Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group

habitat conservation + working landscapes

A close-up image of a bee hovering near a vibrant pink flower, surrounded by green foliage, highlighting the importance of pollinators in nature.

Resources Library

This online library is a clearinghouse of tools and information related to habitat on rights-of-way and other lands. From seed mix calculators to mowing guidelines and everything in between, you’ll find it here.

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Alt text: Guidelines for planting bee pollinator habitats in Ohio, including site preparation, seed selection, planting techniques, and maintenance tips for promoting native flora and supporting pollinator populations.

Planting Guidelines

Topics: Best Management Practices
Categories: Best Management Practices

This quick guide developed by the Ohio Department of Transportation – District 9 includes site preparation, schedule, and seed mix recommendations.

Ecoregional Planting Guides

Topics: Best Management Practices
Categories: Best Management Practices

Pollinator Partnership developed 24 ecoregional planting guides for pollinators, each tailored to specific areas of the United States and Canada. You can search your ecoregion by zip code on their website.

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Cover page of a USDA publication titled

Preventing or Mitigating Potential Negative Impacts of Pesticides on Pollinators Using Integrated Pest Management and Other Conservation Practices

Topics: Best Management Practices
Categories: Vegetation Management

This technical note was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. It was designed to help conservation planners prevent or mitigate pest management risks to pollinators and pollinator habitat, particularly in agriculture settings.

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Mowing & Management: Best Practices for Monarchs

Topics: Best Management Practices
Categories: Vegetation Management

Monarch Joint Venture prepared this handout providing recommended time frames by region during which mowing or other management practices may be less detrimental to local monarch populations.

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Vegetation Management: An Ecoregional Approach

Topics: Best Management Practices
Categories: Vegetation Management

Highway rights-of-way are the most visible of all public lands and likely the least understood. This manual is especially written for those decision-makers in maintenance, landscape, environmental services, and turf and erosion control to share what we know about managing this land.

Cover of the guide

Roadside Best Management Practices that Benefit Pollinators

Topics: Best Management Practices
Categories: Vegetation Management

These best management practices developed by the Federal Highway Adminsitration identify key steps that State Departments of Transportation can take to improve the quality of roadside habitat for pollinators, including 1) adjusting roadside vegetation management techniques, 2) enhancing and restoring native roadside vegetation to include plant materials that improve pollinator habitat, and 3) incorporating native plants and pollinator habitat needs into roadside landscape design.