Create and Cultivate: Pollinator Gardens Cultivate a Bee-ter Tomorrow at the New York Energy Zone

By Kamryn Foley

Imagine a future where butterflies no longer exist, or where children can’t smell flowers anymore. This would be our future without pollinators spaces. We need bees, butterflies, and songbirds to power our new generations.

Thankfully local children in Utica don’t have to imagine that world as the New York Energy Zone opened its second pollinator garden location on July 30.

The event, “Create and Cultivate,” engaged the community in a family friendly hands-on format. Families and children participated in educational scavenger hunts, an observational beehive and guided tours of the garden. NYPA staff highlighted the 667 native plants selected specifically to provide durable habitats for pollinators, songbirds and other wildlife. The tours were made accessible with an ASL interpreter, an ADA ramp, and sidewalks that allow access to the garden.

“Pollination is a critical ecosystem service responsible for the health and resilience of all ecosystems,” NYPA’s Sustainability Program Manager Cari Ficken, Ph.D. said during the opening remarks. “Native plants provide habitat, nectar, pollen, and other resources for important pollinators and other wildlife.”

Creating Relationships, Cultivating Expertise

Local adults and children also enjoyed hands-on crafts, including painting and planting flowerpots, planting native wildflower seeds, and pledging to protect pollinators by contributing to a community flower mural. Another craft station was hosted by Utica Creative Reuse, a local nonprofit that helps divert usable materials from the landfill and advance access to art education.

“Our free public events are centered on reuse, repair, and how art can raise awareness about the impact individual and collective actions can have on our environment,” said Executive Director Sarah Swann. “We are excited to participate in NYPA’s Create and Cultivate event to celebrate their new pollinator garden and the creation of a beautiful new space to learn and grow!”

“Create and Cultivate” was curated by three NYPA developmental interns that worked in different parts of the organization, each of whom played a key role in organizing this event.

Corporate Communications intern Kamryn Foley championed the incorporation of arts into the pollinator garden opening, knowing it would help reach and engage a wider audience. She drew on past experiences from her arts background and utilized learnings from arts-based Canals events to curate programming. Foley developed and executed all media related to event promotion and coverage.

Sustainability department intern Allison Cooper helped bring more attention to NYPA’s biodiversity efforts and engaged the community in its pollinator initiatives. She created materials to train the New York Energy Zone’s tour guides and educate visitors and community members about the biodiversity benefits of the garden.

Canals Public Engagement intern Sophia Styles ensured ADA accessibility, including the sourcing and hiring of an ASL interpreter to provide an inclusive experience. She also designed graphics for event signage and the scavenger hunt alongside Cooper.

Pollinating a Better Tomorrow

This new pollinator garden is a part of the Power Authority’s continuing commitment to environmental stewardship. The space aligns with New York State’s Pollinator Protection Plan, a statewide program launched in 2020. NYPA opened its first pollinator garden at the Niagara Power Vista and plans to establish another pollinator garden at Blenheim-Gilboa.  

With 100,000 acres of land owned or managed by NYPA and Canals. They have both integrate environmental stewardship into their operations into their daily operations. In addition to pollinator gardens, NYPA and Canals are creating new pollinator habitats across the state by managing our lands more sustainably. Whether that is from managing the vegetation under transmission lines to reduced mowing zones, piloting a forest health initiative that supports forest biodiversity is a priority. These and other land stewardship efforts help NYPA and Canals strengthen the ecological resilience of New York’s natural resources.

Safeguarding our environment for the future is no simple task. It will involve everyone’s help, from birds and bees to businesses and bureaucrats. However, if the smiles on the faces of those who attended are any indication, art can be a fun and engaging way for local residents, artists and non-profits to access the resources needed to bring a clean energy future that benefits everyone.