Today the Durham Bulls announced a partnership with BASF Agricultural Solutions North America, a leading supplier in the agriculture industry creating sustainable and innovative solutions for farmers, and Cree|Wolfspeed, a powerhouse semiconductor company focused on silicon carbide and GaN technologies, to create a pollinator garden at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
The collaboration, sponsored by BASF and Cree|Wolfspeed, will contribute to the Durham Bulls commitment to strengthening the community and creating positive change in the Triangle. The garden, which will be planted in mid-November, will feature both annual and perennial pollinator plants including Goldenrods, Stoke’s Aster, and New Jersey Tea and reflect the Bulls colors – blue, white and orange.
“The Durham Bulls are proud to partner with BASF and Cree|Wolfspeed to provide the Triangle with another interactive space to learn about the importance of pollinators and their role in the food chain,” said Mike Birling, Durham Bulls Vice President of Baseball Operations. “We know the importance of building these spaces in urban settings and are delighted to play a role in the sustainability of our local environment and in the education of the community.”
Approximately 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on pollination, making pollinators vital to both the ecosystem and the food supply chain. In addition to supporting our food supply, there are many other environmental benefits of wild flowering plants including producing oxygen to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing soil erosion, purifying water and returning the moisture to the atmosphere after it rains.
Downtown Durham is host to several beehives, making the DBAP an ideal location to help sustain the pollinator population native to the area. The goal of the pollinator garden is to expand the availability of food sources to surrounding pollinators. While the honeybee and monarch butterfly are some of the most iconic pollinators, patrons of the DBAP will see beetles, moths, birds, and many other insects.
“At BASF, one of our goals is to educate the public on various ways to improve and impact sustainability, which is why we are partnering with the Durham Bulls and Cree|Wolfspeed to establish a pollinator garden,” said Paul Rea, senior vice president of Agricultural Solutions North America. “We hope partnerships like these can continue to shed light on the vital role pollinators play in our food supply chain and ecosystem.”
“At Cree|Wolfspeed, we believe every individual should have a home, enough to eat and an opportunity to excel. Partnering with BASF to help the Durham Bulls create a teaching pollinator garden adds an educational and fun science-based activity for our neighbors,” said Cree CEO Gregg Lowe. “We cannot wait for the community to be able to learn more about the pollination process and its importance to the food supply, while watching the garden grow in the heart of downtown Durham.”
Video from the kickoff event can be found here.