By Julia Babb for Pollinator Project Rogue Valley

We hear a good deal about bees, butterflies and hummingbirds as pollinators. But I have also heard about bats being pollinators, so I wondered if any of our Oregon bats were nectar eaters and could be considered “Pollineighbors”. An hour on the internet finally yielded an excellent list of 15 bats co...

By Kristina Lefever for the Tidings   October 1, 2019 ~  

As a pollinator person, I don’t usually get excited about lawns. And city parks, schoolyards, and public green spaces make me a little nervous, because I think about the toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that are probably being used in these places where people co...

By Kristina Lefever for the Tidings July 30, 2019 ~
 

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the hemp fields that are taking over Southern Oregon. With almost 13,000 acres planted in hemp in Jackson and Josephine Counties alone, people are noticing. Not only the number of acres — but the plastic! (some organic vegetable growers also use plastic).

I...

By Kristina Lefever for the Tidings May 2, 2019 ~ 

As I was thinking about what to write, I realized that so much has happened since my previous column in December. So here’s a recap of some of the things that will benefit pollinators (and people) — or not — both locally and globally. On my list at least, the Good outnumbers the Not-So-Good.
 

N...

By Kristina Lefever for the Tidings  December 30, 2018

I am continuing my theme from November (“Bee Engaged”) because, yes, together, we can make change happen. Hopefully you agree.

In my last column I expressed concerns about Section 9101 in the proposed Farm Bill, which would have removed current and future abilities of municipal governments to res...

By Kristina Lefever for the Tidings November 1, 2018 ~ 

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I love the “Engage Ashland” idea recently put forward by the city. Yes, Ashland (and other places) are so much improved when residents engage and do things. So, this column is a riff on that idea, offering several more ways to “get engaged.”
 

First, I’d like to thank Nina Egert for her investi...

By Kristina Lefever for the Tidings  

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Even with the seemingly unending issues that we are dealing with — especially smoke and fire — we are fortunate to live where we do. Not only is this an amazing part of the country, Ashland is home to a large population of passionate people working on issues to make our city, county and world a better plac...

By Kristina Lefever for theTidings 

Writing a quarterly column in this paper is like being a kid in a candy store. Since I can only be in the store for a certain amount of time every so often, I have to think about what it is I want to enjoy. And because I am always reading, talking, writing, dreaming about (and sometimes watching) pollinators, ther...

By Joel Alan Heller / Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission

Posted Mar 21, 2018 

Ashland Daily Tidings

I have been reading a number of news stories lately about cities that have changed their policies and practices regarding use of synthetic pesticides on city properties.
Many scientific studies have been published about the dangers...

Image courtesy of The Xerces Society.

By Kristina Lefever

Published in the Ashland Daily Tidings
Posted Oct 29, 2017 at 11:45 AM

Summer has bee-come fall, a most glorious and invigorating season, with brilliant colors, cooler temps and an underlying urgency to get things done. But yet, as nights become longer, we (hopefully)...