Jericho Pollinator Petition

Seeking review and signatures of support from Jericho VT residents: 

A Petition to the Jericho Selectboard to commit to specific proposals for the improvement of town-owned habitat in order to support pollinator and other beneficial insects, and people too.

Pollinators and other beneficial insects including VT and NE native bees and butterflies are facing threats due to habitat fragmentation, degradation, and loss.  Lack of native habitat/vegetation for food and nesting sites threatens their viability.

Threats to pollinators become threats to our food supply.

Pruinose Squash bees (Peponias pruinosa)
pollinating our squash plants.

The proposed resolution addresses town land management practices, increasing pollinator-friendly flora, habitat restoration, and giving preference to native species, to better support a healthy ecosystem and to protect the biodiversity in Jericho, Vermont. 

Please view the full Petitioner's Article Description, and the proposed Articles of Resolution (click on link) which explains the nature of the problem, why it needs to be addressed, and a specific call to action to address the issue. 

If you support the petition, please send your name and address to Bernie Paquette (or choose the comment button on this post) to have your name added to the petition. Optionally, please consider adding a comment on why you feel this is an important action for the town to take.

The collection of signatures (digital or hard copy) will follow this statement - "We the citizens of Jericho request the Select Board to approve a resolution declaring the town of Jericho, Vermont is a Pollinator-Friendly community. Furthermore, we request the town take the three actions stated in the resolution to improve habitat for pollinators on town land."

If you have questions, or concerns about the petition, again, please send a note to Bernie. 

See signers of the petition and their comments below.

Petition support from Bernie Paquette, Browns Trace, Jericho Vt

I think it is critical that we raise awareness of the importance of insects and the steps that we can easily do to lower the impact we are having on them here locally. If we do not mend the harm we have done to pollinator habitat, I fear that, as Kipling said, (in Without Benefit of Clergy), Nature [will] begin to audit her accounts with a red pencil. 

Pollinators and biodiversity are appearing more and more on folk's radar, perhaps just in time as we recognize the incredible value we receive from nature and begin to respond in kind.

I view this proposal not as prescriptive but as a pragmatic town goal of improving Jericho pollinator habitat to help reduce biodiversity loss. Then working together to define policies and processes to get it done. Advocacy and community engagement must recognize the economic and intrinsic values from pollinators and the risk of doing nothing to restore habitat loss, and that collective effort can make a difference; the engagement must bring us all in to figure out the how-tos. 

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Petition support from Adelaide Dumm, Browns Trace, Jericho VT 

I wholeheartedly support the Jericho Vt pollinator-friendly petition. The mutual flourishing of native pollinator species is vital for the ecological integrity of our community.

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Petition support from Katherine Lineberger, Browns Trace Road, Jericho VT

Please add my name to this petition. We are new residents of Jericho.  We are letting parts of our 3-acre lot to grow wild and plan to increase diversity by planting Vermont natives. If adopted, this article will also benefit farmers and gardeners in Jericho. 

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Petition support from Mandy Applin, Foothills Drive, Jericho VT

I recently moved into a home with large landscaping beds that were overgrown with weeds. These areas in need of cleanup and replanting provided an opportunity to cultivate native pollinator gardens. The choice for native plants was easy – they are low-maintenance, beautiful, promote biodiversity, and thrive in Vermont’s climate. I’m thrilled to support Jericho’s pollinator-friendly resolution. Each patch of native plant habitat becomes part of the collective effort to nurture the living landscape for insect pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, and it is a very worthwhile effort to add a patch of native garden to the quilt of Vermont’s pollinator-friendly landscape. 

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Petition support from Dan Treinis, Skyview Drive, Jericho VT

Bernie, it is my pleasure to sign your petition. Besides the inherent right to exist for their own ends, pollinators are a vital part of human existence. I like food and flowers - many depend on pollinators to make it to my plate or eyes. In an effort to keep Jericho's fields, forests, waterways, and open spaces healthy, I fully support Bernie Paquette's petition to have the town of Jericho adopt a Pollinator Action Plan. Thank you, Bernie, for your Earth activism and focus on our lovely hometown of Jericho, Vermont.

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Petition support from Bob Weber, Jeri Hill Lane,  Jericho VT

Pollinators make food grow, contribute to the proliferation of species that are essential to life, and without them life on earth as we know it could not exist. They are an integral part of the web of life; removing them would disrupt severely the food chain.

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Petition support from Mick Dutcher, Browns Trace,  Jericho VT

I support the Jericho, Vermont pollinator-friendly petition. Where possible, the town gardeners should plant to attract and sustain pollinators. Of all the issues you read and hear about that could disturb your peace of mind, this is one that needs our immediate attention. The fruits and vegetables we rely on don't come from supermarkets; they come from plants. No bees = no plants = no food for you and me. The combination of climate change and the use of neonicotinoid insecticides is contributing to the extinction of many species of pollinators. The bees will only survive where they can. Let's help Jericho common lands become a haven for pollinators! 

