Biodiversity Project:
Farmscaping for Pollinators and Wildlife

Under Construction!

Photos and text by Debbie Roos, Agricultural Extension Agent.

Chatham County is well-known for its farms and rural landscapes. As the county’s population grows and significant acreage is cleared for new development, crucial wildlife habitat is lost. This valuable habitat is usually replaced with just a handful of species commonly planted by landscapers – trees and shrubs that often have very little value to wildlife as compared to native species. Local farms depend on biodiversity to sustain the pollinators and other beneficial insects and animals that contribute to crop production and pest management (see photos below). When forests are cleared, nesting sites and pollen and nectar sources for honey bees and native pollinators are lost. When pollinator species decline, crops are not fully pollinated, yields are reduced, and farmers suffer economically. It is important that we protect and enhance Chatham’s rich biodiversity heritage to ensure plant and wildlife diversity for future generations.

Assassin bug nymph feeding on a Colorado potato beetle larva on eggplant.

Native bees on sneezeweed (Helenium sp.)

Native bees on aster (left) and Eupatorium (right)

This project seeks to mitigate some of the effects of this habitat loss by developing a pilot project on a local farm to demonstrate the hedgerow system of combining native species of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials that directly benefit wildlife. Hedgerows, also called wildlife corridors, are designed to provide food, shelter, and nesting sites for birds, butterflies, bats, and other pollinators such as bees and wasps. Many of these species are important to crop production. Hedgerows include plants that will provide extended, overlapping blooming periods to serve as year-round nectar and pollen sources for pollinators and also beneficial parasitic wasps that help control pest species on the farm. Hedgerows are low maintenance and water-efficient - they require irrigation only during the first year of establishment. Perennial hedgerows also help control erosion and preserve both groundwater and surface water quality. This project will provide site-specific designs for each model planting, based on the specific needs of the participating farmers. The designs will work with the existing resources of the land and be conservation-minded.

Chatham County Agricultural Agent Debbie Roos is overseeing the project and selecting demonstration sites, working closely with the project's landscape designer Deborah Eagle who handles most of the day-to-day activities. Debbie and Deborah work together to decide on appropriate plant species and to design farmscaping plans that match the needs of both humans and wildlife. Debbie will coordinate outreach activities for the project. We plan to host a field day and hold a workshop on site. Educational materials will include this website plus fact sheets and brochures.

Funding for the project is provided by a long-time Chatham County resident who wishes to remain anonymous.

We have selected two sites for the spring of 2007:

Piedmont Biofuels is our first demonstration site. Piedmont Biofuels' mission is to lead the grassroots sustainability movement in North Carolina by using and encouraging the use of clean, renewable biofuels. The organization offers a variety of valuable services to the community: they sell 100% biodiesel fuel to members throughout the Triangle region. They also design and build biodiesel reactors for clients across the U.S. Rachel Burton and Leif Forer of Piedmont Biofuels created the biodiesel program at the Pittsboro campus of Central Carolina Community College, where students can learn about all aspects of biodiesel production. Piedmont Biofuels' staff also travel around the country lecturing to groups interested in renewable energy.

In the fall of 2006, Piedmont Biofuels opened up their new commercial biodiesel plant with the capacity to produce one million gallons of biodiesel. Their goal is to be able to produce/collect feedstocks from within 100 miles of Pittsboro, and to distribute the fuel out to that same 100 miles.

So why did we choose a biodiesel plant as a demonstration site for our habitat conservation project? Let us count the ways.

Their industrial facility is located in the heart of Pittsboro and the plant is surrounded by development with threats of more habitat loss on adjacent property.

The folks at Piedmont Biofuels are a dynamic, creative group of people on the cutting edge of regional and national sustainable energy efforts and their vision of sustainability includes locally grown food and habitat conservation. Piedmont Biofuels Industrial is developing into an incubator for sustainable enterprises. In addition to all the great things happening on the biodiesel end, they have an organic farm (Piedmont Biofarms) on their property, plus a greenhouse operation (Screech Owl Greenhouse) that produces hydroponic lettuce. Eastern Carolina Organics, an organic growers' marketing cooperative, is based at Industrial. Piedmont Biofuels recently received a grant to convert the paper waste from the plant plus the produce waste from ECO and Chatham Marketplace into black gold - er, worm castings - to be sold as a valuable soil amendment. Other non-profits like The Abundance Foundation have also set up shop at Industrial.

Additionally, by selecting Piedmont Biofuels as a demonstration site, we have greatly enhanced our chances of reaching a wide audience with our message. The Industrial Plant holds very popular monthly tours for folks interested in sustainability, and farming and habitat conservation are important pieces of the puzzle. All of the plantings will be identified with attractive signage suitable for both hosted or self-guided tours. It is our hope that our project will add value and benefit not only wildlife but also the other residents of Industrial who usually elect to walk upright (at least during normal business hours)!

Visit the Piedmont Biofuels website for more information.

Roberson Creek Farm is a 100 acre multi-generational family farm outside of Pittsboro that produces a wide variety of vegetables, cut flowers, herbs, berries, and hand-made cedar products. The Roberson family has farmed this property since 1947. Hundreds of acres of land surrounding the farm have been bought by developers, and the Robersons worry about the the potential effects of this on their farm and their livelihood. It is our hope that our hedgerow plantings will also help with efforts to improve the water quality of Roberson Creek, which flows through the edge of the farm. Roberson Creek is a tributary to the Haw River and Jordan Lake, a major water supply lake and recreational area for the Triangle Region. Roberson Creek is on the North Carolina State Impaired Waters List for Excessive Phosphorous as well as Biological Impairment and is being monitored by North Carolina State University. Roberson Creek is a US EPA and NC Division of Water Quality Target Watershed for clean up and water quality restoration. The Roberson Creek Watershed Council, a diverse group of government, non-profit, and private stakeholders, are implementing educational campaigns to inform people of the impairments as well as installing Best Management Practices throughout the watershed to help restore water quality. They are extremely pleased to hear about our plans for hedgerow plantings and feel that this will greatly enhance their efforts to improve water quality.

Demonstration Sites:

Piedmont Biofuels

Roberson Creek Farm

Resources:

List of Native Plants that Provide Forage for Bees

Native Bee Conservation - coming soon!

Web Resources: Pollinator Conservation

Local Sources for Native Plants

URL: www.growingsmallfarms.org

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