By Elizabeth Hewitt for Reasons to be Cheerful.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration

Amid black-eyed Susans and purple wildflowers growing between rows of solar panels at Connexus Energy’s headquarters in Ramsey, Minnesota, Rob Davis has seen hover flies, swallows and a hummingbird moth.

“It’s just like being in a nice, natural place,” says Davis, Connexus public affairs lead. “But it’s also just a visual delight, because there’s so many things to see when you sit and wait.”

When the array was installed almost a decade ago, the initial plan was to keep gravel around the panels. Instead, the electricity co-op planted a mixture of flowering plants — becoming what Davis says was the first pollinator-friendly solar project in the US. 

Now, many others are following suit. 

In Minnesota and across the country, planners are increasingly eschewing turf grass and gravel for flowering meadows that support butterflies, bees, insects and other threatened wildlife.  

“You have the opportunity with solar to actually benefit the surrounding land if you’re thoughtful about how you do it,” says Katie Siegner, a manager in carbon-free electricity at RMI who has researched pollinator-friendly solar.

Bees, bats, insects and birds that help to pollinate plants are responsible for a key part of the ecosystem, and are crucial for growing food. But they are struggling, due in part to climate change, habitat loss and use of pesticides and herbicides. The western bumblebee population has declined by 57% since 1998. Migratory monarch butterflies were listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature last year, with the population estimated to have diminished by between 22% and 72% in the last decade. Honey bee colonies have declined by up to a third every winter in recent years, according to the US Department of Agriculture. 

Meanwhile, as the Biden administration has sought to scale up solar energy, panels are poised to take up more space on the landscape. Advocates focused on pollinators see potential benefits in the solar fields, compared to other types of land use.

“It provides a pretty incredible opportunity,” says Wendy Caldwell, executive director of the nonprofit Monarch Joint Venture, which aims to conserve habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

Since the monarch first was reviewed for endangered species status in the US in 2014 conservationists adopted an all-hands-on-deck approach to try to expand habitat, Caldwell says, looking to buffer zones on agricultural lands, roadsides, urban gardens and more. Solar developments have an additional benefit of not needing the pesticides and herbicides common to farming, she says. 

In a study of four solar installations with flowering ground cover, which included milkweed, in Minnesota, Monarch Joint Venture found that a variety of species — including monarchs — were present. 

“We know that monarchs and other pollinators are using these sites,” Caldwell says.

In the UK, researchers found “solar meadows” could boost the number of bumblebees even in nearby areas. Shade from the panels can delay the flowering of some plants, giving pollinators access to pollen later in the season. A 2021 report in Environmental Entomology concluded that native flowering species suited to the site around solar developments could support pollinators, though it underscored the importance of implementing projects carefully, having oversight and assessing how well they are growing.

At the Ramsey array, a Connexus team walks the site once a year, clearing out baby trees growing as weeds, according to Davis. Every other year, the field is mulch mowed, which breaks up the dead plant material that settles. Some projects use occasional sheep grazing for a similar effect. Aside from occasional spot reseeding, Davis says the project takes very little ongoing maintenance. Connexus now uses pollinator-friendly habitat in all of its projects. Some projects involve beekeepers, producing honey that can be sold.

Minnesota was the first state to establish a scorecard for pollinator-friendly solar projects, passing legislation in 2016. Sites use the guide to log everything from the diversity of plantings to percentage of wildflower cover. 

“The movement shifted to thinking about the entire landscape instead of just a superficial fringe,” Davis says.

As of March 2022, 55 Minnesota solar sites were listed as pollinator friendly. More than a dozen other states now have similar scorecards.

Siegner, of RMI, found in her research that pollinator habitat brings other benefits to solar sites. The planted meadows sequester carbon, help recharge groundwater and reduce erosion. Improving habitat for bees and insects could also boost yields for crops that depend on pollinators at neighboring farms; a model found soy yields could be up by 6.3 percent near pollinator-friendly solar.

Siegner says incorporating pollinator habitat can win local support for solar projects — a hurdle for many solar developers. Finding dual uses, like grazing sheep or incorporating other types of agriculture, is one strategy for courting local acceptance.  

Plantings for a pollinator-friendly solar project can cost more than turf or gravel, and finding a sufficient supply of native seeds can also be a challenge. But the Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund’s Solar Synergy initiative, launched in March, will soon provide solar developers with free seed mixtures suited to specific site needs that will flower from early spring through the summer. One seed mix will be low growing, featuring plants like clover, that won’t impede panels close to the ground. Another taller mixture will be suitable for buffer areas. Monarch Joint Venture is on board to monitor sites and report on how well the habitats work for pollinators. Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund will also connect project leaders with commercial beekeepers, so the arrays can be used to produce honey. 

