to build on that common foundation. Some of the projects that TTF envi- sions as needful work for conserva- tionists and faith communities alike
include maintenance of pollinator gardens such as the one currently existing on the Gallagator Trail. A faith volun- teer team, for instance, could work under the guidance of local conservation experts to maintain those gardens on a weekly basis. To that end, Montana landscape designer Linda Iverson is currently working with TTF to create a manual identifying and detailing the care of each plant in the Gallagator garden. Just a few volunteers from local congregations would be more than able to make such gardens thriving hubs of pollinator activity. Community gardens may seem like a very small step against the looming threats to pollinator health, but many small steps could be a fitting course to take in the interest of many small, significant forms of life. Each adds up to a much greater whole. Similarly, the manifold
branches of faith spring from a common root, and by the strength of their central growth have nourished the course of human history. It's no great stretch of the imagination to see the echoes of older things in our daily efforts—a trace of Eden in a pollinator garden, a touch of grace in a Montana meadow, a hint of heaven in the Big Sky over- head. Whether you frame your values by science or spirit or somewhere in between, you can believe in the bounty of this beautiful place we call home, and the tireless work of pollinators that allows it to thrive.
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DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SPRING 2012
