by Sam Inada, Pollinator Educator and Outreach Specialist | AmeriCorps Member Earlier this month, our Pollinator Pals education program had the opportunity to participate in the AMAZING Oregon Farm 2 School Conference! This is a biannual conference held at Oregon State University in Corvallis with the goal of connecting people in the Farm to School and environmental education communities. This includes classroom teachers, Farm to School educators, food producers, and non-profits like PPRV. Our team that attended included Ethan Robison, PPRV's Pollinator Pals coordinator; Sara Enriquez, an awesome member of our Education Committee: Kristina Lefever, PPRV’s president and Volunteer Director; and me, Sam, Pollinator Pals AmeriCorps member and Pollinator Educator and Outreach Specialist. On the surface, our education program might not necessarily be Farm to School related, but we found a lot of like-minded people who are also working toward building a happier, healthier future for the next generation, and learned a lot from other people doing amazing work. Plus, native pollinators are essential for many foods that we eat, not just native wildflowers! The day started with a keynote-presentation from Tahoma Peak Solutions, a Native Women-Owned firm that deals in a wide array of subjects such as Indigenous diversity equity and inclusion, cultural education, and food systems planning. Nora Frank-Buckner, their Director of Food Sovereignty, talked about indigenous foodways, and the possibilities of incorporating native foods into school curriculum. Sam – It was a pleasure getting to connect with and learn from a group of people that we would not have had the opportunity to otherwise. We got to see so many different perspectives and insights on what is possible in the classroom. Afterword, the four of us split up and went to different exciting and educational workshops that addressed a wide array of topics, including cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, how to create an authentic voice as an educator, and bees in Oregon agriculture, which was put on by Andony Melathopoulos, Associate Professor of Pollinator Health Extension at OSU. Throughout the day, we worked alongside other environmental educators, and each workshop gave us something unique to take home with us. Sara – Interacting with educators was so inspiring and fun. I enjoyed getting new perspectives on both the content and the strategies teachers are using to reach kids. Our Pollinator Pals Coordinator, Ethan Robison, had the opportunity to share about the work that Pollinator Pals is doing in a 7-minute Lightning Talk. In the talk, he emphasized Pollinator Pals philosophy of getting kids interested in and excited about local plants and pollinators, and how learning about them is the first step in protecting them. The talk was well received, and it seemed like people were excited to see the unique perspective that Pollinator Pals brought to the conference. Sam had his hands full with sharing our Pollinator Scavenger Hunt and Pollinator Count activities with all the teachers in the room. Ethan – Seeing so many people interested in our education materials was really inspiring. I'm so happy that Oregon educators are interested in teaching about native plants and pollinators. Throughout the day, we had a table to share our Pollinator Pals lesson plans, activities, and kits that we have been developing, and got people excited about the idea of incorporating native plant and pollinator lesson plans into their school garden curriculum. We gave away sets of our Pollinator Scavenger Hunt cards and Pollinator Count activities, which Ethan highlighted and shared copies of during his talk. We had many great conversations at the table, received feedback on lesson plans, learned about other cool things people are doing, and gave people important information and resources on pollinator education that they could take home and implement in their schools. The reception to Pollinator Pals at our table and at Ethan’s Lightning Talk made it clear that Pollinator Pals is contributing something to the school gardens community. See more photos from the conference in our album here. The farm to school community does incredible work getting kids in touch with nature, and giving them the tools to live healthy lives, but, because many food crops are nonnative, there is not a lot of emphasis on the native plants that are crucial to our local ecosystems, as well as food systems. We felt lucky to both learn from the farm to school community about things we can incorporate into Pollinator Pals, and also contribute something of value to them. Kristina – It was wonderful to see all the energy around creating community to grow healthy food with young people! And really awesome to see the enthusiastic response to the critical pollinator component for our food systems and ecosystems as well! Going to the conference was a big step for us, and coming back, we are inspired to continue thinking of new ways to help our planet and the next generation. Thank you to Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District, and The Carpenter Foundation, as well as United Communities AmeriCorps, for giving us this opportunity to grow alongside our community. Want to learn more about our Pollinator Pals program? Visit our website here.

