Hill County pollinator project expands in size for 2024 season

Hill County Conservation District Administrator Emma Korntheuer is looking for people to participate in a new pollinator program she is preparing.

The program is meant to maximize plant survival and sprouting with minimal landowner input.

“Our main program is intended for people looking to add native wildflowers to smaller spaces like backyard flower beds, but we had a lot of residents this year looking to fill larger spaces,” Korntheuer said.

Next spring, they are distributing free bulk seed to residents interested in adding wildflowers to larger spaces, like pastures, fence lines, and field margins. However, because of the larger quantities, they need an idea of how much seed to order ahead of time, as they will be receiving a funding grant for financial assistance on the project.

It will include the usual 100 square foot-worth packets of seeds. They plan to include new 1,500 sq. ft. bags of seeds.

“This program is really intended for anyone looking to fill a space of 10,000 square feet to 5 acres of space,” Korntheuer said.

“This project is intended to benefit both locally raised honeybees and our existing wild bee populations. Montana is a top producer of honey and we have a number of people raising European honey bees here in Hill County,” she added. “However, our wild bee population is often overlooked so I’m always trying to call attention to the amazing variety of bees that exist here naturally.

“When I refer to pollinators, I’m largely referring to bees. They’re the most efficient and beneficial pollinator group. Unlike nectar-seeking butterflies and pollinating flies, a bees’ main aim is pollen, which they collect as food for their young,” Korntheuer said, “Since they interact with and collect the pollen directly instead of picking it up incidentally and visit a large number of flowers to gather the quantity of pollen they need, they’re very good at pollinating flowers.”

The farthest most bees will go in search of food is a few miles. With smaller native bees, that distance can go down to only a few hundred meters of range. That makes roadside blooms and farmhouse gardens crucially important.

“Bees benefit from this project because we’re providing good floral resources, or flowers that have everything bees are looking for combined with an extended bloom time,” Korntheuer said, “You need continuous blooming flowers to sustain a population of bees.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture noted the importance of pollinators in a press release about National Pollinator Week, celebrated June 19-25 this year.

“USDA recognizes the critical role pollinators play in agriculture and supports pollinator health through research, data collection, diagnostic services, monitoring, pollinator habitat enhancement programs and pollinator health investments,” a USDA press release said.

“Our world’s ecosystem and food supply greatly rely on pollinators — without them, many of our nation’s crops wouldn’t be able to produce as many fruits, nuts or vegetables resulting in lower supplies and higher prices,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release. “This week and every week, it is critically important that we continue to encourage the protection of pollinators and their habitats. Fewer pollinators harm both farm income and nutrition security for many Americans. Healthy pollinator populations are essential to the continued success and well-being of agricultural producers, rural America and the entire U.S. economy.”

There are a few important things for applicants to keep in mind, Korntheuer said. All bulk plantings must be either sown into existing grass or be sown alongside grass seed, that the district intends to provide.

“I’ve visited far too many failed agricultural scale pollinator plots that are dominated by noxious weeds,” she said, “Grass cover helps ensure weeds don’t take over, holds down soil, and is important for some native bees that nest in the bases of bunch grass.”

Seed distribution will begin between late March and early April 2024. The district will have paper applications available in their office. They provide links to a Google forms application that can be found on their Facebook page and online website.

Applications can also be filled out over the phone by calling the Conservation District at 406-265-6792 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. The application is meant to determine how many people will participate and how many seeds will need to be ordered. The deadline for turning in the applications is set for Aug. 18.