Norwalk conservationists will talk pollinators, preservation at Monday meeting

Louise Washer, president of the Norwalk River Watershed Association, will speak on pollinators and habitat preservation Monday, April 22 at the Norwalk Land Trust’s annual meeting.

Washer’s Earth Day talk, titled “The Pollinator Pathway: A Plan for Preserving Land, Water and Wildlife Habitat in Norwalk,” is free and open to the public.

The meeting in Norwalk City Hall’s Community Room begins with refreshments at 6 p.m., and a brief report by NLT President Seeley Hubbard.  Washer’s presentation begins at 7 p.m.

The Pollinator Pathway is a chain of safe havens for vital pollinators including bees, butterflies and birds. Norwalk’s portion of the pathway is a broad swath of land on either side of the Norwalk River, from Long Island Sound to Wilton, part of a larger route which reaches Westchester County and the Hudson River. The NLT and the NRWA are encouraging Norwalk residents to support pollinators by ending pesticide use and planting gardens or containers on their properties with native plants.

Marny Smith, a conservationist and past president of the Norwalk Land Trust, said Washer and others on the board of the Norwalk River Watershed Association are “an invaluable resource” for local environmental activists.

“In fulfilling her main responsibility of protecting the Norwalk River, Louise has been remarkably creative, educating citizen volunteers about our precious resource and recruiting them to conduct river cleanups, plant gardens with native plants and attract pollinators,” Smith said.

“She has also appeared before a number of garden clubs and urged the members to create Pollinator Pathways to feed the pollinators and promote the migratory cycle. She does all this good work as a volunteer with a proactive style that is just what is needed to generate the momentum for good things to happen.”

The two environmental organizations are 501(c)3 nonprofits dedicated the preserving water resources and open space for passive recreation and as wildlife habitat. The watershed extends over 40,000 acres in Norwalk and six other communities—New Canaan, Weston, Wilton, Ridgefield, Redding and Lewisboro, NY. In Norwalk alone, the NLT has conserved 31 parcels of land totaling nearly 100 acres.

Chapman Hyperlocal Media, Inc. Board Chair Bob Welsh is a Board Member of the Norwalk Land Trust.