Spread the word about pollinator-friendly parks

We’re excited to share the release of Pollinator-Friendly Parks: Enhancing Our Communities by Supporting Native Pollinators in Our Parks and Other Public Spaces.

Pollinator-Friendly Parks provides helpful information about how parks and other greenspaces in towns and cities can provide the maximum benefit for pollinators and other insects. In addition to introductory chapters about the diversity and natural history of native bees, the handbook offers detailed information on how to:

create flower-rich habitat,
provide places for nesting and egg laying,
reduce the use of pesticides in parks and greenspaces, and
engage park patrons and community members in your conservation work.

Appendices provide regional lists of recommended pollinator-friendly plants and additional sources of information for further exploration of the topics covered in these guidelines.

Biden is offering billions for transportation. Here’s how Sacramento can get its share

February 17, 2022 | By the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | The Sacramento Bee

The need for a significant change in how we move around the area has never been greater. Transportation accounts for 56% of the city of Sacramento’s carbon emissions, making it a major contributor in the region’s upsetting consistency in earning the American Lung Association’s recognition as one of the most polluted areas in the country. The smoke we inhale each fire season is a downstream result of climate change caused partly by our overreliance on cars. Long-term exposure to smoke and vehicle pollution poses an increased risk of mortality, especially for lower-income communities.

A guide to Sacramento’s tree canopy: Get to know the thousands of trees in your backyard

By Brianna Taylor | February 10, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

Get to know your tree canopy better. With research from the Sacramento Tree Foundation, California Native Plant Society and more, here’s our guide to the native and imported species that line your streets.

UC regents demand opportunities for underserved communities with UC Davis hospital tower approval

By Emily Hamann | January 30, 2022 | The Sacramento Business Journal

A multibillion-dollar expansion of University of California Davis’ hospital can move ahead, after university officials promised to work to make sure the project included support and opportunities for a nearby underserved community and business owners.

Click here to read the article in full.

If the Sierra snowpack vanishes as feared, California will need ideas like this for water

By the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | February 2, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento — which once only had to worry about seasonal floods — now worries each year about delivering water to its citizens in a hotter and drier California. But there is a way for Sacramento to capture rain and snow, and for the broader region to keep surface reservoirs like Folsom and Oroville lakes nearly full. This same technique could help Sacramento capture enough water to share with neighboring areas in dry years, as well as to store it when we need it most.

Sac City Council approves solid waste fee increase

Jan. 25, 2022

The Sacramento City Council Tuesday unanimously approved raising solid waste disposal fees by $3.83 a month for each of the next three years, largely to pay for a new state requirement that cities collect and compost food waste from customers.

Click here to learn more.

Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels