Ameren Illinois Pollinators Thriving in Metro East

Ameren Illinois continues to transform its landscape around substations and in the rights-of-way of transmission and distribution power line corridors in the Metro East. The company is removing woody and invasive vegetation where it is incompatible and replacing it with native vegetation where feasible as part of its ongoing Pollinator Initiative.

 

The newest pollinator project is located on a 5-acre plot in East Carondelet. Ameren Illinois removed non-native vegetation to make way for the Metro South Reliability Project in 2021 to improve reliability, make the electric grid more resilient and reduce outage risk. Native seed was prepped, planted and now has successfully become a thriving site for a large number of pollinating insects.

 

“We installed this pollinator-friendly project for multiple reasons,” said Kenneth Lynn, Environmental Scientist for Ameren. “This area was full of invasive, incompatible woody vegetation. These invasive plants pose safety issues for our line workers and pose potential reliability issues growing right under the power lines. We changed out that invasive plant community for a different one featuring native plants and grasses that cater toward pollinators.”

 

The East Carondelet project along with an additional pollinator project at the company’s Jarvis substation in Troy were each recently designated as Monarch Waystation sites by Illinois Monarch Watch.

 

Native vegetation best supports natural biodiversity. The use of native vegetation also supports Ameren’s Integrated Vegetation Management, which reduces the need for mowing, watering, and chemical controls because native plants are adapted to the local growing conditions.

 

In 2021, Ameren became a founding member of Electric Power Research Institute’s “Power-in-Pollinators” Initiative to look for additional ways to be responsible stewards of natural resources that impact food supply.

Steps to help pollinators flourish in your own yard include: Plant native flowers that bloom at different times of the year; diversify your garden with flowers that are different in color, shape, and size; plant flowers in clumps rather than spaced out; avoid using pesticides; and include a bird bath or water feature that provides pollinators with clean water.