HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 4/9/2024 - Memorandum From Katie Donahue Re: Pollinator District Certification.Natural Areas Department
1745 Hoffman Mill Road
Fort Collins, CO 80524
970-416-8067
kdonahue@fcgov.com
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MEMORANDUM
Date: April 4, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Dean Klingner, Director, Community Services
From: Katie Donahue, Director, Natural Areas Department
Subject: Pollinator District Certification
BOTTOM LINE
This memo outlines the process and staffing required to follow up on pollinator district
certification.
BACKGROUND
Councilmember Pignataro was approached by the League of Women Voters (LOWV) Pollinator
Habitat Group regarding a potential Pollinator District certification offered through the Butterfly
Pavilion in Westminster, CO. Councilmember Pignataro and City staff met with LOWV and
Manitou Springs, the first municipality certified by the Butterfly Pavilion as a Pollinator District.
The City of Fort Collins currently partners with the Butterfly Pavilion on work related to the
Butterfly House at the Gardens at Spring Creek, as well as some research on fireflies at
Riverbend Ponds Natural Area. Fort Collins also carries certifications for other conservation
efforts, such as Bird City USA.
Councilmember Pignataro asked staff to look into what it would take to get pollinator habitat
certification. This memo provides a summary of suggested staffing and tasks that would be
needed to accomplish pollinator-friendly certification for the City of Fort Collins.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 19A63E1D-16A4-4CBC-9ED9-44358573A771
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Team
A team will be assembled of staff from across the City organization who are involved in
pollinator habitat promotion and policies related to pollinator habitat – the citywide Vegetation
Team is an existing group that works on these issues.
Process Steps
The team will identify best practices that are already in place across the City to promote
healthy pollinator habitat. Examples include the Xeriscape Incentive Program, the
Butterfly House at the Gardens at Spring Creek, and Nature in the City among many
others.
The team will connect with other groups working pollinator habitat in Northern Colorado,
such as People and Pollinators Action Network, Colorado Native Plant Society, and
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers.
The team will identify potential certification programs, including the Pollinator District
certification from the Butterfly Pavilion and other certifications from national groups such
as the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
The team will evaluate certification options with regard to:
o scope/relevance of the certifying body
o cost
o recurring staff effort required
o gaps in required policies or practices that would need to be addressed prior to
certification, using reports similar to this one: Colorado Native Pollinating Insects
Health Study (link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1npqrvcCIbF51kXRB-
p8803UD9xTNmMUW/view)
o policy tradeoffs for other key city priorities, such as property restoration,
integrated pest management, and potential for additional regulations
o opportunities for improvements/additional funding/information sharing; and
o possibilities for including engaged partners such as LOWV
The team will make a recommendation and provide a summary of needed resources (if
any) to Council regarding a certification program that represents the best combination of
all the factors listed above.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 19A63E1D-16A4-4CBC-9ED9-44358573A771
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NEXT STEPS
1) City Council can expect another memo with the information outlined above. Anticipated
timeframe for this memo is end of 2nd quarter (~July 1st, 2024).
DocuSign Envelope ID: 19A63E1D-16A4-4CBC-9ED9-44358573A771