Wearing work clothes and ready to dig in the dirt, 35 community volunteers joined Bear Yuba Land Trust on Saturday, Feb. 6 to install the Native Pollinator Garden at Adam Ryan Preserve, a 37 acre property featuring meadows and forests along Dog Bar Road and Alta Sierra Drive.
“We successfully installed over 70 native plants. Thanks to everyone who lent a hand. And a huge thanks to Matt Borges who took this on as his Eagle Scout Project,” said Stewardship Manager, Erin Tarr.
The 3,000 square foot pollinator garden at Adam Ryan Preserve will attract native pollinators and migratory and native butterflies, becoming the first of its kind on any Land Trust property. Land Trust staff worked with Boy Scout Matt Borges, 17, and volunteers to plant two types of milkweed, flannel bush, redbud, California pipevine, foothill penstemon and yarrow.
A nature preserve is a protected area for wildlife, flora, fauna or other special land features. Land trust nature preserves such as Adam Ryan, Mathis Pond and 
Clover Valley – all within the vicinity of Alta Sierra neighborhoods, were donated by private landowners for permanent protection and public enjoyment.
With funds secured through CAL FIRE in 2012, BYLT performed fuel reduction and removal of the dominant invasive species understory, opening up the pollinator garden site. Money was raised for the garden through a Pollinator Project campaign at BriarPatch Co-op last summer. Sierra Plumbing Supply donated irrigation line and Vermicrop Organics donated soil.