CITGO helps fuel fun for Pollinator Party at Isle a la Cache

Pollinator Party is an annual event at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville that attracts people of all ages. (Photo by Chad Merda)

Good things come in small packages, and that’s certainly true in the natural world, where some of our tiniest creatures play a big role in our lives as pollinators, shaping the world all around us.  

Pollinators are the creatures that pollinate plants as they go about their day-to-day business. All that buzzing and flying around provides a big boon to us. How? For starters, as much as 35% of the world’s food supply — everything from chocolate to bananas to coffee — depends on pollinators.

Understanding how crucial these creatures are for our own survival is particularly important because many of our pollinators are in peril, suffering devastating population losses in the past few decades.

The threats are many, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change, and turning the tide on these losses will require a large-scale effort.  

Pollinator Week is held each June to raise awareness of the important role that pollinators — including many insects, some birds and even a few mammals — play in our lives. The Forest Preserve District of Will County is getting a jump start on the celebration with its annual Pollinator Party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville.  

This year, Pollinator Party is supported by a $2,500 sponsorship from CITGO Petroleum Corporation.

Thanks to the generous support from CITGO, this year’s celebration will be bigger and better than ever, said Jen Guest, the Forest Preserve’s facility supervisor for Isle a la Cache Museum. The event offers engaging and educational activities, including a Pollinator Challenge Course, face painting, live animal encounters with Incredible Bats and interactive voting in the “pollinator election” activity inside the museum.  

All the activities at Pollinator Party were planned to bring the science and importance of pollination to life in a fun, family-friendly setting, Guest said. 

In addition, an on-site native plant sale, hosted with help from with the Nature Foundation and Nicor Gas, encourages visitors to put some of what they learn into practice at home. 

The passion and creativity that Forest Preserve staff bring to programs and events like Pollinator Party is always evident, said The Nature Foundation Executive Director Tara Neff. 

“They do such a great job coming up with these ideas for their events and that helps people connect to, learn more about or get excited about what they see,” she said. “This knowledge encourages thoughtful actions that benefit both pollinators and the environment as a whole,” Guest said. “Providing these kinds of educational experiences directly supports our mission to protect and restore natural habitats while engaging the public in the value of conservation.” 

This could be something as simple respecting these creatures and the role they play in our lives or making a decision to support them by adding a patch of pollinator habitat at home.