Rain and Pollinator Gardens ($100,000)

Location: To be determined based on need and impact.

Cost: $100,000

Committee: Environment

Short Description: Build more pollinator and rain gardens in Cambridge! They attract bees and butterflies and help limit puddling after storms. 

Long Description: This project aims to keep stormwater out of the water treatment system and promote climate resiliency and biodiversity. Funds will be available to build pollinator and rain gardens in areas most impacted by climate change, with little green space, or in locations that would expand an existing “pollinator corridor.” Expanding pollinator corridors will combat habitat fragmentation, allowing species reliant on the pollinator garden plants to thrive in a larger, connected area. Features of the gardens could include increased biodiversity, planting climate-tolerant species, and re-introducing native plant and pollinator species.

This project would help to green and beautify Cambridge; support endangered pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.); and increase Cambridge’s climate tolerance. The project focuses on improving the natural environment of communities at the highest risk of climate change’s impacts. Rain gardens increase permeable surfaces, filter rainwater, and help to minimize flooding and erosion, which will help Cambridge remain resilient in the face of unpredictable weather. 

A pollinator garden on Watson Street previously funded through PB