International Pollinators Week: June 21-27, 2010

June 21-27, 2010 has been designated International Pollinator Week and events will be held across North America, including in Guelph and Toronto, in an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and what can be done to help them. With gardening season upon us, take time to consider how you can incorporate pollinator habitat into your yard, such as by planting pollinator-friendly native plants, making bee-nests, leaving a downed tree or branch to

Pollinator Day in the Garden, Sunday, June 20, 2010: 12 noon - 4pm

Pollination Guelph will be holding their second-annual Pollinator Day in the Garden at the Gosling Gardens section of the Guelph Arboretum on Sunday, June 20, from 12noon to 4pm. There will be lots of things to see and do, making it a very family-friendly event. Guided tours will be led by pollination biologist Victoria MacPhail at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm (*updated tour times*), where different types of pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants will be pointed out, and a general discussion about pollination-related topics will occur. There will be honeybee and bumble bee colonies to see up-close, coloring for the kids, educational materials for the adults, and best of all, the chance to make your own mason bee nest using materials you probably already have at home. You might even be able to go home with a free pollinator-friendly plant!

Pollinator Week Activities in Toronto

Guelph is not the only one celebrating International Pollinators Week; this year, there are a number of events in Toronto too. For more information on these, contact Sabrina at sabrinamalach@gmail.com.

Urban Buzz: A Tale of Three Cities: Monday, June 21- Sunday, 27, 12pm-5pm
The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto
A photography exhibit exploring the lives of bees in Toronto, NYC and the San Francisco Bay area.

The Pollinators Cabaret: Thursday, June 24, 6pm-11pm (phone first for availability: 416-531-4635)
The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto
An evening of storytelling, poetry, song, visual art, and dance to celebrate the pollinators.

The Pollinator’s Festival, Sunday, June 27, 10am-5:30pm
Evergreen Brickworks, 550 Bayview Ave (between the Prince Edward Viaduct (Bloor/Danforth) and Pottery Road). For public transportation info see: http://ebw.evergreen.ca/visit/bus.
A full day celebration of pollinators with workshops from a diverse group of educators and a marketplace with local honey, bee houses made by local artists and scientists, books and other goods. A detailed schedule can be found at http://ebw.evergreen.ca/cal/event/international-pollinator-week.

Plantings!

We plan to have several different areas planted with pollinator-friendly plants in 2010. These areas will be examples of what small-scale pollinator-friendly gardening can look like (e.g. like your front yard). One area will be at the Guelph Centre for Organic Gardening (at the Guelph Arboretum), and others may be at several well houses throughout the City. We will be looking for volunteers to help once we get more details confirmed.

Past Events & Major Meetings

March 27, 2010. "Pollination Plantings, Great and Small". Public symposium. Ignatius Jesuit Centre, Guelph, Ontario.September 20, 2009. Healthy Landscapes Community Garden Tour. Garden tour and pollination information. Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

September 19, 2009. Master Gardener's Zone 4 Technical Update, "Gardening for Life". Panel presentation and tour of the Eastview Landfill site, as well as other pollinator-friendly gardens. Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

June 27, 2009. Pollinator Day in the Garden. Garden Tour and pollination information. JC Taylor Nature Centre, The Arboretum at the University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario, Canada.

April 18, 2009. Pollination Symposium. Public sympsosium, Delta Guelph Hotel & Conference Center, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

November 25, 2008. Eastview Community Park and Pollinators' Park open house to review conceptual design. Public meeting, Evergreen Seniors Center, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

July 3, 2008. Preliminary meeting about a possible “Friends of Pollinator’s Park” group. Public meeting, Evergreen Seniors Centre, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

May 22, 2008. Eastview Community Park and Pollinators' Park Master Plan: Conceptual Design Workshop. Public meeting, Arboretum Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

March 7-8, 2008. Guelph Pollination Initiative and Canadian Pollinator Protection Initiative Public Workshops, Guelph Youth Music Centre, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

October 11-12, 2007. Design Charette for the Guelph Pollination Park, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

March 19, 2007. Meeting on Pollinator Conservation Initiatives with members of the public, university, representatives from nearby cities, conservation authorities, others. Greenway Blooming Centre, Breslau, Ontario, Canada.

Pollination Guelph has also had displays at numerous other events, and given presentations to various groups.