Tiina Beaver and Vanessa Henson showing Steve and Lisa all the tiny bees on the Hall's Aster, 3 1/2 months after the garden was planted, September 2023. Click the photo to see our photo album of the garden's transformation. by Erin Keller, PPRV Pollinteer February 2024 “It’s people that make the program happen, and it’s people that the program is for. Ultimately, the program benefits all of us.” Kristina Lefever, President, Pollinator Project Rogue Valley “As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.” Robin Wall-Kimmerer Sometimes it all comes together. All of it. Sometimes the right people are in the right place, at the right time, and they create inspiration for each other – and the result is something that none of them could have imagined without the others. That is the From Fire to Flowers Pollinator Garden (FFFPG) program in a nutshell. It isn’t all happy or easy, though. Not at all. The FFFPG program was born from the traumatic losses created by the Almeda fire of 2020. While many of us were looking for ways to be helpful, Pollinator Project Rogue Valley (PPRV) was developing a plan to help not only those who lost their homes, but ultimately to help all of us who depend on the native pollinators that are critical to our local ecosystem. During the past months, I’ve written two articles about the FFFPG program. (Please click to read Part 1 and Part 2.) The process has been awe-inspiring, and made me want to know more about the people who created and sustain the program, so I arranged to speak with several of them, and hope to share a bit of those conversations here. What came through is that each of them operates from their hearts, in their own ways. Each of them believes in the healing power of nature, beauty, listening and community. Importantly, each  one is motivated to, and believes that we can, make a positive impact on our ecosystem. You may already know that the FFFPG program does good for so many beings - native plants, pollinators, fire-impacted homeowners, students, volunteers, community members and the ecosystem. So, it makes sense that it takes special people to make it all happen. Finding special people is a gift that President Kristina Lefever knows she has, and that she is consciously developing. Kristina has a gift for listening to potential volunteers with her heart, and letting it guide her as she finds what fits between the individual, and the mission of PPRV. She is aware that when she approaches conversations with volunteers in this way, she is seeking to attract and retain truly dedicated individuals who know that they are making a positive difference. Such was the case when PPRV Vice President and FFFPG team member, Arti Kirch, came to visit for the first time. As Arti describes that first meeting, she was new to the Rogue Valley, having moved here during the lock-down phase of the pandemic, and she was eager to make connections with like-minded people. Arti had spent much of the previous decade in California, immersed in propagating Mediterranean-climate  plants, as well as edible garden starts, and educating the public about these processes. After hours in conversation with Kristina, Arti left as a dedicated PPRV “Pollinteer” and a soon-to-be Board member. Sometimes lovingly referred to as PPRV’s native plant geek, Arti spends a lot of time in the propagation nursery that partially supplies plants for FFFPG gardens. Arti’s reverence for plants runs deep. She states, “plants are practically the only beings capable of making their own food, and everything else depends on them - pollinators, herbivores and every other being.” As such, she finds great value in being part of, and supporting, the FFFPG program. Vanessa Henson and Tiina Beaver are the FFFPG program coordinators. Collaboratively, they ensure that the gardens happen, including making initial contact with the garden recipients (called “gardeners”), sending, receiving and reviewing the application, scheduling the initial meeting, creating a garden design and presenting it to gardeners, setting dates for sheet mulching and garden install, ordering materials, organizing volunteers, and overseeing the installations. Both of them combine compassionate, empathetic listening with technical know-how, to create a richly rewarding process for gardeners, as well as volunteers. FFFPG Garden Coordinator, Vanessa Henson, is a life-long resident of the Rogue Valley and very much  invested in her community. On the day of the Almeda fire, she and her husband were successful in their fight to save their newly-purchased home. However, her husband was not able to save their friend’s home, despite his significant effort and risk to his safety. The next morning, their excavation company, C3 Enterprise, was the first on site for the clean up, employing local young people, whose families had just lost their homes, giving them a way to begin to rebuild. Vanessa’s family continues to support their community in meaningful ways. Dedication to her community and access to excavation equipment are only part of what Vanessa brings to the FFFPG team. Vanessa has an intuitive sense about how to connect with people who have recently lost so much. She muses that this may be, in part, because she experienced some of the same events and losses, or it may just be her way of being. In any case, Vanessa is keenly aware of the importance of listening, as a crucial first step in the process, to help gardeners feel supported and to learn what each gardener's hopes, capabilities and priorities are for their new pollinator garden. Tiina Beaver is the FFFPG Program Coordinator. Tiina has her own remarkable set of gifts, combining expertise as a landscape designer with the healing modalities of reiki and forest bathing. Tiina brings an understanding of the impacts of trauma, from experiences in her own life, as well as the lives of some of her family members. She is transforming the pain of these experiences into a desire to provide healing for others. Tiina states that at this time, her three life-long interests are coming together: garden design, the healing power of nature, and our bodies’ innate ability to heal. As Program Coordinator, Tiina quietly goes about creating a garden plan that incorporates the wishes and needs of the gardener, as well as the site’s own requirements. She believes this will increase the gardener's interest in being in the garden and receiving the healing benefits. Tiina also has the knowledge to work with the needs of the plants, its growth habits, size and shape, bloom time, and its benefit to pollinators and the ecosystem. It is no wonder that gardeners have been so pleased with their gardens. Another person helping to increase the impact of the FFFPG program is Dr. Chhaya Werner, plant ecologist and professor of environmental science at SOU. Dr. Werner is interested in the process of regeneration following disturbances, such as fire or flooding. The environmental losses of the Almeda fire provides not only an opportunity for her students to study regeneration, but also to lend a hand to people who lost their homes, and to help the