John Newton, Veenker golf course manager and superintendent, shows off the area prepped and seeded this spring for the pollinator project. Photo by Bob Elbert.
About 1,800 square feet of space near Veenker Memorial Golf Course's No. 15 fairway has been set aside for the development of a local attraction. The project, part of the Syngenta company's Operation Pollinator initiative, should draw bees and other pollinators by the thousands to the designated area along Squaw Creek.
"There will be no mowing, no herbicide and no maintenance in the area," said John Newton, course manager and superintendent. "There are multiple flower varieties that will bloom throughout the growing season."
Newton said the area was prepared and seeded this spring. Syngenta provided the mix of perennial plants that will attract pollinators -- bees, butterflies and more. The future, he said, might even include the addition of beehives.
"They will be far enough away from the golfers to avoid any problems," Newton said.
Veenker joins a growing number of golf courses that are participating in the international Operation Pollinator project. The initiative is intended to bolster the population of pollinators with a sustainable, native habitat.
