YOUNGSTOWN – Give it several weeks, and what looks like a nondescript rectangle of brown mulch will be converted to a small, colorful oasis of native wildflower species that not only will beautify the area, but contribute to long-term health, those involved in the project said.

“From a land bank perspective, we’re interested in sustaining properties,” Debora Flora, the Mahoning County Land Bank’s executive director, said. “It affects our food production, the air we breathe and our quality of life.”

Flora was among those who spoke Thursday morning on a vacant parcel at Ohio and Lauderdale avenues on the North Side, on which a 2,000-square-foot bed of mulch sits. The effort is part of Operation Pollination, a new initiative the Rotary Club of Youngstown has launched in conjunction with the land bank and other entities to improve neighborhood aesthetics and incorporate plant and flower species that attract bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators.

Also, Thursday was Earth Day.

The initiative’s key objectives are to increase and improve pollinator habitats by creating such a network on public and private lands, encourage locally led and collaborative conservation to enhance landscapes, and develop greater public and private partnerships to create or improve such habitats, according to the Rotary Club’s website.

Specifically, relying more heavily on native pollinating plants leads to better soil retention and less reliance on pesticides and fertilizers, as well as reduced watering, maintenance and mowing, experts say.

The North Side site will be one of at least six similar projects across the city this spring to beautify communities and encourage environmentally friendly planting efforts. That move also can ease property management and maintenance, and contribute to a healthier economy, Flora said, adding that the land bank owns 26 acres in Youngstown.

About 20 volunteers spent three hours Saturday laying five inches of shredded and rotted red mulch, along with the seeds and rolls of construction paper to prevent weed growth, noted Gary Davenport, project coordinator for the land bank. The work also included getting rid of grass under the flower bed, since it’s considered invasive, he explained.

The seeds include a variety of asters, which are perennials, black-eyed Susans and fire wheel, a native annual that typically displays long-stocked yellow flower heads with purple in the middle. They likely won’t be more than 4 feet tall, Davenport continued.

“They should begin to come up in June,” he said, adding that some of the varieties also are on Ohio’s rare plants list.

In addition, the 50-foot-by-40-foot bed off Ohio Avenue can serve as a template for residents to replicate such flowerbeds in their backyards that will attract pollinators, Davenport said.

Also speaking at the gathering Thursday was Elayne Bozick, a Youngstown Rotary Club board member.

Flora praised First Energy, the Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District, Mill Creek MetroParks, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Youngstown State University Legacy Forest Program and other agencies and organizations for their support and advice.

She also pointed to the project’s urgency, saying that it will affect food supplies, and that “natural habitat is disappearing faster than we can create it.”

For more information on Operation Pollination or to volunteer, go to www.youngstownrotary.com and click on the “News & Events” tab.

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