environment. Dr. Werner’s students come on site to learn about the soil, sun/shade, irrigation requirements and more, observe communication between the Garden Coordinators and gardeners, and then create their own proposed garden design. Following a discussion about the designs in relation to the site, students “get dirty”with sheet mulching and/or garden installation activities. Dr. Werner notes that fire provides the perfect opportunity for native plants to regenerate the landscape. Since the open land also is an opportunity for invasives, even small projects like the FFFPG gardens help ensure that natives win out, at least part of the time. She notes that she is excited to watch how the gardens will look in a few years as they fill in. As you might imagine, it takes many people to complete each garden, and everyone of them is so important and appreciated. Pollinteers provide physical labor to make the gardens happen, as well as the technical skills, such as creating  the Garden Guide provided to each gardener. Kristina had this to say about the team, “Just what would we do without them!? Everyone is just amazing!” She notes that all together, PPRV works with about 40 Pollinteers, some who volunteer weekly, and others only a couple times per year, but it all adds up, and it all matters. Pollinteer Sue Fthenakis described her FFFPG experience this way, “I had a wonderful time working with PPRV as we installed a garden in Maureen’s front yard. It was really rewarding to be part of a team working together to accomplish such a good project. There was a well prepared plan, the materials and tools were all on-site, and everyone cooperated beautifully. By the end of the day, the yard was transformed from a flat, weedy, unappealing space to a contoured, interesting landscape, populated with pollinator friendly plants ready to blossom into a beautiful space as the things get established. I came home in a really good mood that day.” FFFPG gardens are only possible with gifts from caring and supportive partners, such as Koenig Investment Advisory and Plant Oregon. LorrieAnne Miller of Koenig Investment Advisory had this to say about supporting the FFFPG program, “Koenig Investment Advisory is proud to support PPRV and its dedicated volunteers, especially for the From Fire to Flowers Pollinator Garden program. We’ve been impressed with this organization's ability to reach out to many sectors of the community, from childhood education programs to fun events with Unete and helping fire survivors establish healthy gardens in their rebuilt homes. PPRV not only cares about planting native plants to support the environment, but also to support the people who live within these environments. This is a great group of folks to work with in the common cause of making the Rogue Valley a nurturing place to live.” Jenny of Plant Oregon shared these important words, “Supporting Pollinator Project Rogue Valley is crucial for the well-being of our environment and the preservation of pollinators. Their efforts in educating the community and nurturing pollinators are truly commendable. Together, we can make a positive impact on our planet.” Feeling inspired to be a part of or to support this important work? There are multiple ways and opportunities! Every donation, large or small, makes a difference! Pollinteers are always needed, whether working in the gardens, or behind the scenes. Visit our website to learn more, see photos of garden transformations, and find contact information to Bee Involved. We depend on community support! Your tax-deductible donation helps us get the work done! Consider a monthly donation! Make a donation online or mail a check to 312 N. Main St, Suite B, Phoenix, OR 97535

by Ethan Robison Pollinator Pals Education Coordinator 2023 was the first full year of PPRV’s youth education program: Pollinator Pals. With the help of many volunteers, we have accomplished so much. For a brief rundown, check out our year-end report here. In this article, you’ll find some of the highlights of Pollinator Pals over the past year. Since I am a sucker for organization, I’ve decided to break it up by seasons. As an added bonus, I’ll also throw in some pollinator facts along the way! These will also be organized by season, just for fun. Please take a moment to reflect on the past year of Pollinator Pals with me! Winter: January-February 2023 Even while the baby bees and butterflies were sleeping amidst the fallen foliage, we were hard at work. Teaching during this time of year can often prove difficult due to the apparent lack of life outside, so the classes we did were all indoors. This didn’t stop us from pointing out that the winter landscape is actually littered with life - it’s just buried within “dead” plants or underneath the leaves. During this time of year, pollinators are (for the most part) in their larva or pupa stage. Cavity nesting bees can be found in hollowed-out plant stems that may seem dead from the outside, but in truth are a cozy home for a growing pollinator. Butterflies will usually spend their winter underneath the leaves of fallen plants as a caterpillar or chrysalis, hence the popular “Leave the leaves” movement. In our first class of the year, Kristina and I presented at Armadillo Technical Academy (now Armadillo Community Charter School), and taught two classes of students about native plants. This lesson focused on the amazing diversity of native plants in riparian ecosystems, and how pollinators depend on them not just for food, but for shelter as well. Even indoors, we managed to teach students the basics of Simple Random Sampling and using real-world surveying techniques to measure populations! Two of our Education Committee members, Sue and Sara, are adapting this lesson into a kit that will be available on our website! Another class of this season was “Love Your Mason Bees”, where we ran a webinar on, well, Mason Bees! Kristina and I spoke about how you can create overwintering habitat for these spectacular builders, and how to provide food for the adults once they wake up. Spring: March-May Spring is (of course) the busiest time of year for us Pollinator-Educators. So to start things off, we held our biggest class of the year at Bellview Elementary School in Ashland. In about 3 hours, we crammed in mini-lessons on native plants, gardening, flower biology, and pollinator anatomy. Intrepid members of the Education Committee, Sara, Kristina, Hannah, and Pete all ran stations, guiding kids through different outdoor activities. My favorite part of the day was showing students how to use a microscope, and seeing the world open up before their eyes. The growing Pollinator Pals curriculum is aimed at 3rd - 5th graders because that tends to be an important time in the life of a student. At this point, they are seeing the world in new ways. Similarly, the most important part in a Bumble Bee Queen’s life is early spring. During this season, the long-slumbering queens emerge from their overwintering site, and begin collecting pollen and nectar from the early blooming flowers. One such flower is Oregon Grape, our state flower