Last Week’s Meeting Elayne Bozick introduced the founders of the Operation Pollination campaign -- Marlene Gargulak, former District Governor of Rotary District 5960 in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and Chris Stein of the U.S. National Park Service – who joined the meeting virtually.
The goals of Operation Pollination to restore pollinators’ habitats and increase public awareness became clear as Stein shared some sobering statistics. While pollinators are critical to our fresh food supply, their numbers have declined by 40 percent over the last 50 years. Also, the most recognizable pollinator – the monarch butterfly – has declined by 80 percent in just the last decade.
When Stein and Gargulak first discussed the loss of pollinator habitats in 2015, Gargulak decided to “go big” by asking Rotary clubs from Canada to Mexico to create new habitats. Today, Operation Pollination is global, with clubs in South Asia and India joining the campaign.
Operation Pollination’s profile was elevated after the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group adopted it, Stein said. Rotary Action Groups work independently of Rotary International. Rotarians work alongside family members and other Rotary participants in planning and implementing humanitarian and community development projects. The ESRAG Central North America Regional Chapter developed a website for Operation Pollination, which led to a prominent story in Rotary magazine in 2020.
Stein emphasized that Operation Pollination is an inclusive project. “You can do something in your own backyard,” he said, adding that getting people to appreciate the campaign requires them to understand that “pollinators unite us.”
Bozick, past RCY president and future District 6650 Governor, said she’s at work now to firmly establish Operation Pollination activities before her term as DG begins in 2024.
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