Focus on climate and resilience 

In Denver, as in many other cities across the arid West, climate change is resulting in hotter temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, the impacts of which are further intensified by urban heat island effects. These factors create considerable challenges that prevent pollinators essential to the ecology of these urban areas from thriving. Pollinators help propagate biodiversity by ensuring that plants can reproduce and flourish in cities and beyond. 

Critical pollinator species like bees have declined significantly over the last decade due to environmental factors. Increasing the number and variety of native pollinators is a key focus area for DPR’s resiliency efforts.   

“Denver Parks and Recreation is committed to restoring and protecting healthy pollinator habitats and ecosystems,” said Happy Haynes, executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “This project will assist us in optimizing plant selection to maximize native pollinators within Denver parks and create sustainable practices that support equitable climate resilience solutions, which are important to the health and beauty of Denver.” 

While bees can be impacted by climate change directly, the indirect impacts must also be taken into consideration in creating long-term resiliency. For example, as temperatures continue to rise, plants used in pollinator restoration efforts need to be chosen for their suitability under future conditions. Mola’s team seeks to design a flexible “future ready” pollinator planting guide by combining information on pollinator preferences and plant tolerance to warmer and drier conditions. 

“There are a variety of ‘pollinator friendly’ plant lists – but they’re not developed to be climate resilient or adapted to urban environments, and they certainly don’t consider the aesthetic or cultural values of people who will interact with these plants on a daily basis,” Mola said. “Our project seeks to rectify these issues and create well-balanced recommendations that will benefit Denver parks, people and pollinators.” 

Community engagement and impact   

Pollinator habitat is critical for bees, butterflies and other insects in urban environments, but efforts to restore these habitats in cities often prioritize specific plant mixes without taking community perspectives into account. For example, native grass mixes may look like weeds to residents and make a space feel less safe or inviting. Restoration work also may replace plants with local cultural significance with more climate-resilient species without consulting the community.

To better incorporate social equity into these kinds of restoration efforts, community engagement is a key component of Mola’s research, and residents’ input will be factored into the team’s final recommendations. To achieve this, the research team will engage community scientists and DPR’s robust network of youth volunteers to collect data on the pollinators, residents’ values toward various plants and other factors relevant to Denver’s network of parks. The project will ultimately provide information to guide DPR’s planting efforts as part of the Game Plan for a Healthy City, a 20-year park and recreation plan for Denver’s urban and mountain park systems, in ways that support pollinator habitat, increase climate resilience and reflect community values and buy-in. 

The Salazar Center anticipates that this pilot program will serve as a model that can be replicated for years to come, amplifying the impact of cutting-edge research being produced at CSU, informing future partnerships between academia and the public sector and inspiring other cities to act now to ensure a healthier, sustainable future.