Program Guide Summer 2024

The Bog Garden

FEATURE STORY Programs

Building Better Habitats City of Greensboro adopts a new policy supporting native plants and invasive plant removal. At the urging of local residents and the Audubon Society, on March 5 the Greensboro City Council adopted a policy to promote the use of native plants and elimination of invasive plants at City-owned facilities, including parks. “We are really excited,” said Dr. S. Shree Dorestant, the City’s chief sustainability officer, who worked with local advocates to develop the policy. “We want our local residents and our supporters to feel like they are being heard.” Native plants help maintain, restore, and protect the health and biodiversity of local ecosystems, supporting native pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Native plants often require less maintenance, in addition to being part of the historical and cultural heritage of the community. Invasive plants disrupt the native ecosystems and displace native plants and animals. The policy prevents the City from planting species identified as invasive by the NC Native Plant Society and NC Invasive Plant. Nationally, the Audubon Society has been advocating for cities and towns to adopt policies and ordinances that encourage native plants. “These native plants are crucial for bird populations. If we don’t have native plants that support moths and caterpillar development - squishy little caterpillars - we would have no birds at all hardly,” said Jack Jezorek, board member of local chapter, the T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society, who advocated for the new policy. “It

is important for municipalities like Greensboro to model proper environmental behavior, which means using native plants to support not only these insect populations, but also bird populations. It’s the web of life. It’s biodiversity. If you cut any of the strings in this web, bad things happen.” The policy is triggered when the City is installing new or replacement plant materials in outdoor landscaped areas of City-owned or maintained sites or facilities. It calls for the City to use at least 50 percent seeds and plants classified as native to North Carolina or the southeastern United States by 2025. In the near future, a native plant list specific to Guilford County will be developed. “We don’t have very much native plant representation in public spaces because we have been gardening a whole different way for 50 years,” said Robin Davis, a local Audubon Society board member who advocated for the policy. “The City can be such a leader and give residents and businesses new models to look at. It shows their support of the environment. We all like to talk about sustainability, but we need to take some action that moves the needle in the right direction.”

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