problems, farmers have the most
to lose from irresponsible management,
and therefore endeavor
to stay educated and current on
environmental issues.
The Agricultural Reserve, a
crown jewel of the county, is so
beautiful and valuable because its
mission to preserve agricultural
lands by necessity also preserves
the wild lands that surround them.
And what we’ve learned from past
mistakes is that those seemingly
“purposeless” wild lands actually
play an essential role in the
ecosystem that makes agriculture
sustainable. For example, wild pollinators,
like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds,
bats, beetles, moths,
and flies—all the critters that make
us flinch when they buzz past our
ears—are absolutely essential to
plant reproduction. In fact, this
aspect of the ecosystem is so fragile,
and yet so entirely vital to the
overall strength of the whole, that
it is keenly guarded by those who
live and work in the Reserve. Like
canaries in the coal mine, when
pollinators fail, it indicates that the
rest of the ecosystem is at risk, too.
So producers and naturalists alike
carefully monitor the health and
habitat of native wild pollinators in
order to protect them, which obviously
supports our own health and
wellbeing.
Of the major threats to wild
pollinators—loss of habitat, pesticides,
and light pollution—the
greatest is habitat loss. Despite efforts
to prevent it, wild habitat loss
in the Ag Res occurs as it does in
many other places. Out of necessity,
past generations repurposed
wild land into crop fields, leaving
wild pollinators with only small
field borders of less diverse native
plants for their survival. Today,
additional habitat continues to be
lost in various ways. For example,
despite a decade of efforts to stop
the action, in excess of 40 acres of
mature woodland was clear cut for
a housing development on Peach
Tree Road. Since this deforestation,
many lifelong residents witnessed
an immediate decline in both the
number and diversity of wildlife,
including, alarmingly, the pollinating
insects.
The good news is, in its effort
to preserve land for agriculture,
the County Master Plan limits
new home construction to one
house per 25 acres in the Reserve.
The bad news is that the Master
Plan is very often challenged by
private interest ventures, and the
durability of conservation easements
is frequently tested by new
homeowners. Fortunately for the
pollinators and farmers within
the Ag Res, watchdog groups like
Montgomery Countryside Alliance
and the Sugarloaf Citizens Association
work diligently to ensure the
county guards the integrity of the
Master Plan in order to protect
what remains.
But other threats to pollinators,
like the improper application
of chemicals on lawns and gardens,
are more difficult to manage. With
proper use by farmers, pesticides
are not the most egregious insult
to pollinators. But while farmers
diligently study potential consequences
of pesticides, many
homeowners don’t take the time
to read the warnings on landscape
products. Those improper applications
are devastating wild pollinator
populations. Fortunately,
as recently as this year, new laws
and regulations are being enacted
to try to attempt to mitigate this
problem.
One of the newest concerns to
wild pollinators is the increase of
artificial light in the Ag Res. While
many pollinators are diurnal, a significant
percentage of them, such
as moths, bats, and some beetle
species, rely on nocturnal schedules
to forage. A recent Swiss study
The night sky of the Ag Reserve (outlined
in green) remains relatively dark
compared to the rest of the county,
but light pollution is becoming more
of a problem for pollinators health.
22 plenty I Summer growing 2020