The
NYC Pollinator Working Group:

… networks and collaborates to conserve beneficial pollinating insects and
the resources they need to survive. Our members work on a variety of projects
that support pollinator habitat in public and private spaces, provide
educational outreach on pollinator protection, and develop advocacy programs
and policies around pollinator conservation. Our goal is to be a model for
creating pollinator sustainability in urban environments.

Last Friday, the NYC Pollinators visited Roosevelt Island and toured our
Community Garden hosted by local residents Christina Delfico of iDig2Learn and
Julia Ferguson of the Roosevelt Island Garden Club.

I spoke with Ms Delfico, Chrissy Ward of the
City Parks Foundation
and
Emily Fano of the National Wildlife Federation
about the mission of the NYC Pollinators group and their visit to Roosevelt Island. According to Ms Fano:

… One really important thing that I think our group does is celebrate wild
bees and wild pollinators. Alot of people think about pollinators, they think
about honeybees but there’s a lot more to pollinators than honeybees. There’s
wild bees, there’s butterflies, there’s beetles, there’s flies, there’s wasps
and moths. There’s a whole world of pollinators out there and the native
plants that they depend on which are so important.

The group also learned about Roosevelt Island composting efforts at the
Community Garden from Green Roosevelt Island Neighbors (GRIN) Founder Anthony
Longo.

followed by a tour of the Garden’s Bamboo Forest.

Ms Ferguson adds:

Chris Kreussling, a/k/a The Flatbush Gardener was on the tour too and created a fantastic Place and Project on iNaturalist for the Roosevelt Island Garden Club – check it out.