Eastern Sierra Land Trust Certifies 100th Pollinator Garden
Bringing Nature To Your Doorstep
Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT) will certify its 100th pollinator garden on August 30th to address water conservation, the importance of native plants and the rapid disappearance of pollinators. With one-third of our food supply and at least eighty percent of the world’s flowering plants depending on pollinators, Inyo and Mono County gardeners are helping by creating beautiful sanctuaries for birds, butterflies and bees.
In 2013, ESLT created the Eastside Pollinator Garden Project to encourage residents of Inyo and Mono counties to create and certify their own pollinator-friendly spaces with funding from Metabolic Studio and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ESLT AmeriCorps members at that time, Sara Kokkelenberg and Alison Amberg, turned to Columbia Land Trust in Portland, OR for advice based on their existing Backyard Habitat Certification Program, and created an advisory committee with our local Bristlecone Chapter of California Native Plant Society, Eastern Sierra Audubon Society, Master Gardeners, Chalfant Big Trees Nursery and interested ESLT supporters to review ESLT’s Eastside Pollinator Garden Project before it launched.
Gardeners begin with reviewing and agreeing to ESLT pollinator garden criteria and are eligible to receive a $125 voucher for native plant purchases from the Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society’s plant sale. Once the plants are in the ground, local gardeners receive a Pollinator Garden certification plaque.
Current ESLT AmeriCorps member, Ryan Delaney speaks to the passion of this backyard project. “I feel lucky be involved in a project that the local community is so invested in. It has been a true joy to meet, dream and create with local gardeners across the Eastern Sierra.”
ESLT welcomes anyone ready to join the movement to support local pollinators. They
are still scheduling consultation visits this summer to help certify gardens as pollinator-friendly habitats. For more information about the Eastside Pollinator Garden Project or to set up your own free garden consultation, call (760) 873-4554, email , or eslt.org/pollinator-gardens
ABOUT EASTERN SIERRA LAND TRUST
Eastern Sierra Land Trust works with willing landowners to preserve vital lands in the Eastern Sierra for their scenic, agricultural, natural, recreational, historical, and watershed values. ESLT’s goal is to preserve a healthy balance of land uses that can be sustained forever, ensuring both a strong local economy and environment. To learn more about ESLT’s ongoing work and how you can get involved, please visit www.eslt.org.
CONTACT: Kay Ogden, Executive Director, at or (760) 873-4554