here in Oregon. Next year, we plan on bringing students their own Oregon Grape plants so they can welcome the Bumble Bee Queens. One of the biggest events of the year is Earth Day, when we have the chance to talk to hundreds of students. PPRV was invited to table at both SOU's Earth Day and Phoenix Industrial Studio's Earth Day celebrations. At both of these, our volunteers got into the groove talking with parents about the finer details of native-plant gardening, and then flipping around to teach kids all about our marvelous pollinators! This was the first major event where the Education Committee planned out activities and mini-lessons for kids. Check out our photo album from the SOU Earth Day event here to see kids and parents alike having fun with pollinator quizzes and games. Summer: June-August Early on in summer, we were invited to visit with the students at the Medford Montessori. Kristina read the book “ Am I Even a Bee?” by Felicity Muth. This story talks about how all bees are very different in some ways, but all alike in other ways. While our program tends to focus on older students, we love to connect with kindergarten and pre-k students whenever we can. This is because environmental education is often focused on the negative impacts humans are having on the environment. However, we find it important to foster a sense of joy and wonder about the ecosystem. It’s difficult to care about the wonders of the world when your first introduction to them is all about how they’re disappearing and in danger! So while we find it important to teach people about how they can care for the pollinators in the world, we also think it’s important to teach people to care about them first. Speaking of young kids, Summer is the time of year when pollinators of all kinds - bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, wasps, and even birds - are making babies! With bountiful pollen and nectar resources, pollinators are able to devote their time and energy towards collecting food and laying eggs. If their habitat is left undisturbed, some pollinators are able to put together their nests. Some do so underground, like Digger and Bumble Bees, or in tall trees/shrubs like hummingbirds or Mason Bees. Just like kids, pollinators need the room and resources to grow. Towards the end of the season, we put on a class at the Jacksonville Community Center. We were elated to be joined by guest speakers, Lynn Kunstman and Dee Himes. Lynn ran an activity to show families the diverse native plants around the community center. Dee generously gave an entire presentation about how to take stunning pictures of insects with just your phone. And I explained how and why to use iNaturalist to identify and map the plants and pollinators you capture on our phone. These small events and lessons tend to create some of our most heartfelt relationships with the community. Fall: September-November As it cools down outside, we start moving a little bit slower. Just kidding. Fall is a pretty busy time of year for pollinators and for the Pollinator Pals. Starting off strong, we had the privilege of creataing an exhibit for the Grants Pass Art Museum. Their concurrent theme of “Living in the Anthropocene” focused on the impacts of humans on the environment. Our corner of the Museum did show information on the decline of pollinators, but our main focus was on how humans can help fight against that trend. With the help of volunteer Lexi Rogers, we built a model pollinator garden, showing off how you can create beautiful pollinator habitat all year long. That piece is still on display in our office. In addition to the exhibit, we ran an event where families got to build their own model pollinator gardens. Saving the native pollinators starts with learning, and these kids did just that! We can only hope that students of all ages take these lessons home, and someday work to adapt their own environments to be shared with native critters. As I hinted at earlier, one way you can help the bees is by “leaving the leaves” and maintaining some undisturbed habitat for the creatures nesting out of sight. The fact that avoiding yard work is one of the best ways to support pollinators is one of my favorite things to tell people. Nesting sites is a major component of pollinator habitat, but food is also important. Late-blooming flowers are valuable assets to the cold resistant pollinators like flies. Even though your garden might slow down, there is still life going on, you just have to look close and be patient. As we passed into the extra-rainy part of fall, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to teach at the beautiful The Crest at Willow-Witt. On a cold, rainy morning, Sam Inada (our new AmeriCorps member) and I introduced students to a bunch of bumble bees sleeping inside flowers in the garden. Bees (of all species) can't fly when it is too cold, usually below 45 degrees. Since male bumble bees don’t have nests to go to, they get to sleep in flowers! So the weather gave us the amazing opportunity to see about 8 bees peacefully awaiting the sun. Seeing everyone’s heart melt over sleeping bees was absolutely adorable. Afterwards, students examined pollinators, seeds, and plant parts under the microscope, and then made seed balls in the barn. This class was a wonderful experience for us! Winter: December If you’re reading this blog shortly after we share it, then you can bet that we’re hard at work in the office, developing lesson plans, activities, kits, and events for 2024. The pollinators we love to look at are (for the most part) resting and growing, just like us. Of course we’ve had a couple of classes and events, but for the most part, we are taking a step back to reflect on the past year, and plan for the future. Honestly, I can’t wait to show all of you some of the amazing things we have planned for 2024. We’re creating new materials, like a core pollinator-curriculum for elementary school students, but also looking back at the lessons and events we’ve done and thinking about how to improve them. Wish us luck! Closing Remarks I’ve certainly rambled on long enough, so I’ll make my ending brief. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that all of this progress wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the ever-present help of our amazing Education Committee. Throughout this crazy year they have been consistently helpful by providing guidance, experience, know-how, and dedication. I would like to offer a sincere thank you to: Hannah Borgerson, Pete Gonzalves, Sam Inada, Sara Enriquez, and Sue Fthenakis, and of course, my boss, Kristina Lefever. I also extend a heartfelt thank you to all of PPRV’s other volunteers, community partners, and funders - especially those who are partnering with us to make our Pollinator Pals program possible! But none of this would be possible without the village PPRV has built up over the years, and personally, I have no idea what I would be doing besides this. So without further ado, our team here at PPRV wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season! I can’t wait to see you next year!

