Native and pollinator gardens are vital to Chicago, not only as green space, but also for the benefits they provide for native wildlife. The Native and Pollinator Garden Registry Advisory Board is tasked with creating a native and pollinator garden registry, developing criteria for applicaions, and reviewing and providing recommendations to the Commissioner of the Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS), who will oversee and maintain the registry.    

Board members were selected based on recommendations from DSS, the Chicago Departments of Environment (DOE), Transportation (CDOT) and Planning and Development (DPD), the Mayor’s Office, and Alderman Brian Hopkins, lead sponsor of the Managed Native and Pollinator Garden Registry ordinance. The appointees come to the Board with technical expertise and knowledge on gardening and native plant species. 

 The following individuals serve on the Native and Pollinator Garden Registry Advisory Board: 

• Jessica Fong, Director of Education for Openlands 
• Naomi Davis, Founder and CEO of Blacks in Green (BIG) 
• Laura Milkert, Chicago Region Conservation Ecology Manager for the Field Museum 
• Lorraine Kells, Volunteer for the Chicago Community Gardeners Association  
• Brittany Buckles, Entomologist and Beekeeper for Midwest Alveole 

 In addition to the full board members, the following City officials will serve as ex officio advisory board members: 

• Breanne Heath, Senior Program Specialist – Gardening, Chicago Parks District 
• Ron Daye, Chief Landscape Architect, Department of Planning and Development 
• Gloria Pittman, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Streets and Sanitation 
• Alderman Brian Hopkins, 2^nd Ward 

Register to attend at the following link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qc02cC0GUUGBRJfdxW5wJ9yf6DEREVpHmvjGQuMkiT5UQU1BVDVQMjQyN0kwTEZMQ1ZSSERRVTQ0VS4u