WALDPORT — Bees, butterflies, birds and bugs all help sustain the global food supply, and their roles will be explored from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21 when the Waldport Library stages its Third Annual Pollinator Day at the Seashore Joy Garden.
The free, all-ages event features exhibits, vendors and gardens, all celebrating the pollinators’ role in food and flowering plants. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce.
As part of the library’s summer reading program, Pollinator Day celebrates “Our littlest heroes,” says Sharon McCrum, the library’s family outreach coordinator. “Without them, we don’t have food.”
Specialists in the care and study of pollinators and their importance will be on hand, along with pollinator-friendly vendors. An observation hive provided by members of the Oregon Coast Beekeepers Association will give visitors a close look at bee life.
Some 25 organizations, individuals and businesses are involved in Pollinator Day, which is hoped to draw over 250 people. They include Siuslaw National Forest Pollinators, Seal Rock Garden Club, Waldport Library Garden Club, Pacific Sourdough, the JW Merc honey stand offering honey tastings, Friends of the Waldport Library and Seashore Family Literacy.
Garden tours will be offered, along with light snacks, a water stand, music, plant giveaways and games. Visitors are asked not to bring pets, since the gardens are food sources.
McCrum credits youth and adult volunteers from the Waldport Library Garden Club for helping produce this year’s event.
