The Shawnee Inn Joins Operation Pollinator

    SHAWNEE ON DELAWARE, PA, June 30, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- What at first may have looked like unkempt weeds growing around the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort now blossomed into beautiful wildflower gardens specially planted to preserve the pollinators of our ecosystem. The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort represents one of 60 golf courses in the United States participating in this global effort to stop Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) among honey bees.

The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort currently maintains 8 wildflower gardens on property in addition to acres of their golf island dedicated to preserving wildlife. While improving their environmentally friendly practices, the Shawnee grounds crew learned that there is a certain class of chemical called neonicotinoid that is extremely detrimental to several types of pollinators, namely honey bees and butterflies. "We're making strides here at the resort. We eliminated harmful chemicals from our integrated pest management practices and we have developed a program to plant pollinator friendly habitats throughout the resort," Says Matt Siptroth - lead grounds member working on Operation Pollinator.

Operation Pollinator is an international biodiversity program to boost the number of pollinating insects on commercial farms. It works by creating specific habitats, tailored to local conditions and native insects. Farmers and golf course managers across Europe and the USA are provided with targeted seed mixtures, along with innovative pesticide use practices and agronomic advice designed to benefit pollinators.

Additionally, the resort maintains farms on their golf island to supply their restaurants with fresh produce. Operation Pollinator helps better these island farms as well. When asked the inspiration for joining operation pollinator, Siptroth said, "We're making all the right attempts to do better for the world, do better for our own farm here on the property, and just do the right thing in general."

For more information on Operation Pollinator, please visit operationpollinator.com.

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