2022 Native Pollinators Hero
Long live the bumbles!
We've got so many reasons to give thanks! In each of our program areas, we see ordinary people taking heroic action to protect our home from the pressures of a changing climate.
This year-end, we're highlighting stories that inspired us and sharing how we're planting seeds to create a climate-resilient future for all of us.
With our native pollinators, more is more. The more habitat we plant, the more easily our native pollinators can find shelter and food, the more resilient they become to the challenges posed by pesticides and extreme heat—the more stable our entire food ecosystem becomes.
Donate now to do more: Double your impact with a $50,000 match!
Bryan instructs volunteers on pollinator meadow planting day.
Meet Bryan Tompkins, our Native Pollinator Hero for 2022, who inspired us with his big energy and relentless commitment to plant new pollinator habitat everywhere he can.
“You don’t have to have hundreds of acres of habitat before you start seeing some benefit to native species. Every little bit truly does help,” Bryan said.
As a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service, he has seen the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee go from common-as-crabgrass in Asheville backyards to the Endangered Species list, and he’s doing everything he can to bring them back—along with other native pollinator species that have been hard-hit by pesticides and the pressures of a changing climate.
"Every little bit truly does help"
This past year, Bryan volunteered a ton of his time and expertise to cultivate the Pollinator Meadow on the Wilma Dykeman Greenway.
Bryan and the Fish & Wildlife Service were incredible visionaries on this project, one of seven pollinator habitats that will eventually be planted in the city's riverside parks and greenways.
Bryan took the lead on designing the space, getting the approvals, purchasing the plants, and leading a group of dedicated GreenWorks volunteers to install the 2,400 square-foot meadow you've probably passed on a dog walk or bike ride along Riverside Drive.
Have you seen the pollinator meadow on the Wilma Dykeman Greenway?
“The more habitat we can put out there, the better.”
Bryan has continued investing in the meadow throughout the year, adding plants and leading volunteer workdays to weed and maintain the space. As a volunteer member of our Bee City USA - Asheville Leadership Committee, he's also coordinating other pollinator plantings on public land in both Buncombe and Henderson Counties.
Then, Bryan took the idea of a self-sustaining pollinator plant bank and ran with it, helping us enter the winter with a dedicated growing space to supply the plants for next year's public pollinator plantings. He helped us find resources to bring the plant bank to life, donated plants from his own gardens, and volunteered his time to care for them.
"We've gone to places that were food deserts for pollinators, and we’ve put habitat there and within a year it’s covered in bees and butterflies. It’s amazing how quickly you see the benefit of what you do. It’s about as instant a gratification as you can get, especially in the conservation world," Bryan said.
Protect Native Pollinators
People like to think of nature as fragile, and in some ways it is, but anyone who has wrestled dandelions or blackberry vines out of a garden bed knows that nature can also awe you with its strength.
Our native species can thrive in life-sustaining ways, if we just invest in creating the right circumstances for them.
We love Bryan's story because it shows us how, with a smart choice, we can make a little go a long way. That's why we're so excited that a group of generous donors has offered to match your gift today, up to $50,000.
By donating now, you'll double the support you provide for the community of pollinator guardians who are planting the habitat that will feed the native pollinators responsible for feeding us all.
Are you in?
