Summary:

The purpose of this program is to fund the implementation of pollinator-friendly practices (PFPs) included in a Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plan or the improvement or further development of a Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plan on roadsides and highway rights-of-way on routes eligible for federal aid. By acting as refugia for pollinators in otherwise inhospitable landscapes, roadside habitat can contribute to the maintenance of healthy ecosystems and provision of ecological services such as crop pollination services.

All PFPs to be implemented using program funds must fit into one or more of the following nine categories:

• Category 1: pollinator-friendly mowing strategies: implementation of mowing strategies that promote early successional vegetation and limit disturbance during periods of highest use by target pollinator species on roadsides and highway rights-of-way
• Category 2: implementation of an integrated vegetation management plan or Pollinator Friendly Practices Plan:
  • Implementing additional vegetation management practices found in an integrated vegetation management plan that promote early successional vegetation and limit disturbance during periods of highest use by target pollinator species on roadsides and highway rights-of-way
  • Implementing policies that reduce the negative impacts of herbicides on pollinators and non-target plants on roadsides and highway rights-of-way
  • Creating additional habitats on roadsides and highway rights-of-way that benefit pollinators
  • Monitoring, evaluating, and adaptive managing of pollinator habitat
• Category 3: planting or seeding:
  • Salvaging, collecting, purchasing, planting, or seeding of native, locally appropriate grasses and wildflowers on roadsides and highway rights-of-way to enhance pollinator habitat
  • Carrying out site preparation to improve survival of native flowering plants on roadsides and highway rights-of-way to enhance pollinator habitat
  • Conducting maintenance during plant establishment on roadsides and highway rights-of-way
• Category 4: safety: implementation of design, construction, or maintenance techniques to ensure that pollinator-friendly habitat is protected but does not negatively impact roadway safety
• Category 5: obtaining expert training or assistance on pollinator-friendly practices:
  • Training staff on the role of roadsides in pollinator conservation; the implementation of management techniques that benefit pollinators; the role of native plants in ecosystems; the identification of native plants; incorporating design elements to benefit pollinators and establish and manage locally appropriate native plants; and pollinator-focused integrated vegetation management
  • Obtaining expert training or assistance on PFPs described in this section and pollinator-friendly topics
• Category 6: outreach:
  • Implementing outreach strategies to increase public support for pollinator habitat on roadsides and highway rights-of-way, including signage
  • Coordinating with adjacent or nearby property owners and managers to roadsides and highway rights-of-way to promote pollinator habitat
• Category 7: updating, improving, or further developing the Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plan: this may include updates and improvements to an applicant’s existing plan, such as general improvements and updates; increase in scope; incorporating changing conditions, new science, and increased collaboration; or other conditions that necessitate a plan update or improvement
• Category 8: protecting existing habitat:
  • Performing inventories and identifying existing habitat for pollinators on roadsides and highway rights-of-way
  • Creating or maintaining an inventory database of pollinator habitat on roadsides and highway rights-of-way
• Category 9: removing nonnative grasses from planting and seeding mixes: development of, or updates to, seed lists and mixes that remove or omit non-native species from planting and seeding mixes, except for use as nurse or cover crops

Funds must be used for the implementation of PFPs included in Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plans described in Categories 1-6 and 8-9, or the improvement or further development of Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plans as described in Category 7. For PFPs that fall under Categories 1-4, funds can be used for work only within the right-of-way (ROW) unless the award recipient can demonstrate that the area outside the ROW is adequately controlled via lease, easement, or ownership by the recipient.

An optional webinar is scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.

Last Updated: January 15, 2025