Big Marine Biodiversity Project

One of the many wetlands in Big Marine Park Reserve

Pollinator Friendly Alliance has embarked upon a huge biodiversity project at Big Marine Park Reserve. This is an opportunity to work with Washington County Parks to vision a natural and wild approach to this park in order to preserve habitats for the at-risk and rare animals that live there. The Big Marine Park Biodiversity and Wildlife Habitat Restoration Project is a multi-phased conservation initiative to preserve an ecologically important and biodiverse 1800 acres of meadows, forests and wetlands.  This newly acquired area is home to many at-risk wildlife.  Protections for pollinators, birds and other wildlife are to be implemented. At the northern edge of the park reserve is a 30-acre field that was previously leased out for pesticide-treated corn crops. By re-claiming these public lands, we have removed agricultural pesticides from the environment and restored critical habitat for wildlife and people to enjoy. This is an important opportunity because of the proximity of the agricultural fields to wetlands that make for a much larger and diverse area for pollinators and other keystone species. The adjacent wetlands also provide much needed nesting sites for the endangered Blanding’s turtle and wetland birds. The interconnectedness of prairie, wetland, and woodland ecosystems gives pollinators, birds, and other wildlife access to what they need to thrive – pollen and nectar, nesting habitat, a clean water source, and shelter.

Watch this short video on the conservation work just accomplished in 2025. There’s more in store!

https://youtu.be/A6TR4K_UpCY?si=kHmU2MaM5ucM5rad

You can follow the ongoing conservation work on our website at: https://www.pollinatorfriendly.org/habitat-projects