The “single most effective action” we can take to conserve pollinators, according to the Xerces Society for Insect Conservation, is to plant meadows.

Recent concerns about declines in pollinating insects are paralleled by concerns about concurrent declines in native plants. Plant-pollinator interactions are being increasingly recognized as an endangered mutualism. Plant and pollinator communities must be considered together for effective conservation of either, as well as for the continuation of the benefits that spread through the ecosystem and beyond. In this webinar Valerie Huff explores the glorious diversity of plants, insect pollinators and pollination networks. Local examples highlight the beauty and complexity of pollination systems through time and space. The importance of taking a systems approach to recovery, particularly in the face of climate disruption, is discussed. You learn how the Kootenay Native Plant Society has been working toward plant and pollinator conservation, as well as ways to participate in reconnecting and recovering pollinator pathways in the Columbia Basin.

Valerie Huff is a restoration botanist who shares her passion for plants through her consulting work and as a member of the Kootenay Native Plant Society (KNPS), which she co-founded in 2012. A Kootenay resident for over 25 years, she has a BSc degree in Agriculture (Guelph) and a Diploma in the Restoration of Natural Systems and a MSc degree in Ecological Restoration (both at UVic).  With Lynn Westcott and Eva Johansson, KNPS started a Native Plants for Native Pollinators program in 2013, producing a poster “Protecting Pollinators in the Columbia Basin” and outreach programs to teach people how to conserve the intricate plant-pollinator relationships both in the wild and in our yards.  She has also co-founded Kinseed to provide seeds, plants and mentoring to help people rewild local spaces with carefully collected ecotypic seeds.

2020 Webinar #2

Original Air Date:
Wednesday, February 26, 2020