Pollinator Pals! Bee a Pollinator Pal! Our Program Provides Education and Hands On Activities Focused On Native Pollinators, Native Plants, and Our Local Ecology! 2023 End of Year Report Pollinator Pals in 2023 Looking for a specific lesson for your curriculum? Just want a fun activity for an hour? Planning a community event? Let's see what we can do together! ​ To make this program sustainable for the long term, we invite your support with a fee of $100 per event. Depending on the activities and/or mileage, additional fees may be appropriate. Payment accepted via check or credit card. Please complete this form to tell us how we can provide a fun and educational lesson or activity for your students! Lesson Plans Pollinator Kits Activities Community Engagement PPRV's Pollinator Pals Gratitude! We offer creative lesson plans with hands-on activities, locally oriented to educate and engage students about our native pollinators, native plants, and our local ecosystems. ​ Click here to download our fun and educational lessons! Lesson Plans Intro to Pollinators: Flowers Lesson Plan Oregon State Science Standards 3rd Grade, LS1.1 4th Grade, LS1.1 ​ Students will be able to: Identify the reproductive parts of a flower Understand the importance of pollinators in seed production Connect the concept of pollination to their favorite foods Adopt A Seed Lesson Plan Oregon State Science Standards 3rd Grade, LS1.1, LS3.2, LS4.3, LS1.1 4th Grade, LS1.1 5th Grade, LS1.1, LS2.1 Students will be able to: Describe the components of a seed and their job as part of a plant Understand the life cycle of a plant from seed to seed Plant a native seed Connect a plant’s life cycle to the seasons Lesson Kits are available for the Lesson Plans. "It was great! The lesson ran smoothly, was engaging for the kids, and was well staffed with knowledgeable volunteers who also clearly had experience teaching children. I didn't feel overwhelmed with too many emails or decision-making. Yet, I felt informed and a part of the process." ~ Angelina Tejada Ingram, Bellview Elementary, Ashland

PPRV Team Pollinator Project Rogue Valley is directed by an all-volunteer board. We joined together to promote the health of pollinators and people - for our food systems and ecosystems - in our communities and beyond. Working together, we can save our pollinators. BOARD Arti Kirch Arti has been following a passion for the natural world her entire life, beginning with a childhood spent in the glorious Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As an adult, she lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 40 years. There, in addition to creating several residential and public dry-land gardens, she also operated a nonprofit nursery specializing in native and Mediterranean-climate plants, co-founded a business growing and selling edible plants for summer gardens, was a docent at state and regional parks, and studied horticulture at several local colleges. Arti is a steadfast member of the Native Plant Society of Oregon and the California Native Plant Society. Arti is thrilled with the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion for the magic of seeds with the Pollinator Project Rogue Valley community. Kristina Lefever Kristina moved to the Rogue Valley in 2012 and immediately became enamored with the region's flora and fauna, especially our pollinators. At the same time, she began learning about the unprecedented decline of all pollinators and the associated implications for our food system and eco system. ​ Kristina loves talking about our native bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, beetles, and hummingbirds, and the plants and habitats that best support them. She also loves connecting with people who share the dream that everyone's yard or landscape will include a little or a lot of pollinator habitat, even if it's just a corner filled with California poppies. As her knowledge of native plants continues to grow, she is even more passionate about growing, sharing, and planting the native annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees that create the habitats that best support our region's native pollinators, and thus, all the creatures that depend upon them. Kristina is available to make presentations on the subjects of pollinators, pollinator gardens, and beneficial insects in the garden. Kristina led the effort for Ashland to become the fifth Bee City USA in 2015, and continues to serve on the subcommittee. She also serves on the board of Beyond Toxics, and is a member of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, Siskiyou Chapter. Kristina is honored to serve as president and Volunteer Director of Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. Patricia Burnham Pat moved to Southern Oregon in 2018, very happy to come to this slower-paced, smaller, and greener locale after living in Los Angeles. Before retiring, Pat spent many years working in corporate accounting and financial reporting. Upon moving to Oregon, she discovered her interest in native plants and pollinators, which led her to Pollinator Project Rogue Valley, where she realized her work experience would be useful and she could continue learning about the critical role pollinators play in our ecosystems. Pat is delighted to serve as Treasurer for Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. Erin Keller Erin grew up immersed in the natural world. The long days playing in the open fields around Klamath Falls, walking her family’s timber property near Sweet Home, or helping her grandmother in the flower garden formed the container of her childhood. As an adult, and clinical social worker, she is very aware of the important intersection of nature and mental health. ​ Over the past few years, Erin and her husband have completed the Land Steward program and the Master Naturalist class, both through OSU Extension Service. They are now working to rewild their small property near Ashland, including native pollinator plantings and encouraging additional wildlife. These activities lead her to volunteer for Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. Erin is interested in helping PPRV get the word out about what we can all do to support our natural environments, and help ourselves in the process. Sally Jeppson Sally grew up in Carmel, California, but moved to the