Santa Barbara’s pollinators are getting some honey. Habitats for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators — the often unsung, but extremely important agricultural workers — will be sprouting on farms and ranches along the Central Coast, thanks to a $2 million grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) through its Pollinator Habitat Program.
The Cachuma Resource Conservation District and its partners (the Community Environmental Council, Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, and Ventura County Resource Conservation District) will use the funds to work directly with local farmers and ranchers — planting the seeds for pollinator-friendly habitats and management practices to bolster pollinator populations.
These habitats will feature native flowers, host plants crucial for butterfly reproduction (e.g., milkweed for monarchs), and other suitable elements for a critter to call home.
