Date: 1/28/25 4:48 pm From: Carol Joan Patterson <0000003a0ccbe138-dmarc-request...> Subject: For birders who are saddened by unnecessary roadside mowing: Take Action to Create Butterfly Habitat, Save Tax Dollars
Here's another chance to help protect our butterflies - a ruling that would also help other wildlife, including birds.
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: National Wildlife Federation Action Fund <info...>To: "<joanie.patterson...>" <joanie.patterson...>Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 10:06:27 AM CSTSubject: Take Action to Create Butterfly Habitat, Save Tax Dollars
| Please speak out for wildlife habitat along roadsides in AR. |
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TAKE ACTION
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Carol,
How can your leaders in AR create crucially needed habitat this year for butterflies and bees while also saving tax dollars?
By reducing mowed grass areas along state-maintained roads and planting them with native flowers and plants that are crucial for the survival of imperiled species like the monarch butterfly. As a result, mowing costs paid with taxpayer dollars will be reduced while the roadsides are beautified with wildlife-welcoming habitat.
Carol, urge AR legislators to include roadside habitat programs in transportation budgets this year.
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I’LL TAKE ACTION TO CREATE BUTTERFLY HABITAT
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Roadside habitat programs are working for residents and wildlife in the states where they are already established!
The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Pollinator Habitat Program—which focuses on turning Ohio’s highways into healthier environments for wildlife while beautifying the state—saved over $2 million in mowing costs in one year. The program now has more than 120 roadside prairies covering about 1,200 acres across 88 counties, with a goal of adding at least 125 acres every year.
Transitioning from turfgrass to native roadside habitats also reduces the need to spray herbicides and pesticides—a win for wildlife and people alike.
You can advocate for roadside habitats in AR by sending a message today.
A state highway or freeway may seem an unlikely place to create wildlife habitat. But roadsides can support a surprising variety of wildlife, including bees, butterflies and fireflies.
Long-distance migratory birds from hummingbirds to warblers can also use roadside habitats as pit stops for resting and feeding. And scientists have even found small mammals such as chipmunks thriving on the edges of highways and that butterflies are less likely to cross a road when there is good roadside habitat—meaning they are at lower risk of getting hit by passing cars. In fact, several studies have shown that more butterflies are killed on rights-of-way with grass than on those bordered by native vegetation.
Tell your state senator and representative to say YES for roadside habitats.
Thank you for lending your voice to help safeguard and restore butterfly, bee and other wildlife populations in AR and saving taxpayer dollars by advocating for planting native flowers and plants along state roadways.
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With appreciation,
Julie Sibbing
Senior Advisor, Land Conservation
National Wildlife Federation Action Fund
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Patrick Fitzgerald
Advisor, Community Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation Action Fund
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