Richmond Butterflyway Rangers to participate in community events June 24 and July 1, capping off Pollinator Week 2018 (June 18-24)

RICHMOND — The David Suzuki Foundation has grown its team of Richmond Butterflyway Rangers from 40 to 60 in 2018, bringing the national project to Richmond for the second consecutive year and expanding its reach across B.C.

Since DSF launched the Butterflyway Project last year, 24 butterfly-friendly patches have been established in Richmond to help wild pollinators find food and shelter.

“Our goal is to bring like-minded citizens together to support the conservation and protection of butterflies and native bees,” DSF’s Richmond Butterflyway team lead Winnie Hwo said. “Wild pollinators are responsible for bringing one in every three bites of food to our dinner tables, so it’s vitally important we protect these species as climate change, pollution and pesticide use continue to threaten them.”

In each B.C. community (Richmond, Victoria and the District of North Vancouver), DSF recruits volunteer Butterflyway Rangers, who are trained and sent back to their neighbourhoods with a mission to plant native wildflower networks in yards, schoolyards, streets and parks.

“I’m interested in this project because I understand the importance of butterflies and other pollinators,” A.R. MacNeill Secondary School science teacher Neill McCallum said. “I have a deep love for nature and want to help spread the word.”

“I want to show my two small children how we can make a difference in our community,” Tomekichi Homma Elementary School volunteer Karina Reid said.

Richmond Rangers will also volunteer to support the Richmond Garden Club, as well as at least two upcoming local events: the Sense of Wonder Walk at Richmond Nature Park (June 24) and the Steveston Salmon Festival (July 1).

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For more information, please contact:

Winnie Hwo, David Suzuki Foundation, winnie@davidsuzuki.org, 604-732-4228 #1255 or 778-866-6371

The Butterflyway Project is a citizen-led movement that brings nature into neighbourhoods throughout Canada, one butterfly-friendly planting at a time. A Butterflyway is a neighbourhood-scale corridor of habitat for butterflies, bees and other beneficial critters. To establish a local Butterflyway, each troop of Rangers must plant at least a dozen pollinator patches in their neighbourhood. Each successfully established Butterflyway is formally recognized by the David Suzuki Foundation through signage and inclusion on its website and maps. The project launched in cities throughout B.C., Ontario and Quebec in 2017. For more information, check out the project highlights for 2018.

The David Suzuki Foundation is a leading Canadian environmental non-profit organization, collaborating with all people in Canada, including government and business, to conserve the environment and find solutions that will create a sustainable Canada through evidence-based research, public engagement and policy work. The Foundation operates in English and French, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.