Native America Calling: Counteracting a pollinator crisis

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Tuesday, April 15, 2025

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Counteracting a pollinator crisis

The recent winter proved deadly for honey bee colonies.

The Washington State University Honey Bees and Pollinators Program reports mass die-offs for commercial beekeepers. Honey bees, butterflies, and even small vertebrates like bats and birds are important to agriculture and are indicators of a healthy ecosystem.

Their populations fluctuate and are affected by pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change. Tribes and Native groups like the Euchee Butterfly Farm in Oklahoma are among those devoting resources to pollinator restoration work.

Join the conversation to talk with Native pollinator protectors about efforts to help turn the threat to pollinators around.

Guests on Native America Calling

Nathan Moses-Gonzales (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), entomologist and CEO of M3 Agriculture Technologies in Washington

Jane Breckinridge (enrolled Muscogee Creek Nation and Euchee), director of the Euchee Butterfly Farm in Oklahoma and the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators

Melanie Kirby (Tortugas Pueblo), professional beekeeper, founder of Zia Queen Bees Farm and Field Institute, extension educator and pollinator specialist at the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico, and a founder of Poeh Povi Flower Path Network