Dont Mow It GROW IT! Operation Habitat is IDOTs program to - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Don’t Mow It – GROW IT! Operation Habitat is IDOT’s program to investigate opportunities to create, preserve or protect habitat areas on our rights-of-way, specifically to provide food sources and shelter for the monarch butterfly, rusty patched bumblebee and other pollinators. We’re doing WHAT?? For BUTTERFLIES?????????

How do we get from here . . .

. . . to here? But, that looks like weeds!

To a pollinator this . . . = Looks like this

May 2017 – New Mowing Policy  Mow only one pass – 15 ft. safety strip along the roadway  Mow for vision clearance at intersections and other safety sensitive areas  Final mowing delayed until September 15 in the north and until October 1 in the south

Can an endangered bumble bee shut down a project???

Adopt-A-Planter project, planting day Central Office, Springfield, IL Planters are now a registered monarch waystation!

Monarch raising project Central Office, Springfield IL

Monarch Raising Project Central Office, Springfield IL Two monarchs in chrysalis

Operation ation Hab abit itat at booth th – IDOT te tent nt – Ill llinoi inois s St Stat ate Fai air

24 Monarch Waystations certified in FY17 Central Office – Hanley Building District 4  Mackinaw Dells rest area west District 2  Willow Creek rest area south bound bound  Willow Creek rest area north bound  Spoon River rest area west bound  Turtle Creek rest area  Spoon River rest area east bound  Long Hollow Scenic Overlook  US 150 Princeville Jubilee District 3 Wayside  Great Sauk Trail rest area west District 5  Salt Kettle rest area bound  Great Sauk Trail rest area east  Farmland rest area west bound  Farmland rest area east bound bound  Main Line Station rest area south  Illini Prairie rest area north bound bound District 6  Main Line Station north bound  Coalfield rest area north bound  Limestone rest area south bound  Coalfield rest area south bound  Limestone rest area north bound  Three Rivers rest area west bound  Three Rivers rest area east bound  District 3 Headquarters

Education!!! Why???

Theme?

Partner! Partner! Partner!

US 45 – Ford County ID IDOT – Pheasants Forever Cooperative Restoration Project

Planted over 200 What has IDOT done in the last 12 months to increase awareness and acres via co-op projects build habitat on right-of-way? Tagged 65 Monarchs Sector Leaders Partnered with Living for Illinois Lands and Waters Monarch Participated in 12 Illinois Monarch Project Presented at District Monarch Project Created Right-of-Way as raising project meetings and 5 ROW Sector meetings Red Bison Project mowing meetings Presented at IL Farm Bureau State Meeting Habitat Committee Secured new FY18 Restored Intergovernmental Agreement with Construction meetings Presented at District Certified 24 IDNR to provide seedlings, native plants and budget item for Displayed kid-art posters at rest areas Monarch seed Partnered Pollinator Habitat Presented at Worked Operation Waystations with Restoration and Ameren THE Conference Habitat booth at the Presented Coordinated CCAA Preservation Illinois state fair efforts for monarch at INPS Operations Meeting Conducted milkweed Presented at Fall Created Landscape For Life Displayed monarch and Presented at APWA counts on right-of-way pollinator info at rest areas documentary Operation Partnered with Bees Created Interchange Exchange Produced 10,000 native Created Operations Forever Habitat Mitigation for Local Agencies seed packets Partnered with Pollinator Task Force Issued new Canadian National Railroad Adopt-A-Planter Awarded 1 st Pollinator Rehab mowing policy Released 75 Monarchs Presented at IAHE contest Presented at contract on June letting Presented at Represented IDOT on (Illinois Association of Highway Right-of-Way as Project Engineers) Habitat Working ROW sector of MAFWA Take Our Sons and Daughters Group Implementation Nominated for NAPPC to Work presentation plan Awarded Pheasants Forever Conference Created Seeding CL 5C – Pollinator Roadside Habitat Partner of the Year Participated in joint monarch meeting Monarch and Pollinator Mixture Management Award with IDNR, Il Dept. of Ag. and IEPA Purchased disks, drills Partnered with Pheasants Brown Bag Lunch Conducting pollinator seed mix testing as and other equipment part of Energy Crop Production research Forever / Quail Forever Established award criteria for Pollinator presentation to convert ROW to project Habitat Restoration funding habitat

Contact Information Stephanie Dobbs, Roadside Maintenance Manager Stephanie.Dobbs@Illinois.gov Office of Highways Project Implementation Bureau of Operations (217) 720-6817

Credits Claus Rasmussen – vernal and FHWA carpenter bee photos Pheasants Forever IDNR USFWS INHS Xerces Society MonarchWatch.org I35-Highway.com University of Illinois Extension Monarch Joint Venture Photo: W. Caldwell Illinois State Museum Illinois Department of Agriculture