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Wednesday, March 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Gardeds key to supportidg pollidators Oregod’s future has
big solar compodedt
By Kym Pokorny
Oregon State Extension Service
CORVALLIS – From a
bee’s-eye view, cities aren’t
the biological deserts experts
once thought, thanks in large
part to gardeners.
“Many studies show that
gardens and gardeners are
the key factor,” said Gail
Langellotto, an Oregon State
University Extension Service
entomologist. “In cities, you
have more people and where
you have more people you
have more gardens and where
you have more gardens you
have more bees. So this is
an instance of people hav-
ing a positive impact on bio-
diversity and it’s because of
gardens.”
This new information is
supported by a review of
current research by an inter-
national collaboration of sci-
entists, including Langellotto
and David Lowenstein, an
OSU Extension research
associate. Both researchers
conducted studies to deter-
mine the number and spe-
cies of bees and other pol-
linators in urban gardens
– Langellotto in New York,
Lowenstein in Chicago – and
added their results to those of
their colleagues.
Up until recently, most
people – including policy
makers in government and
conservation – have consid-
ered cities biological waste-
lands where bees and other
pollinators aren’t supported
by their preferred habitat.
Presently, most outreach
focuses on educating the pub-
lic about preservation chal-
lenges so that they appreci-
ate and support ecological
efforts. Langellotto and her
colleagues want to see those
strategies expanded to include
citywide initiatives.
An example might be
rebates for homeowners who
plant pollinator-friendly gar-
dens. On a larger scale, gov-
ernment entities could create
built-in habitat by planting
flowering shrubs and perenni-
als in parks, along roadways,
right-of-ways, greenspaces
and other appropriate areas.
“Urban ecology is often
an afterthought,” Lowenstein
said. “But there’s a push to
make cities livable places.
We’d like to see a para-
digm shift to mobilize the
expertise of land planners,
architects and other relevant
stakeholders to think about
open space and incorporate it
into urban design that’s useful
in an ecological way.”
Homeowners already play
a significant role in urban
conservation of bees, both
native and honey bees, and
other pollinators simply by
having a garden with flowers.
“You don’t have to put
too much thought into what
you plant,” Langellotto said.
“Flower type or plant type
doesn’t seem to matter. What
matters is that you have flow-
ers in your garden. That seems
to be the overall driver.”
Still, if you’d like to be
more systematic, plant a
diverse selection of plants
that bloom over a long period.
Bees are more attracted to
blue, purple, white or yellow
flowers with tubular or ray-
like shapes. Some particu-
larly enticing plants for bees
include lavender, Russian
sage, sunflowers, cosmos,
asters, zinnias, coneflower,
black-eyed Susan, bee balm
and sweet alyssum.
Providing water is also
helpful. Most important,
though, is not using broad-
spectrum insecticides,
Langellotto cautioned.
The Oregon Solar Energy
Industries Association
(OSEIA), Oregon’s solar
trade association, has released
its Oregon Solar Plan, which
outlines a blueprint for the
next 10 years of the state’s
energy future. The plan,
a collaboration between
OSEIA and Lewis & Clark
Law School’s Green Energy
Institute, finds that solar
can provide 10 percent of
Oregon’s electricity needs
by 2027 by installing enough
solar capacity to power the
equivalent of 500,000 homes.
“The Oregon Solar Plan is
our solar community’s path
for the future,” said Laurie
Hutchinson, OSEIA’s board
president. “An energy tran-
sition is underway and solar
will be a big part of Oregon’s
energy future. The Oregon
Solar Plan offers an ambitious
but reasonable way to achieve
that future.”
The Oregon Solar Plan
finds that Oregon currently
has 226 megawatts of solar
installed, enough to power
about 25,000 homes. The
plan highlights six policies
that OSEIA says are largely
responsible for building the
state’s current solar capac-
ity. Those policies include
net metering, Oregon’s resi-
dential energy tax credit, the
state’s property tax exemption
for solar and other alternative
energy devices, and utility
ratepayer incentives, as well
as federal tax incentives and
federal policies. OSEIA said
that Oregon needs to continue
these policies to maintain its
reputation as a stable place to
do business and build on that
foundation.
The Oregon Solar Plan
also finds that Oregon’s cur-
rent solar workforce could
almost double in the next 10
years, growing from the cur-
rent level of 4,500 workers
to as many as 8,000 by 2027.
“Whether you talk to a small
solar installer or large-scale
developer, they will tell you
that finding qualified work-
ers is a desperate need,” said
Hutchinson. “The Oregon
Solar Plan underscores the
potential for a strong, stable
workforce that could be a
major presence in the state.”
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