Connecting Communities with Kristina Lefever

The end of the year is almost here, and for nonprofit organizations, that means end-of-year fundraising. For Pollinator Project Rogue Valley, year-end fundraising is critical to help us grow our mission of inspiring and educating people about native pollinators and plants right here in Southern Oregon.   

This year, our theme is Connecting Communities - both people and pollinators! Our overarching goal is to ultimately save and restore habitat for pollinators native to our unique and beautiful ecoregion. But that can’t happen without dedicated effort and the community involvement of all the incredible people who read our newsletters, volunteer for PPRV, and support us in many other ways, especially financially. 

Our fundraising goal is to raise $50,000 in the next 8 weeks! We are humbled and honored that a generous donor has already contributed $10,000 to our year-end campaign!

Over the next 8 weeks, you’ll meet some of the people who power PPRV and the work we do. You’ll hear in their own words why PPRV and our work matters to them. If their words inspire you, we’d be beyond grateful if you chose to support PPRV in any way you can as we head into 2027. 

We’re starting our introductions with a person that many of you already know, our Volunteer Executive Director, Kristina Lefever. She is truly the powerhouse behind all that PPRV does and she inspires us as volunteers and staff to do the work we do every single day. Kristina has helped steer the mission of PPRV from protecting the honeybee alone to celebrating and discovering the thousands of native pollinators and plants that make Southern Oregon so remarkable - and shares our message with everyone, from youth to adults.

Here’s more about Kristina and how PPRV shifted support from the honeybee to creating awareness for thousands of native pollinators that we couldn’t live without. 

Kristina's Story

I've been involved with PPRV since 2014. I joined a group of people who had just formed PPRV, with a focus on the non-native and ubiquitous European honeybee. But as I began learning about the richness and importance of this region's native pollinators - the hundreds of native bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, flies, beetles, and yes, even wasps - I began to realize there was more to the pollinator story. Like the region's native plants, which evolved to fit the needs of the native pollinators like a finely crafted set of locks and keys, and are essential for the food, shelter, and habitat to raise the next generation of pollinators. And I knew our mission needed to change to focus on educating about the thousands of pollinators and 3,500+ plants native to this place.  I saw the need because hardly anyone was talking about these amazing plants and animals and the role they play in our local ecosystems, even here, in one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the country, if not the world. Everyone seemed to think the only bee was the honeybee, and that of course we don't want caterpillars to eat plants.  Thanks to Kristi Mergenthaler, the Rogue Buzzway was our first real project, a collaboration with SOU interns to create a hyper-local map of pollinator gardens. In 2021, we began propagating native plants from seeds collected from our new native plant demonstration garden right along Main Street outside our office. We offered adult programs from the beginning, but knew connecting with youth was critical. So, in 2022, we were thrilled to receive our first grant from Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, partnering with AmeriCorps | United Communities to hire our first part-time staff! Ethan Robison is now our full-time Pollinator Pals Manager, and in 2024, we added a part-time position to expand our youth education efforts, with Eduardo Tovar. Also in 2024 we created a part-time Nursery Manager position, thanks in part to a generous sponsorship from Southern Oregon Subaru, with Kara Barndollar beginning in 2025.  This wonderful team has been bringing knowledge and related experiences about native pollinators and native plants to the community of all ages, in so many ways. Now with our Children's Learning Garden at Blue Heron Park, our Nursery expansion project in partnership with Phoenix Industrial Studios, and a Rain Garden on the way, we are thrilled to offer the community even more ways to connect about pollinators and plants, right where they live! With so much more to do.

Learn a little more about Kristina in our video here.

Kristina is right - there is still so much more to do. Every classroom we visit, every workshop we host, and every native plant we sell or donate starts with education and awareness -- and that education starts with YOU!

As a friend and supporter of PPRV, we invite you to consider other ways you may be able to support PPRV this year and next. Share our work with friends and neighbors! Donations of any size are truly appreciated, and are in fact critical to carry out our mission. With a big thank you to all our volunteers and board members, and all the pollinator advocates in our communities! 

Looking ahead, we are excited to share our soon-to-be-released business plan that outlines our vision over the next three to five years. What do you think of when you hear "eco-education center"? We'd love to hear your ideas!

This year, our goal is to raise $50,000 before the end of 2026. If you are planning to contribute to the health and vitality of Southern Oregon this year, we would be honored to be on your list. 

We invite you to support our work!

With a one-time donation or sustaining contribution, either online, in the mail, or in person, as stock or a Qualified Retirement Distribution - you have options! 

Every gift, of any size, goes directly to PPRV. Any and all are greatly appreciated to help us save the pollinators!

With Gratitude,

The Team at Pollinator Project Rogue Valley