GRIC DEQ Pollinator Garden
Welcome to the GRIC DEQ Pollinator Garden – a space dedicated to supporting native pollinators and promoting environmental education in the Gila River Indian Community.
🐝Purpose of the Garden
The pollinator garden was developed by the GRIC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to provide habitat for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators essential to local agriculture and wild plant life. The garden demonstrates how traditional and modern practices can work together to restore ecosystems, support food sovereignty, and educate future generations.
🐝Why Pollinators Matter
Pollinators are vital to plant reproduction and healthy ecosystems. Over 75% of flowering plants depend on pollinators, including crops important to Indigenous communities. Unfortunately, pollinators are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. This garden helps raise awareness and provides a refuge for these essential species.
🐝What You’ll Find in the Garden
Our garden features native and drought-tolerant plants that are rich in nectar and pollen, such as:
- Milkweed (host plant for monarch butterflies)
- Desert marigold
- Globe mallow
- Bee balm
- Native sunflowers
🌎 Cultural Connections
All plant and insect names have been translated to O’otham. This space is not just about conservation—it is a place of cultural revitalization, connecting Community members to ancestral knowledge and the land.