The week of June 20 is pollinator week.

It's a time to bring awareness to protect our pollinators like bees, butterflies birds, and more.

Every year a 4-H pollinator ambassador checks on the pollination site along the Route 66 monarch flyway.

They also teach kids the importance of pollinators and how to develop healthy habits.

4-H’s Pollinator Ambassador program teaches young people about the importance of pollinators, helps them create habitats, and equips them with key life skills like public speaking, leadership, and hands-on learning. Litchfield, IL’s Elaan Bader is one of the programs standouts. Since becoming an ambassador, Elaan has educated 10,000 people, planted 36 pollinator acres in Illinois, and given pollinator presentations in nearly every state plus Canada, Brazil, and Jordan.

"My role is to come back every year or so and come reseed the plots for 3 years until they are self-surviving, which means they can come back year after year without me having to reseed them and take care of them," said Elaan Bader, pollinator ambassador with 4H. "So they are wildflower seed plots so that means that i don't have to do much besides come in here and make sure they're surviving well."

Thirty-six acres have been planted across the state that are used specifically for pollination.