[Pollinator] 2020 NAPPC Award Winners

[Anthony Colangelo]

*MEDIA RELEASE: 2020 North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC)
Award Winners*

Download the full Media Release at
https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/2020-NAPPC-Award-Winners-FINAL.pdf
.

On October 20th, 2020, this year’s award winners from the United States,
Canada, and Mexico were honored by Pollinator Partnership and the North
American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) during the first ever,
virtual NAPPC conference. By recognizing individuals or organizations that
have contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and
conservation, NAPPC aims to encourage their activities and catalyze future
action on behalf of pollinators.

NAPPC is a collaborative body of diverse partners, including respected
scientists, researchers, private sector stakeholders, conservationists and
government officials working to find common ground on innovative
initiatives that benefit pollinators.

“We are thrilled to honor the dedicated efforts of these special
individuals, who are exemplary leaders in pollinator conservation. Each
awardee is uniquely paving the way for pollinator protection and promotion
across the North American landscapes.” says Laurie Davies Adams, President
and CEO of the Pollinator Partnership, which facilitates NAPPC.

A brief description of award winners and their actions follows:

*2020 NAPPC Pollinator Advocate – United States*
Brad Stokes of the University of Idaho is the Extension Education and
County Chair for Elmore County. As a trained entomologist and
environmentalist, Brad has advocated for pollinator protection through
education in the areas of insect identification, habitat, reproductive
processes, and nectar producing plant lists. Brad is a published author who
often provides “Ask an Expert” answers on insect identification questions
on the national extension platform. As an Idaho Master Gardener instructor,
he certified 15 volunteers in 2019. He is also a key collaborator on the
Just Bee-Cause project that provided plant lists and seeds, generating bee
kits that are disseminated throughout southern Idaho to homeowners,
government agencies, and agricultural producers. In 2018, Brad developed
the Elmore County Bee Survey Project, which has collected over 1,900 bee
specimens and documented all Anthophila species in Elmore County. He has
also declared Pollinator Awareness Day during National Pollinator Week and
co-hosts Arbor Day events, where he and his staff promote pollinator
protection, distribute wildflower seed, and participate in other
educational activities. In 2020, Brad authored and Mayor Rich Sykes of
Mountain Home, MT signed the City of Mountain Home Pollinator Appreciation
Week Proclamation.

*2020 NAPPC-NACD Farmer-Rancher – United States*
Jim Croskey and Family now have four generations living and working at
Dalroy Farms, Inc. in Holmes County, Ohio. The Schlegel and Croskey
families operate a 650-acre farm where they milk 180 head and grow hay and
other crops. Jim makes most of the cropping decisions, allowing him to work
his growing passion of beekeeping into the operation. They now manage over
20 hives, and Jim’s wife, Shirley, has become a spokesperson and advocate
in their community for the health benefits of consuming local honey. The
farm has been no-till for decades, and cover crops like clover are
implemented as forage for the cows and to improve soil health via nitrogen
fixation. After years of these practices, Jim has also been able to reduce
his pesticide use and is careful to time his applications to minimize
pollinator exposure. Jim uses his appreciation for native plants to guide
his management of buffer zones and pollinator patches, and has even
identified areas of poor crop production to be converted to bee forage
areas. Jim has also developed unique local partnerships, acting as a bee
rescuer for nearby sawmills and installing a pollinator habitat and a hive
for the Killbuck Wildlife Area.

*2020 NAPPC Pollinator Advocate – Canada *
Shelly Candel, inspired by Bee City (USA), started Bee City Canada in 2016.
Under her leadership, the organization has grown extensively in 4 years,
inspiring cities, First Nation communities, schools, college/university
campuses, and businesses to take action to protect pollinators. Bee City
Canada has 3 main programs that recognize communities and organizations
that are taking steps or are committed to future initiatives to help
pollinators: Bee Cities, Bee Campuses, and Bee Schools. In each program,
applicants must commit to helping pollinators through habitat creation and
restoration, pesticide reduction, and community outreach and education. At
a local level, these communities are challenged to make change for
pollinators and empowered with the knowledge they need, inspiring others
across the nation to follow their lead. Under Candel’s leadership since
2016, there are now 42 Bee Cities, 12 Bee Campuses, 41 Bee Schools, and 18
Bee Business Partners.

*2020 NAPPC Farmer-Rancher – Canada*
Ian Steppler is the president of Steppler Farms Ltd, a farming enterprise
that manages over 3,500 acres of arable land as well as a few thousand
acres of pasture near Miami, Manitoba. Steppler Farms breeds and sells
purebred Charolais cattle and operates a commercial honey bee operation of
approximately 1,200-1,500 hives. Ian’s land management philosophy focuses
on protecting flowering plants and grasses in order to provide year round
nectar and pollen resources. Pastures are seeded with a grass seed and
pollinator mix, including white and yellow sweet clover. Grazing rotations
allow the flowering plants to bloom again, extending the overall flowering
period. Ian always considers pollinators in his pest management decisions,
and is passionate about not spraying ditches to the point that he works
with his local municipality to mow 15 miles of ditches in his area. He is
the vice-president of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, a director of
the Deerwood Watershed Authority, and leads the committee to establish the
Knowledge and Research Transfer Program for the beekeeping industry in
Manitoba. Ian also regularly shares his farming and beekeeping philosophy
with others through his YouTube channel with 50,000 subscribers. In 2019,
he spoke at 12 conferences outside the province and was the keynote speaker
for the Manitoba Watershed Conservation Association’s annual conference.

