the Beecology web app to your smartphone or tablet and follow the instructions. The app currently supports bumblebee observations, with butterfly observations to be added later this year. Bumble Bee Watch Empire State Native Pollinator Survey City Nature Challenge Research Happening Along the Pathway Send us information (info@pollinator-pathway.org ) to add to this page about pollinator research projects you are working on. Measuring Species Return After Planting for Pollinators Landscape Interactions located in Western Massachusetts works with Pollinator Pathway organizers (individuals, communities, and municipalities) to design restoration plantings and pollinator action plans with a focus on planting for specialist bees and . Landscape Interactions measures the success of its planting projects by documenting changes in pollinator species populations on sites before and after plants are installed. Counts are done by a Landscape Interactions entomologist and trained assistants. Learn more at this recorded webinar about the McKeon Farm project in Ridgefield, CT. Download and use or share the planting toolkits from these projects commissioned from Landscape Interactions along the Pollinator Pathway: The Green Corridor (Westport, CT) McKeon Farm (Ridgefield, CT) Pollinate Northampton (Northampton, MA) Egremont Pollinator Pathway (the Berkshires, MA) Lincoln Pollinator Action Plan (Lincoln, MA) Town Pathway Citizen Science Research Projects The Xerces Society has awarded grants to Pollinator Pathway organizers to remove invasives and add native plants to restoration sites, and follow the plantings with pollinator counts. One such project is along the Norwalk River Valley Trail in Wilton, CT. Here is the Xerces Society Bee Monitoring Protocol Here are some sample monitoring sheets from the Wilton project The Wilton Pollinator Pathway, led by resident Joe Bear , is replacing .75 acres of invasive mugwort with a vast pollinator meadow at Allen’s Meadows, a park that houses playing fields, community gardens, walking trails, and is an Audubon birding hotspot. Joe receives support from the Norwalk River Watershed Association and has partnered on grants from the Connecticut Ornithological Association, Hartford Audubon Society, and Sustainable CT. Joe is using tarps, and avoiding all pesticides, on sections of mugwort for 7 months, 11 months, and 18 months, testing the optimal length of time for eradicating roots systems of mugwort. Results of this work will be reported here. The Norwalk Pollinator Pathway & the Norwalk River Watershed Association is experimenting with tarping areas of Japanese knotweed and of Australian phragmites in Norwalk to determine the length of time necessary for killing the roots of these stubborn invasives. Results will be reported here. Send us your projects to report on here! Info@pollinator-pathway.org

Martin < Back 152 Millport Avenue I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Westport Pollinator Pathway Since 2019, The Wakeman Town Farm , Earthplace and the Westport Garden Club have worked in partnership with many town organizations to enhance our public gardens and create new sustainable spaces, while encouraging residents to add native plants and adopt pollinator-friendly practices in their own gardens. Educational events are ongoing. In January 2023, the Westport RTM voted to adopt an ordinance to restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers after hearing testimony and reviewing data about the damage this equipment inflicts on the environment. View the ordinance here: https://shorturl.at/auzGO Visit this space to learn about programs and updates! On April 22, 2019, Westport First Selectman James Marpe designated 2019 / 2020 as "The Year of the Pollinator" in Westport, delivering an official proclamation encouraging residents and businesses to adopt practices to protect important species. Learn more about the Town of Westport's Commitment to the Pollinator Pathway Here: https://shorturl.at/BTWX6 Community Partners: Aspetuck Land Trust h2h ProtectOurPollinators.org Terrain Westport / Weston Chamber Westport Community Gardens Westport Downtown Merchants Association Westport Farmer's Market Westport Library Gilbertie's Herbs and Garden Center JodieNevas LLC MowGreen LLC For more information contact: westport@pollinator-pathway.org No events at the moment

Katherine < Back 134 Ash Brook Drive I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Oaks, Rhododendron, Azalea, Ceanothus, Aronia, Physocarpus, Lonicera, Clethra, Calycanthus, Aesculus, Hemlocks, Asclepias, New England Aster, Amsonia, Aruncus, Allium, Stachys, Achillea, Salvia, Dandilions, Lobelia, Ligularia, Monarda, Ecinacea, Penstemon, Phlox, Rudbeckia, Cimicifugia, Solidago, Black Huckleberry, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Ferns, Grasses, Hostas, many of which were purchased from the North Central Conservation District plant sale.

Jocelyn < Back 3904 Dogwood Dr I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Jan < Back 95R Maple Ave I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Robert < Back 91 Hecker Avenue I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Pamela < Back 5504 Hoover St I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Replaced lawn in front yard with a completely native plant garden Includes Joe-Pye weed, Aromatic Aster, Antennaria Sps., Stone Crop, Silver Maple, Pin Oak, White Swamp Oak, Service Berry, and many others!

Debra < Back 12590 Duncan Plains Rd I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. The back 3 acres are a wildflower prairie. Most things have planted themselves, with the help of birds of course. Goldenrod, Iron Weed, Milk weed, and Astors fill the land. There are dozens of trees: Cottonwood, Maples, Elm, Paradise Apple, Mulberry, and Black Cherry, to name a few. Elderberry and Silky Dogwoods abound.

Lindsay < Back 2411 Slaterville Road I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Many! Northern mixedwood forest for 2/3 of the property, 1/3 is old field with seasonal wetlands and pond (goldenrod, milkweed, etc). Better meadow diversity in old lawn near house ( e.g. Brown-eyed Susans, Monarda, Echinacea, etc.).