North Dakota prairies for 32 years, only to circle back to live today in the mountains above Ashland. Sally’s life work has been with non-profit museums and galleries. Exhibitions are her passion, as she recognizes how interpretation, artwork/artifact/specimen selection, installation and exhibition design can showcase artists’ work, sell a product, educate, tell a story, generate dialog and delight audiences. Sally and her husband operated an exhibition design and arts consulting business, Starview Enterprises, Inc. for 18 years, working with museums, galleries and organizations and their interpretive materials and interactive displays. Sally has organized and installed hundreds of exhibitions, and served on numerous grant panels and juried student, community and academic exhibitions. Southern Oregon’s rich environmental diversity has only fueled Sally’s passions; gardening, hiking, forging, and learning all she can about the environment of her new home. These interests had her seeking knowledge about the extraordinary number of pollinators she was seeing and she found PPRV. Sally wholeheartedly supports PPRV’s mission and she is looking forward to working on the organization’s exciting future development. STAFF POLLINATOR PALS Ethan Robison After serving as our first-ever Pollinator Educator and Outreach Specialist through United Communities | AmeriCorps, Ethan is now PPRV's first Pollinator Pals Education Coordinator! Finishing his degree in Environmental Science and Policy at SOU, majoring in biology, he is excited to be working with all kinds of pollinators, especially those that some see as "creepy crawlies". He loves talking to kids of all ages on the subjects of insect biology and ecology, and how the Rogue Valley community can work together to learn about and support these vital creatures that support our shared ecosystems. Ethan has lived in Southern Oregon since 2019, after growing up in Reno, Nevada. Since moving here, he has fallen in love with the landscape and wildlife, especially the pollinators, that make the Rogue Valley so vibrant. Ethan asks: Did you know that even carrots need pollinators? Carrot seed is produced because of the pollination activities of small wasps, bees, and beetles! Learn more about Ethan here . AMERICORPS MEMBER POLLINATOR PALS Sam Inada 2023-2024 Sam Inada is a second generation Ashland native, recently graduated from University of Oregon with a degree in Global Studies. During his studies, he became invigorated to make a positive impact on the world and on his community, and saw PPRV as an awesome way to do that. Coming from a family of teachers, he is excited to share his love of protecting the environment for and with the next generation. He hopes that his surplus of small-town connections can be of service to PPRV and help bring our community closer. Before joining PPRV as our second Pollinator Educator and Outreach Specialist, Sam knew little about the amazing world of pollinators, but has since fallen in love. He attributes this to the moment he was shown bumblebees adorably napping in on top of flowers while on a field trip at Willow-Witt Ranch. Learn more about United Communities AmeriCorps here . POLLINATOR PALS EDUCATION COMMITTEE Hannah Borgerson Hannah is a Southern Oregon local! She developed her love for nature whilst frolicking among the nearby ponderosa pines, white oaks, madrones and other grand native trees and plants. Later, she moved north to attend the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Washington, where she studied Sociology, Anthropology and Education Studies. While in Washington, Hannah’s love for the outdoors grew. By her second year in college, she was a leader of her university’s outdoor club and eventually helped coordinate the outdoor portion of the school’s orientation program. After college, Hannah moved all around the U.S., working at various summer camps and outdoor education sites. The more time she spent teaching outdoors, the more her passion grew for learning about the importance of creating healthy and sustainable ecosystems around us. Pollinators, bees and native plants became a central learning and teaching point in her outdoor education lessons at her most recent role as the Rural Schools Coordinator for Ruch Outdoor Community School. She is excited to learn more about the crucial role of pollinators and native plants, and engage more community members on this vital environmental topic. Sue Fthenakis Sue grew up backpacking in the Sierras where she fell in love with the unique and beautiful wildflowers along the trails, in the meadows, and amidst the rock outcroppings of such wonderful mountains. When she had to choose a major at her liberal arts college she was delighted to discover that if she majored in biology she could focus on learning to identify those wildflowers. That was in Colorado many years ago and although most of that knowledge has faded as her life took her in other directions, the love of native plants never diminished. Of course the health of native plants, not to mention all living things, requires healthy populations of pollinators. Knowing that educating people about the importance of pollinators is key to their survival, Sue is pleased to be part of the Education Committee, advancing the mission of planting pollinator friendly, native plants in every possible space all over the Rogue Valley to give our pollinators an environment in which they can thrive. Sara Enriquez Sara has lived in the Rogue Valley for 35 years and has loved it since day one. Growing up in Colorado in a family that camped and hiked all summer, she has always enjoyed the outdoors and the beauty and diversity of life around us. She has been a teacher, primarily math, to students of all ages, from elementary school to community college. Now retired, Sarah is loving this opportunity to put 40 years of educational experience to use. Sara is looking forward to working with Pollinator Project Rogue Valley and learning all she can while spreading the word about ways to protect these vulnerable species we all depend upon. Mady Wolsfeld Mady moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1997 after obtaining a job as a teacher in Del Norte County, California. She taught middle school for 16 years and then spent 7 years as a district data coach and school administrator before