ENRTF ID: 259-FH PROJECT TITLE: Restoring Turf to Native Pollinator Gardens Across Metro I. PROJECT STATEMENT Ten .25-acre or larger resilient gardens throughout the metropolitan regional parks system will be planned, planted, and maintained involving stewardship volunteers, including underserved populations: 1. Remove underused ecologically-degrading turf 2. Create high-quality native gardens 3. Provide urgent and critical pollinator habitat 4. Serve to educate and inspire visitors 5. Establish stewardship volunteer communities 6. Engage underserved park visitor population To attain the highest quality conservation and ecological goals, Wilderness in the City will contract with native landscape professionals and Conservation Corps MN when feasible. To assure broad public access, we will partner with ten regional park implementing agencies across the metropolitan region. Together we will: * Identify turf lawns to be replanted as pollinator gardens and assess each garden site to appeal to specific wildlife, birds, bees and insects, or edible plants. * Design the gardens for education on native plantings, to showcase a variety of pollinator garden styles, to accommodate educational programming, and to inspire visitors to plant their own gardens. * Ensure community awareness and involvement and create opportunities to engage diverse and under-served populations. This is integral to both physically building the gardens and to creating strong regional natural resource stewardship communities. * Coordinate, organize, and schedule the project, culminating in a community garden planting event, and establish a garden stewardship community to provide long-term maintenance * Explore the use of technology (such as videos and cameras) to measure and document plant growth, pollinator impacts, wildlife interactions, and human educational opportunities. II. PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES Activity 1 Title: Site-Planning for Ten .25-Acre (minimum) Gardens Description: - Starting in Dakota County, we will work with ten regional park agencies on garden site selection and, in consultation with native landscape professionals, determine native plant selection, areas for wildlife and bird concentration, bee-lawn alternative turfs, and/or edible plants: Park agencies: Anoka Co, Carver Co, Dakota Co, Scott Co, Washington Co, City of Bloomington, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, City of Saint Paul and Ramsey Co, and Three Rivers Park District. - Work with native landscape professionals to prepare sites including hydrology review, soil, geology, topography and other relevant factors that will provide the best chance for long-term success and durability of the restoration project. ENRTF BUDGET: $50,000 (2020: $5,000 Dakota County garden, 2021: $20,000/4 gardens, 2022: $25,000/5 gardens) Activity 2 Title:   Site Preparation Coordination for Ten Gardens Description:  Through RFP, contract for professional services, including with Conservation Corp MN, for site prep including turf killing, soil tilling, erosion control, seeding, and prep site for volunteer planting event. ENRTF BUDGET:  $30,000 (2020: $3,000 Dakota County garden, 2021: $12,000/4 gardens, 2022: $15,000/5 gardens) Activity 3 Title:  Community Event & Public Engagement for Ten Gardens Description: - Each project will culminate in a stewardship community volunteer event, including planting thousands of native grasses and forbs which will be purchased for the event. - Public awareness and involvement will be facilitated through multiple lines of communication.  - Outreach to local community leaders will facilitate engaging diverse and underserved populations. - To help ensure ongoing community involvement, our database will track project participation and build a network of ongoing maintenance and park conservation support.   ENRTF Budget:  $67,000 (2020: $6,700 Dakota County garden, 2021: $26,800/4 gardens, 2022: $33,500/5 gardens) Outcome Completion Date 1. Engage with Dakota County and determine location for Turf to Pollinator Garden, implement volunteer database development, site preparation RFPs issued. July 1, 2020 2. Dakota County garden volunteer database implemented, public engagement and underserved community outreach plan in place Aug 1, 2020 3. Dakota County.25-acre (minimum) Turf to Pollinator Garden planting event Oct 1, 2020 4. Dakota County garden volunteer network established, volunteer hours tracked, on-going maintenance plan in place. Dec 1, 2020 5. Four gardens planned, site preparation organized and scheduled, and public engagement and underserved community outreach plan in place. May 1, 2021 6. Four .25-acre (minimum) Turf to Pollinator Gardens planted in four regional parks (.25 acres x 4 regional parks = 1 acre total). Oct 1, 2021 7. Volunteer database created, stewardship volunteer community established, community stewardship volunteer network established, volunteer hours tracked, on-going maintenance plan in place for five gardens. Dec 1, 2021 8. Five gardens planned, site preparation organized and scheduled, and public engagement plan in place. May 1, 2022 9. Five .25 acres (minimum) Turf to Pollinator Gardens planted in five regional parks (.25 acres x 5 regional parks = 1.25 acres total). Oct 1, 2022 10. Community stewardship volunteer network established, volunteer hours tracked, on-going maintenance plan in place for second five gardens. Dec 1, 2022 III. PROJECT PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS: Artisan Environments, Webknowledgy, Benjamin Olson Photography IV. LONG-TERM IMPLEMENTATION AND FUNDING: Integral to each Turf to Pollinator Garden is outreach to create long-term stewardship volunteer communities established with a volunteer database and communication channels (social media, email blasts, etc.) to be handed over to the park agencies, if desired, to be integrated with their volunteer base. Collectively, these knowledgeable, caring gardeners, together with ongoing regional park natural resource management staff will facilitate long-term garden maintenance with minimal future costs to the park. Additional grant funding will be sought to: 1. Record and measure garden growth and impact on pollinator populations through time-lapse photography documentation with wildlife and environmental photographer Benjamin Olson. 2. Monitor and measure impacts on endangered, threatened, and special concern species such as the rusty-patch bumblebee. 3. Expand educational programming and opportunities. 4. Continue to engage and expand community outreach targeted at equitable use of parks.