Volunteers planting a pollinator garden.

Thanks to a grant from Wells Fargo, SCWF staff Savannah Jordan and Jay Keck joined together with Brittons Neck residents to install a pollinator garden. Volunteers gathered this past Saturday, September 17, to work with partners from the New Alpha Community Development Corporation, Kingdom Living Temple, The Whitney M. Slater Foundation, the SC Wildlife Federation, and SC State University’s Environmental Action Club.

They installed three raised garden beds, planted a variety of plants for pollinators, installed interpretive signage, pollinator and bird baths, and an Eastern Bluebird nest box.

This pollinator habitat will serve as a publicly accessible demonstration garden for visitors to replicate at their own homes and communities. The garden is located at the future site of the New Alpha Community Development Corporation’s Environmental Justice Training & Sustainability Center. This new facility will educate area residents and folks from across the Southeast in sustainable agriculture, community resilience, and outdoor recreation.

Swamp milkweed, Purple Coneflower, and Common Boneset are among the variety of native plant species included in the garden to attract different types of pollinators.

Using the new habitat as an example, SCWF will hold workshops at the center to teach residents about enhancing habitat in their own yards, with a goal to certify the town as a National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat. Neighbors will work toward a common goal of creating green space that is valuable to wildlife while also protecting air and water quality and increasing flood resiliency. Residents can make a huge difference for pollinators by restoring habitat, and having more pollinators will support local food crops, increasing the quality of life in this community.

More info about the Community Wildlife Habitat program and other habitat programs can be found on our website here.