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Petition support from Julia Blake, Leary rd., Jericho VT

 I do support the petition so you can add my name. I admit though that I don't follow all the recommendations yet. But I support the idea and am aware of how important pollinators are! 

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Petition support from Louanne Nielsen, Starbird Drive, Jericho, VT

Please add my name to this petition. My yard is small but I'm going to redesign it (with someone's help, I hope) so it attracts more pollinators. As nature benefits, so do humans. 

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Petition support from June Shulte, Packard Rd Jericho VT

Hello Neighbours,

I wholeheartedly support this petition, and the need to make Jericho more pollinator-friendly.  In the 40 years we have lived in Jericho, 36 of those years on Packard Road, we have witnessed more and more housing being built on all sides of our land, and great losses of habitat, disrupting many mammals as well as birds and insects.  Last year, during Covid, we turned our crabgrass front lawn into a pollinator garden, and are finally seeing a return of the honey bees. Let's come together as a town to befriend the natural world.  After all, this is Vermont.  I especially favor seeding our roadsides to benefit insects and wildlife and creating and protecting open spaces. Our lives depend on pollinators.   June M. Schulte

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Petition support from Peter Boiney, 10 Skyview Drive, Jericho VT

I support this petition. I'm allowing portions of my one acre to go wild and am moving toward less lawn, more "stuff". I hope it does some good. 

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Quote by Bernie

We think of ourselves as smarter than the average bear, yet sometimes we fail to take even the simplest of actions to help keep the earth habitable. Let's be smarter or at least as smart as the average bear! Take whatever actions you can to help save our home - Jericho, and Earth. 

Bernie Paquette

Observing life in nature.

Connecting Vermont's historic habitat and wildlife, with our community.

Slow the Spread Invasive Honeysuckle, Jericho VT

Folks walking by as I was cutting invasive Honeysuckle along Browns Trace asked if cutting it down would kill it. The answer is no. It will surely resprout. However, cutting a bush ten or twelve feet high and just as wide will stop it from spreading seed for a few years, and make the maintenance of cutting it back much easier in the oncoming years. 

The keyword here is maintenance. It is too late to expect to be able to eradicate this invasive on a large scale. However to do nothing is to allow it to spread, and spread it does (by seed) at a very fast pace. 

As my mentor, Sean Beckett, Director of Natural History Programming at North Branch Nature Center reminds me "It's imperative that we protect our biodiversity. Ecologically, we are indeed waging a war to remove plants that are devastating our local ecology."

An Ohio study showed that after 2 years bee abundance and species richness increased after invasive honeysuckle removal. Cunningham-Minnick MJ, Peters VE, Crist TO. Bee communities and pollination services in adjacent crop fields following flower removal in an invasive forest shrub. Ecol Appl. 2020 Jun;30(4):e02078. doi: 10.1002/eap.2078. Epub 2020 Feb 26. PMID: 31971650.

Paul Revere* of 2021 will continue to call out the alert, the invasives are here, and they will overtake us if we do not at least attempt to slow the spread. 

Perhaps more folks will join in the next Invasive cut down on Jericho Town land. 

This from Lisa Walker, Jericho, Tool Loan Pilot Program Continues with Plans for Growth: In an effort to increase access to invasive plant management tools, the FPR [Forest Parks and Recreation] Essex Junction office started a pilot program in 2017, loaning out weed wrenches to local organizations, municipalities, and private landowners. FPR’s Invasive Plant Program communicates with participants and organizes pick-up and return dates. The loan program was used 12 times throughout 2018. The plan is to create a similar arrangement at FPR’s Rutland Office, to provide this service to a broader audience.

Contact Elizabeth Spinney, 802-477-2134

FPR, Agency of Natural Resources

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*Read the Paul Revere post at https://jerichovermont.blogspot.com/2021/06/paul-revere-rides-again-this-time-in.html

See this post for a list of nonnative honeysuckles and a list of native honeysuckles. https://jerichovermont.blogspot.com/2021/05/are-we-giving-up-without-fight.html

    The top photo on Browns Trace near the corner of Barber Farm and Browns Trace.

     The lower photos on Browns Trace at the corner of Plains Rd. and Browns Trace. 

  Before cutting

After cutting

 

Bernie

Observing life in nature.

Connecting Vermont's historic habitat and wildlife, with our community.

Paul Revere rides again, this time in Jericho, VT.

 

   Our history books tell us the story of Paul Revere with a bit of poetic license.  Historian Patrick Leehey, Research Director at the Paul Revere House in Boston describes the event with more accuracy but the overall catalyst and response remain an important part of our history. The revolution recount below is from Leehey’s publication.

