Pollinators Project

Operation Pollination recognizes the importance of pollinator habitat both restored and maintained on public and private lands.  Through collaboration and outreach, an interconnected mosaic of pollinator habitat interspersed between public and private land will be developed to stabilize and/or increase populations of pollinator species throughout your project area.

In June of 2020 the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Trustees added “supporting the environment” as the 7th Area of Focus.  The Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) provided both the documentation and the leadership in this effort, and is a partner in Operation Pollination, embracing the effort as an ESRAG Project.

State College Sunrise Rotary is actively supporting Operation Pollination and working to help this project spread throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Please contact us if you are interested in learning more or taking part.

Tip: Plant a pollinator-friendly plant: Mountain Mint

Are you interested in adding a pollinator-friendly plant to your garden this spring?  On the recommendation of pollinator experts, members of our club are purchasing and planting mountain mint plants to start pollinator gardens around the community. Acting locally, impacting globally.

Here are a few tidbits about mountain mint:

  • We had a very nice session with Professor Elsa Sanchez to learn more about mountain mint. She did a great job of teaching us more about the plant itself and how to care for it. View the recording.
  • “Mountain mint plants won’t win any awards for beauty, the fact that it blooms from June into October makes it an important source of food for wild pollinators.” – From Backyard Wildlife Connection
  • “This plant is a vigorous grower that may spread by rhizomes in optimum conditions, but it is not invasive as are many of the true mints (Mentha). If naturalizing is unwanted, prune roots in spring with a spade to keep clumps from spreading.” – From Missouri Botanical Garden
  • The “pollinator value” of the mountain mint is very high.
  • PSU pollinator researcher Harland Patch says that over fifty species of pollinators have been spotted on the mountain mint plants in the arboretum pollinator garden. 
Members of State College Sunrise Rotary Club volunteering in May ’21 at the Penn State Arboretum’s Pollinator Garden – our group planted over 7,000 pollinator plants in ~3 hours!