retiring. Growing food and gardening has always been a passion. While researching how to make her yard a pollinator haven she discovered Pollinator Project Rogue Valley (PPRV.) PPRVs' commitment to pollinator education deeply resonated with her growing interest in learning about pollinators and native plants. Mady is thrilled to become part of the team and help support the innovative - and fun! - work of the Pollinator Pals educational program. FROM FIRE TO FLOWERS POLLINATOR GARDENS Tiina Beaver Tiina has always felt more comfortable among the flora and fauna. She has spent time in the wetlands of the Carquinez Straits, climbing and skiing Donner Peak, hiking Mt. Monadnock, and for almost 3 decades has spent the majority of her time exploring and studying the eco-regions of southern Oregon and beyond. Practicing mindfulness, she enjoys studying phylogenetics, biogeography, the micro and the macro of the natural world, and sketching and journaling about native plants and animals as she explores. She started walking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2020 and plans to complete it by doing a little each year. Her home garden is an oasis for all life: a place for experimentation, soil science, habitat for native wildlife, an obsession. She incorporates these passions into her landscape design and healing work. Tiina is honored to have an opportunity to share her skills, experience and passions for native plants and pollinators with PPRV to promote ecological health for our community and beyond. Vanessa Henson Vanessa has lived in the Rogue Valley most of her life and has always been in awe of the beauty and diversity this valley has to offer. She loves spending time outdoors, whether rafting rivers or camping and hiking the wonderful mountain ranges with her family. As a nature enthusiast and owner of a local excavation company, she understands the importance of good stewardship and has a deep respect for our planet. She is always eager to learn and expand her knowledge for working with the land. Creating a space for pollinators on her property, Vanessa started her journey with honey bee hives in 2018. When the intense fires of 2020 caused them to flee, she was determined to help pollinators even more, and found PPRV! She quickly became part of the From Fire to Flowers Pollinator Gardens team. Vanessa is thrilled to be part of this important work, helping the community restore the land for pollinators after the fire. She continues to integrate what she has learned into her own thriving pollinator garden. Dan grew up in the Rogue Valley camping, fishing and hiking with his family every summer. After seven years living in Atlanta, GA, he greatly missed the beauty of Oregon and moved back to be close to family and the mountains. He loves trail running and has spent many days exploring the world-renowned floral diversity of the Klamath-Siskiyou mountains, the alpine meadows of the Applegate watershed, and the serpentine slopes of the Red Buttes. He became involved in pollinator conservation when he read a Mail Tribune article in 2021 about the immense decline of the monarch butterfly. After creating his own native plant garden and seeing the variety of native pollinators it attracted, he searched for a like-minded organization and found PPRV. He is excited to learn from and work with everyone at PPRV to restore local habitat and pollinators by creating and maintaining native plant gardens within the community. Dan Potter INTERNS Tallulah Fattorusso - Winter 2023 / Spring 2024 Tallulah is studying Environmental Science and Policy at Southern Oregon University. She grew up in northern California where her interest in the environment was sparked and she hopes to further her learning opportunities in Oregon through internships and volunteering. She is interested in this particular internship because it will help her learn about the local environment and how to get people in the community involved in environmental projects. Tallulah is enjoying keeping the Rogue Buzzway map up to date, and connecting the many people with pollinator gardens. ADVISORY COMMITTEE Pete Gonzalves Pete began volunteering with nonprofit environmental organizations during his high-school days. A 10-speed bicycle greatly expanded his access to natural areas and the sense of freedom and wonder they provided. ​ His early riparian explorations grew to include the shores of San Francisco Bay and the drier side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Add in a motorcycle plus construction and nursery management opportunities, and Pete was off to live among oak savannas, coastal redwood groves, and the High Sierra. Along the way, he studied horticulture, agriculture, forestry and zoology, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Entomology at Oregon State University. ​ Occasionally flying himself to far-flung farmsteads, Pete provided insect monitoring and management advice for Rogue Valley and northern California farmers for 10 years while performing organic farm inspections throughout southern Oregon, the western United States and much of Latin America. Pete went on to serve five years as executive director at Oregon Tilth, Inc., a nonprofit promoting environmentally sound and socially equitable agriculture. He has accumulated nearly ten years of experience serving on local and national nonprofit boards. ​ Recently retired, Pete continues to explore. He's focusing now on the wildlife habitats of a small acreage he shares with his son, daughter-in-law and newly born grandson. ​ Pete brings many skills and expertise to PPRV, as recognized in a Volunteer Spotlight a few months ago after authoring the Native Plant Pollinator Garden Guide for the garden in front of the office in Phoenix. He looks forward to engaging with the PPRV Advisory Committee to help provide considered and progressive counsel for the organization, and also serve on the Education Committee. Kristi Mergenthaler Kristi is a botanist and naturalist based in Talent. As Stewardship Director at Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, she helps conserve and care for pollinator habitat and natural areas throughout Southern Oregon. Kristi is also the volunteer outreach coordinator with the Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon, which means she often takes long hikes through