The Ohio State University at Mansfield
IN-24: Innovation A

The Ohio State University at Mansfield erected the “Monarch Right-of-Way: A Pollinator Demonstration Plot” in collaboration with Ohio State Extension, First Energy, Ohio Prairie Nursery, the Pollinator Partnership, Arnold’s Landscaping, Davey Tree and the Utility Arborists Association. The plots are located under a FirstEnergy electrical utility line spanning 1.05 miles of powerline. This right-of-way demonstration plot was seeded in 2015 to transform brown, oblong-shaped plots of grass outside Ovalwood Hall at The Ohio State University at Mansfield Campus, which flourished with flower gardens conducive to pollinators. The primary goal is to create a demonstration area to show landowners, who have utility rights-of-way on their property, some alternative wildlife habitats. North American electric and natural gas utility ROW corridors occupy 12 million acres (4.8 million hectares) of land. These areas crisscross through all ecosystem types and agricultural lands are ideally situated to provide forage and habitat for pollinators; they are crucial for migratory pollinators. Educational signage was established to enhance the outreach and learning experience. The plot has also provided an outdoor educational space for events like the “Monarch Butterfly Migration Open House” (09/09/2016), during which the community was invited onto campus to learn how to provide habitats for desirable pollinators and received starter packs of milkweed seeds to take the practice to their own backyards. In addition to serving as a space for community outreach, the plots also play a vital role in research to ensure pollinator habitat is considered during regional landscape management decisions. The space was designed so that Utility Arborists Association, The Ohio State University Department of Entomology, and Pollinator Partnership can conduct research on the pollinator plot, which will serve as a foundation for regional planning decisions. The innovative use of the Ohio State Mansfield’s site has enriched the environmental, social, and economic components of the campus and Mansfield community.