Saving The Pollinators One Native Plant Garden At A Time
By Kristina Lefever, Volunteer Executive Director
Pollinator Project Rogue Valley (PPRV) is a growing nonprofit based in downtown Phoenix with a team of dedicated and participating board members, knowledgeable and experienced staff, and enthusiastic volunteers, all connecting with the Southern Oregon community to make a difference for pollinators and people alike.
PPRV has been engaging and educating the community of all ages about the importance of our native pollinators and native plants since 2017. What began as an all-volunteer organization now provides employment for 3 staff who engage directly with youth and adults in schools, at community events, field trips, workshops, and in our native plant nursery, garden, and retail shop, often in partnership with other community organizations.
With more and more interest in the plants and pollinators native to this region, people are eager to learn how to protect and steward the place where they live to insure a resilient future for all. We see success as more than just the plants and pollinators – we want to support people in finding joy through gardening, community connections, and learning, to improve both mental and physical well-being. All are welcome.
We offer a number of programs to Southern Oregon:
- Pollinator Pals: Providing children and teens with hands-on science and place-based environmental education in schools, at community venues, and PPRV’s Children’s Learning Garden at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix.
- Growing Gardens: Engaging and educating students, interns, and volunteers on how to grow native plants, and creating and maintaining native plant demonstration gardens at our office, the Children’s Learning Garden, and local schools. Thousands of native plants are grown in our Nursery each year for sale and donation to school gardens and community organizations.
- Habitat Academy: Educating and engaging adults in place-based programs,workshops, and hands-on activities, often in partnership with other organizations and businesses, about native plants, pollinators, and the local ecosystem.
- Rogue Buzzway: Mapping pollinator-friendly gardens and landscapes in partnership with Southern Oregon University, inspiring people to get involved in planting gardens while illustrating the increase of pesticide-free pollinator corridors in the region.
PPRV depends on the community to achieve our mission. We invite you to bee-come involved – volunteer, visit our demonstration garden or native plant nursery, plant a garden …. make an investment in the future of Southern Oregon!
Pollinator Project Rogue Valley
312 N. Main St., Suite C
Phoenix, OR 97535
458-214-0508
