Welcome to PPAN's 8th Annual Bumble Bee Bash! 🐝

This is a chance for us to celebrate together the many victories for pollinators (and the people who love them) that PPAN and our incredible partners have fought for and won over the past decade since our founding. It’s also a chance for us to strategize about the future, and toward that end we are thrilled that Becky Long, of Siegel Long Public Affairs will be our keynote speaker.

Becky is truly a driving force of the Colorado environmental movement’s legislative strategy. She and the whole wonderful team at Siegel Long have been instrumental in PPAN’s State-level policy wins and lessons learned since 2016, such as the Pollinator Highway, Protect Pollinators License Plate Fund, the Native Pollinating Insects Study, and the Rare Plants & Invertebrates Bill.

We will gather at Yellow Barn Farm on September 7th, 2024 from 4pm to 8pm. We'll have plenty of food, drinks, and auction items for sale (you'll be able to bid online as well!). Your ticket purchase and support will go directly towards PPAN's advocacy, education, and habitat creation efforts!

We have an ambitious goal this year worthy of the habitats and biodiversity we all want to protect. If you can’t join us in person, please consider a donation in lieu of ticket purchase. Thank you!

About People & Pollinators Action Network

PPAN promotes pollinator-friendly land management and landscaping practices through community education, engagement and advocacy to preserve biodiversity and safeguard public health. We hope to see a world with healthy, sustainable ecosystems where people and pollinators can thrive now and for generations to come. Check out a few of our organizational efforts below!

Advocacy— PPAN played an integral role, as a member of the steering committee’s leadership team and championing the legislation that created the Colorado Native Pollinating Insects Health Study. This study is, "the most comprehensive review of the existing research on Colorado pollinators ever conducted, along with the management practices and recommendations for pollinator conservation on state-managed lands and beyond."

As a result of the study mentioned above, PPAN was able to support the passing of the Invertebrates & Rare Plants Parks & Wildlife Commission bill, which made invertebrates (pollinators!) and rare plants considered wildlife in the state of Colorado.

Education— PPAN believes that community awareness and engagement are essential for the transformation to a world with healthy, sustainable ecosystems where people and pollinators can thrive now and for generations to come. In order to support this transformation, PPAN holds educational webinars on various topics related to pollinators almost every month of every year. In 2024, we've already engaged with 370 webinar participants. You can check out some of our past webinars on our YouTube channel.

We also bolster our education efforts at community events throughout the state. From various plants swaps and symposiums to events like the Big Day of Bugs, we always enjoy chatting with people in person. In the 29 different events PPAN has been able to attend this year, we have engaged with over 6,500 participants!

Habitat Creation— One of the main ways PPAN creates pollinator safe habitat is through our Protect Our Pollinators Habitat Fund small grants program. Backed by sales of the Colorado Pollinator License Plate, this fund provides small grants to community organizations, businesses, and other institutions to develop, expand, restore, or protect healthy pollinator habitat. Since we successfully launched our Habitat Fund in March of 2023, we have helped create over 7 acres of organic, pollinator safe habitat.

Another way PPAN helps create pollinator safe habitat is through our Volunteer in Denver Parks and Volunteer in Golden Parks programs. Volunteering to help take care of pollinator beds in our parks helps reduce/eliminate the need for herbicides and helps get more native plants in the ground. PPAN is so grateful for our amazing volunteers!

You Can Help!

PPAN is proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the years, but we cannot continue this work without you!

Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and birds, are essential to our ecosystem. They play a critical role in the reproduction of many plants, and help produce the foods we eat every day. However, pollinator populations are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. PPAN's work to protect and support these vital creatures is more crucial than ever.

We need your help to continue our efforts in creating and maintaining pollinator-friendly habitats, enacting policy change, and raising awareness about pollinator importance. Your support and donations will directly contribute to these initiatives, ensuring that pollinators thrive and continue to benefit our environment and food supply. Together, we can make a difference to save these vital species!

Yucca Moth Original Illustration