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Pollinator habitat grant program made permanent; managers report nearly 400 awardees and 85,000 plants distributed
Summary
The Utah Pollinator Habitat Program — created by the 2021 legislature — was made permanent after a successful pilot. Program manager Liz Hamilton outlined open applications, kit sizes, award timing and requirements, and said plants are grown and distributed statewide.
Liz Hamilton, manager of the Utah Pollinator Habitat Program at the Department of Agriculture and Food, said the state made the pilot program permanent after several successful years and that it has awarded nearly 400 applicants and placed about 85,000 plants on the ground.
"We awarded just under 400 individuals and put about 85,000 plants on the ground," Hamilton said, describing the program created by the 2021 legislature through House Bill 224.
The program accepts applications March 1–April 15 and is open to individuals, organizations, municipalities and tribal lands statewide. Applicants use an online mapping tool to calculate square footage; one kit covers roughly 300 square feet and contains about 30 plants, and the program requires a minimum order of three kits (about 900 square feet). Hamilton said applicants may request up to 20 kits but are most likely to be awarded between three and ten for installation logistics.
Hamilton described the award timeline and logistics: awardees will be notified by June 1 at the latest; plants are grown in plug tubes and scheduled for distribution or pickup in September and October at multiple statewide locations; and recipients are asked to install plants within about 10 days of pickup to avoid stress on the small plugs.
The program emphasizes native, regionally appropriate species and regional kit sets (Northern and Southern upland kits) that prefer full sun and well‑draining soils. Hamilton said native plants and seed mixes were selected to provide continuous bloom from May through September to support native pollinators that rely on specific host plants.
Hamilton noted program partners and seed sources include state natural resources staff and federal land managers: "Many of our seed are wild harvested in partnership with BLM or DNR rare plants team," she said, and added that the program will purchase seed only when provenance is guaranteed to be from the Intermountain West.
Hamilton also described plant production: "The Utah State Prison System is where our plants are actually grown out," she said, noting the prison program runs horticulture greenhouses that grow native plants for several state conservation efforts.
On compatibility with beekeeping, Hamilton said honeybee hives do not disqualify applicants but cautioned managers and homeowners that high densities of managed honeybees can reduce native pollinator biodiversity by competing for nectar. "A hive of 10,000 bees outcompetes the single pollinators that don't live in hives," she said.
The program requires three years of annual reporting from awardees (brief photos and updates) and staff said they may invite voluntary longer‑term reporting in the future but have no formal five‑ or ten‑year tracking program at present. Awardees who cannot pick up plants on scheduled dates risk forfeiture and redistribution of plants to conservation partners.
Hamilton encouraged thorough, detailed applications that explain site preparation, irrigation plans, and weed‑management strategies; she said irrigation (preferably drip) improves establishment success and that many perennials are not fully established until about year three.
The next step for interested applicants is to apply by April 15 via the program website; award notices are expected by June 1 and kits will be available for pickup in September and October.
