Bees and butterflies pollinate our food, and they’re struggling to survive. That’s why Baseline is proud to be the world’s first pollinator district and home to the new Butterfly Pavilion, a global leader in conservation efforts. This beautiful new video by the Butterfly Pavilion explains how together, we’ll lend a wing, er, hand to these hard-working friends.
Turns out the best defense is a good bee fence, according to the Butterfly Pavilion. Their international program teaching farmers how to protect crops using a perimeter of honey bees as a non-violent and effective deterrent was recently featured on 9News. The method is proving to be an ingenious way to keep the peace with resident elephants (yes elephants) while also promoting healthier crops through pollination. As an added bonus, farmers can also package and sell the honey. The program, happening in Nepal and Tanzania so far, is a win, win, win, win … for elephants, farmers, honey enthusiasts and the environment.
Baseline, a new mixed-use community in Broomfield being developed by Denver- and Loveland-based McWhinney at the junction of I-25, E-470 and Baseline Road, will become home to one of the first Pollinator Districts in the state.
The Butterfly Pavilion announced June 20 that it is creating Pollinator Districts, communities designed to conserve and improve habitat for pollinators in all aspects of development and operation. The idea is to place Pollinator Districts in the midst of human habitts and engage the people who live, work and play in the Pollinator District, encouraging them to experience nature and build a greater appreciation for critical species and their habitats.
The Baseline development will include 1,051 acres of residential, office, services, retail, manufacturing, and research and development. The Butterfly Pavilion will relocate to Baseline with an approximate-60,000-square-foot facility. The Adams 12 Five Star School District also plans a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) school in Baseline.
The Butterfly Pavilion is getting ready to move to a new development in Broomfield where endangered pollinators — including 946 types of bees and 233 kinds of butterflies — will thrive.
These insects, which are dying at alarming rates around the world, pollinate everything from flowers to the food people eat. Without them, the entire agricultural system and the world’s food supplies would be at risk.
The roughly 1,000-acre neighborhood, called Baseline, is a collaboration between the nonprofit, the development company McWhinney and the City of Broomfield. Baseline will be the world’s first pollinator district, and will model best practices for other developers who want to turn urban and suburban areas into a habitat for these tiny cogs in our food chain.
