Bees are dying, and habitat loss is a big factor. The more prairies we pave over or pesticides we spray, the fewer safe spaces we leave for bees. This National Pollinator Week, we teamed up with the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to highlight one promising solution: pollinator-friendly roadsides.
There are more than 10 million acres of land along state and federal highways. Often, this land consists of non-native, frequently mowed grasses. But many state transportation departments are converting highway roadsides into pollinator plots, filled with the flowers bees need plus milkweed for monarch butterflies. It’s a win-win solution that helps wildlife, beautifies the road and can reduce the need for costly mowing over time. In 2021, Environment America helped create the Monarch and Pollinator Highway Program to provide grants for these pollinator-friendly roadsides.
More than 90 state officials turned out to hear from us and Kentucky’s Cassondra Cruikshank about their pollinator roadside program. Her and her colleagues’ award-winning efforts have created or preserved more than 220 acres of habitat so far.
Other states with pollinator roadside programs include:
Iowa – Living Roadway Trust Fund (LRTF) | Department of Transportation
Colorado – Roadside Resiliency – Pollinator Program — Colorado Department of Transportation
Texas – Wildflower Program
Virginia – Wildflower and Pollinator Habitat Program | Virginia Department of Transportation
Pennsylvania – Pollinator Habitat Plan | Department of Transportation | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Tennessee – Tennessee Pollinators Habitat Program | TDOT Pollinator Habitat Program
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You can learn what all 50 states are doing to save the bees here.