   On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was summoned by Dr. Joseph Warren of Boston and given the task of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts, with the news that regular troops were about to march into the countryside northwest of Boston.

   Our history books tell us Revere was a lone rider in opposition to the might of the British Empire, when in fact Revere was just a cog, although an important one, in an elaborate warning system set up by the Sons of Liberty to spread an alarm quickly and efficiently.  

   Just as it was no surprise that British regular troops were preparing that evening to march into the countryside, today it is of no surprise that invasive plants are marching into our forest, our backyards, and our town-owned greenbelts. 

   Perhaps a single lopper pruning shear or saw might be set out in the Jericho Community Green to mean the invaders are marching "by land", to alert us to their silent approach and prompt us to get out our cutting tools and take up the call to action.

   As Revere approached the house where John Hancock was staying, Sergeant Monroe (a sentry on duty) told him not to make so much noise, that everyone in the house had retired for the night. Revere cried “Noise! You’ll have noise enough before long! The regulars are coming out!”

   Indeed today, the cry must go out, the invaders are marching upon us, and not slowly like the British soldiers of 1775. The invasive plants spread quickly and make a tremendous disturbance to our Vermont forest as well as town and private land. Invasive plants are killing birds, and much other wildlife as well as displacing our historic habitat, that we cherish. 

   Invasive plants are filling in, displacing, and replacing Vermont's historic habitat while upsetting the ecosystems we are all reliant upon. Some (like knotweed) are extremely difficult to manage. Honeysuckle at least gives us a fighting chance. We can at least diminish its chance to spread by cutting it down and preventing it from going to seed. 

   Will you learn about invasives, the harm they cause, how fast they spread, and how you can help manage them? Will you grab a pair of loppers and cut down invasive honeysuckle?

   Our sense of place, as well as our health and well-being and that of nature, are in danger of disintegrating. 

   Let's not wait until we can see the whites of their eyes, as by then they will have us surrounded and outnumbered. Surrender not! Let us take action now.

   Cut down invasive honeysuckle. Put a notch on your belt for each one you cut down. Write our history of tomorrow today. Let it say we in Jericho took action as good stewards of the land. 

   PS, Join our very small militia on Saturday, June 5 any time from 9am to noon as we take a few shots at the enemy (invasive honeysuckle). See details in this post. 
https://jerichovermont.blogspot.com/2021/06/seeking-volunteers-for-invasive.html

   View the Vermont invasive web page and my post  "Are we giving up without a fight? Honeysuckle Plant Invasion" to become more familiar with the plants that are recognized as invasive and how to tell them apart from the plants that are part of Vermont's historic habitat. Learn what harm they cause, and how we can manage them.

Bernie

Observing life in nature.

Connecting Vermont's historic habitat and wildlife, with our community.

Spread the alarm quickly and efficiently -

 Take Arms against invasive plants like the (4) species of invasive Honeysuckle.                                      

Seeking volunteers for invasive Honeysuckle cutting along Jericho roadside.

Seeking Volunteers to cut invasive Honeysuckle along Jericho roadways Saturday, June 5,  9 am to noon

Saturday, June 5 is International Environment Day, highlighting the theme related to “Take Care of the Earth”.

 We are seeking volunteers to help cut invasive honeysuckle along a small part of Browns Trace and Plains road. This is a pilot project of invasive plant management on town-owned land. 

Just as grass needs to be maintained so do invasive plants; not maintaining (cutting invasive) leads to many unwelcome effects. Read more at my post -https://jerichovermont.blogspot.com/2021/05/are-we-giving-up-without-fight.html. 

Volunteer activity details:

• Meet up on Saturday, June 5, at 9 am in front of the Jericho town library.

• Work with us for any amount of time up to three hours.

• Please bring loppers and shrub-cutting saws if you have any.

• Recommended: Gloves, long pants, long sleeve shirt, water-repellent footwear, water to drink, tic repellant.

• We will begin cutting near the intersection of Browns Trace and Barber Farm roads, followed by a section near 320 Browns Trace across from the sidewalk wood rails; then head to Plains road.

• A truck to haul cuttings to the landfill in Richmond would be very helpful.

• RSVP to Bernie appreciated.

Note: 

• Why cut if it will grow back? At a minimum, by cutting the plant we prevent it from going to seed. We will have a weed wrench available to pull up honeysuckle by the roots, however in most cases cutting will be the most effective approach. Repeated cuttings (once or twice per year) may be effective in killing the plant over time.

• We will not be using any chemical applications.

• We understand the town right of way is 25 feet from the center of the road on Plains road and 33 feet from the center on Browns Trace. We will seek to cut invasive Honeysuckle within that distance from the center of the road. 

We hope to see you there, however even if you are not able to join this volunteer day, you can maintain by cutting or pulling any invasive honeysuckle that may be on your property.  

We welcome suggestions on how to grow this pilot project as community stewards of nature.