*2020 NAPPC Pollinator Advocate – Mexico*
Dr. Ricardo Ayala Barajas is a researcher at the Instituto de Biología,
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico at the Biology Station in Chamela.
He is also Titular Researcher A of the National Research System Level 1.
Dr. Ayala has dedicated more than 3 decades to research, teaching, and the
dissemination of pollinator knowledge, specifically on the native bees of
Mexico. He has more than 80 articles in indexed magazines, 6 books, and 26
book chapters about native bees and their importance. Significantly, Dr.
Ayala has contributed to the knowledge of a large number of bee species and
their importance, not only in Mexico, but in other countries as well.

*2020 NAPPC - EPRI Pollinator Electric Power*
American Electric Power (AEP) Prairie Research Project, conducted in
collaboration with The Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio, demonstrates the
feasibility of economically incorporating native plants and pollinator
habitat into utility right-of-way (ROW) sites through prairie
establishment. AEP is now developing guidance on the best management
practices to successfully establish and maintain prairie habitat within
ROWs based on long-term monitoring of 3 acres of pollinator habitat under
AEP transmission lines. AEP has developed a native prairie seed mix
consisting of 25 regionally native species and an annual cover crop for
revegetation use after construction activities and is evaluating the
influence of mowing on pollinator-plant community establishment. The
habitat plots have documented visits from 33 butterfly species, 16
beneficial insect families, 14 bee taxa, and 48 bird species, demonstrating
their ecological value. AEP has conducted site visits to educate its
employees on the value of pollinator vegetation, created a publicly
available video to illustrate the benefits of native vegetation, and has
hosted multiple Pollinator Week events. They have also engaged many
arboretum volunteers and made the habitat sites available to the Ohio Bee
Team and professional workshops hosted by the Ohio Chapter of the Wildlife
Society.

*2020 NAPPC Roadside Managers*
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has demonstrated their
commitment to environmental stewardship and pollinator habitat through
reduced mowing practices, limited pesticide use, and uses 23 native seed
mixes in roadside vegetation management, including 3 milkweed species. The
agency currently uses native seed in 57% of management plans, with the
target 75% of plans by 2025. Additionally, MnDOT utilizes prescribed fire
to enhance native habitat and plant diversity while controlling invasive
species, and the agency supports research projects related to pollinator
health. MnDOT also helped lead the development of the Monarch Butterfly
Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances – the first nationwide
voluntary agreement with USFWS to support monarch conservation on energy
and transportation lands. Minnesota is one of the first states to enroll in
the agreement, committing to long-term management for monarch butterflies
on more than 20,000 acres along more than 11,000 miles of highway. MnDOT
regularly engages the public through educational social media outreach,
participation in National Pollinator Week, and the creation of monarch
waystations along I-35 rest areas.

The NAPPC conference, hosted virtually by Pollinator Partnership and the
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, took place October 20 – 22
and topics included the status of pollinators after 20 years of NAPPC;
plant-pollinator interactions; the conservation of specialist bees;
grassland conservation and pollinators; the Founder Remembrance video
series; the effects of climate change on pollinators; pathogens, pesticides
and pollinators; the current state of the monarch butterfly; the importance
of pollinators for agriculture; and reports from honey bee health
researchers on projects funded through NAPPC. Task forces worked to select
consensus-based projects and desired outcomes for the coming year.
Additional information about pollinator award winners from 2020 and
previous years is available at http://pollinator.org/awards.

ABOUT THE POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP (P2) AND THE NORTH AMERICAN POLLINATOR
PROTECTION CAMPAIGN (NAPPC)

Established in 1997, P2 is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization headquartered
in San Francisco, California. P2’s mission is to promote the health of
pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation,
education, and research. Visit www.pollinator.org for more information.

P2 facilitates NAPPC, a tri-national collaboration working to promote
awareness and scientific understanding of pollinators; to gather, organize
and disseminate information about pollinators; to provide a forum to
identify and discuss pollinator issues; and to promote projects,
initiatives and activities that enhance pollinators.  NAPPC's mission is to
encourage the health of resident and migratory pollinating animals in North
America. NAPPC partners gather from throughout the North American continent
to raise public awareness and education and to promote constructive
dialogue about pollinators’ importance to agriculture, ecosystem health,
and food supplies. NAPPC encourages collaborative, working partnerships
among participants and with federal, state and local government entities.
The annual conference strengthens the network of associated organizations
working on behalf of pollinators to promote conservation, protection and
restoration of habitat, and to document and support scientific, economic
and policy research. Information about NAPPC, including past
accomplishments and highlights of past NAPPC conferences, is available at
http://pollinator.org/nappc.

Anthony Colangelo
Communications Coordinator
Pollinator Partnership Canada

PO Box 73619

Wychwood PO

Toronto, Ontario

c: 647-895-2393

<https://www.pollinatorpartnership.ca/>
<https://www.pollinator.org/monarch/mwaa>
<https://www.pollinator.org/bff>
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