beautiful meadow and montane plant communities, and shares lots of photos on social media with other native plant lovers. She has a special affinity for native bees, especiallythe bumble bees, and learned a lot from the esteemed Dr. Robbin Thorp. She loves volunteering with The Xerces Society's Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas. Robert Coffan Robert has lived in the Rogue Valley for 25 years, passionately enjoying his research into the biodiversity of this basin - from the springs gushing from the headwaters of the Rogue on the flanks of Mt. Mazama, to the hills and rivers where our Western Monarchs stop and rear their young during their fantastic migration. Robert is fascinated by the beauty and life processes of the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators, and has joined forces with others to help restore their habitat and bring the population back. He shares his knowledge and enthusiasm with students, colleagues, children, clients, landowners, decision makers, and volunteers, and continues to learn from each of them. Robert never loses sight of the importance of preserving and caring for this beautiful and diverse part of the world we call home on planet Earth. Humans are a part of it all. Together we can add value to our natural resources, and facilitate community growth and change. Robert's knowledge and perspective comes from his experiences as: ​ Chair and Co-Founder, Western Monarch Advocates Co-Founder, Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates Owner, Katalyst, Inc. BS in Hydrology/Hydrogeology Former Adjunct Professor, Southern Oregon University. Former Chair, Rogue Basin Partnership Proud Grandpa Community Volunteer: Coyote Trails Nature Center, Northwest Seasonal Workers Association Suzie Savoie Since 2000, Suzie has been learning about and incorporating native plants into her gardens and habitat restoration projects on her property in the Applegate Valley, and she continues to delight in the numbers of pollinators and pollinator species she sees. As co-owner of both Siskiyou Ecological Services and Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds, and volunteer Conservation Chair for the Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon, she enjoys helping others with their projects. Suzie provides native seed collection services, online native seed packet sales, native nursery plants, and native projects. Suzie provides native seed collection services, online native seed packet sales, native nursery plants, and native plant consultation and planting plans. She is an avid hiker, backpacker, gardener, native plant enthusiast, and off-grid homesteader. Suzie is co-author of the Native Pollinator Plants for Southern Oregon (available at the PPRV office) and an editor of The Siskiyou Crest: Hikes, History & Ecology. Jen Radueg Jen Radueg is stewarding 10 acres near Ashland, OR, after 20 years in Colorado and then Northern California. On a quest to bring more native plants and pollinators back to her land, she discovered PPRV's resources and educational materials, and began to volunteer in April of 2022. With her background in marketing, public relations, and sales, her skillset was just perfect and perfectly timed to support the release of The Rogue Valley Pollinator Anthology project. ​ Jen has always loved the outdoors: hiking, x-country skiing, downhill skiing, getting lost in the woods and gardening. She spends most of her time working, taking care of her 2 dogs and fixing things up around her property. View previous volunteers Pollinator Project Rogue Valley does not discriminate or tolerate harassment on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, national origin or any other status or basis prohibited by state or federal law.

SAVING THE POLLINATORS ONE POLLINATOR GARDEN AT A TIME! Click here for Resources about pollinators, gardens and more! Stay up to date with The Pollinator Times here! Fundraiser with Long Walk Vineyard! Thank you Earth Day Oregon business partner, Long Walk Vineyard ! We love their business model, their stunning vineyard, and excellent wines! Easily accessible on the north side of Ashland! Native Plant Sale! Click the link to see vendor plant lists. Our 2023 Accomplishments! We accomplished a lot this year! Click to view a pdf of our report. Thank YOU for your support and interest in our work to help bring back our native pollinators and native plants into urban areas! The Rogue Valley Pollinator Anthology The amazing Rogue Valley Pollinator Anthology is a beautiful, full-color 312 page book, a compilation of paintings, photos, sculptures, poetry, and even a song, all the work of local artists! The Pollinator Anthology publication is more than a beautiful art book! With articles and facts about each of the pollinators and their role in our local ecology, plus children's activities, resources, and more, this 8x10 300-page book is educational too - we want everyone to have one! Click here to purchase the Pollinator Anthology. ​ Please share this wonderful project! Proceeds from the sale of the published anthology will benefit Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. Thank You Sponsors! Get on the Buzzway! Our Rogue Buzzway Project is mapping pollinator-friendly places to identify the pollinator corridors that run through the Rogue Valley. Join Us for Sunrise Rogue Buzzway Is YOUR Pollinator Garden on the map? Click here to get on the map! Our Native Plant Pollinator Garden Guide With 51 species! Purchase a copy and take a stroll through our Garden - or yours! We invite you to join us to help communities and landscapes work together to create and support diverse ecosystems rich with native plants and thriving wild pollinators. We will never share your information. Ever. Bee Informed! Sign up for The Pollinator Times, our mostly-monthly e-newsletter! Have a Question? Have an Idea? Let us know! Thanks for you support! Rogue Valley Farm Tour July 18, 2021 The Rogue Valley Farm Tour, a free, family-friendly event, brings people directly to the farmers, land, and animals that produce our delicious local foods. PPRV was excited to table with our friends at Oshala Farm, along with Our Family Farms. We were thrilled that farm tour participants had the opportunity to learn about pollinators with our fun and colorful Pollinator Activity Sheet.