“It’s another way of delivering multiple benefits,” says Pete Berthelsen, Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund executive director. “I really like the fact that it’s green renewable energy, and we’re putting less carbon into the atmosphere because of it. But who wouldn’t want there to be pollinator benefits associated with that project going in?”


Elizabeth Hewitt wrote this article for Reasons to be Cheerful.


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Ohioans are raising questions about the future of fracking and its environmental and community impacts, following the ARCH2 hydrogen hub open house held Thursday in Canton.

Advocates and residents voiced concerns about the potential risks of expanding fracking infrastructure.

"No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits," said Ashtabula resident Julie Boetger, who co-chairs the board of directors for the Buckeye Environmental Network.

Boetger noted that such areas as Ashtabula, already heavily industrialized, could face additional challenges from the hydrogen hub, including increased environmental risks and infrastructure demands such as new pipelines and transportation concerns.

Proponents argue that hydrogen hubs offer opportunities for cleaner energy solutions and economic development.

Southeast Ohio residents have expressed similar apprehensions about the potential health and environmental consequences. With fracking already prevalent in counties such as Harrison, some residents say the hydrogen hub would only deepen the region's reliance on fossil fuels.

"We don't want to see more fracking because we know, from peer-reviewed studies, that this means health effects, environmental effects, water withdrawals, radioactive brine," said Harrison County resident Randi Pokladnik. "It's a false promise of green energy."

The ARCH-2 project, which primarily relies on blue hydrogen, has sparked debates about its potential benefits versus its environmental tradeoffs. Pokladnik said that with concerns about transparency and public engagement, Ohioans will keep pushing for more clarity on how these developments might shape their communities and ecosystems.

With a thud, the tranquil sounds of nature are shattered as a bird crashes into a glass window. It's an all-too-common, deadly occurrence that students at one Florida university are working to minimize.

The reflective surfaces of buildings trick birds into thinking they're flying toward the open sky or trees, only to meet a fatal impact. These strikes are responsible for millions of bird deaths every year, and at Florida Gulf Coast University, students and faculty are taking creative steps to tackle this silent crisis.

FGCU ornithology professor Oscar Johnson said bird-window strikes are a major threat to wild bird populations.

"Some studies estimate as many as 1 billion birds die every single year, just in the United States, due to collisions with windows," he said."It's a major problem - obviously is a global problem, it's a national problem, it really happens anywhere. So, anywhere that you live, I guarantee that this is something that needs to be worked on."

So, the school's Ornithology Club teamed up with campus art galleries to create an art installation that deters birds from flying into reflective glass. The design uses repeated patterns of dots or lines to break up reflections, which prevent birds from mistaking the glass for an open sky. The project combines science and art to reduce fatal collisions.

The installation covers a large window at the campus art gallery entrance and features line drawings of local bird species. Johnson said the project aims to expand across campus and beyond, with plans to make the designs publicly available for homeowners and businesses.

"The drawings that we did, we're going to be producing them and depositing them on the FGCU website, where they'll be downloadable," he said. "You just print them out on a piece of paper, put them up against the glass, and you can trace the drawing on the outside of the glass. It is important to have something on the exterior, in order to break up the reflection."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also recommends similar tips to curb the problem. Johnson encouraged communities to take proactive steps to protect birds from these avoidable incidents.

The U.S. Forest Service has given the go-ahead for a gold-mining project in central Idaho.

If it receives state permits, the Stibnite Gold Project will be located in the Payette National Forest and become one of the largest gold mines in the country.

John Robison, public lands and wildlife director for the Idaho Conservation League, said it's especially concerning for the East Fork South Fork Salmon River watershed, where the mine will be located, and because of downstream effects from the mine.

"We're really concerned about the Forest Service's decision that disregarded some recommended protections for the area and some additional sideboards on this mine project," he said, "and both short-term and long-term impacts to public health and clean water in the area."

The Nez Perce Tribe also criticized the decision, saying the mine violates its treaty rights and that the Forest Service noted in its final report that the mine will harm fish habitat.

The company behind the mine, Perpetua Resources, applauded the decision. In a joint statement, Idaho's congressional delegation also celebrated it, saying the mine would increase the nation's supply of critical minerals, reducing reliance on China.

The delegation said the mine will increase the country's supply of antimony, which can be used to make ammunition and batteries. However, Robison said they're overestimating the mine's importance. He said there's only a three-year supply of antimony at the site, and that gold accounts for 96% of the project's profits.

"It really is a gold mine, and the vast majority of gold is used for jewelry or for hoarding wealth," he said. "So, it really isn't a material that society needs."

Robison added that mining of critical minerals is necessary, but should be done in the least harmful way.

"One of the things that we've learned is that we have to do so more responsibly than we've done in the past," he said, "and we're concerned we're going to get the same result from this mine project, which is contaminated landscape that will persist for decades, if not centuries."

The mine project still needs state permits to advance.


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