The Most Successful Pollinator Programs Have One Thing in Common
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With the August 31st early enrollment deadline fast approaching, many energy and transportation organizations are evaluating participation in the new Bumble Bee Conservation Benefit Agreement (CBA)—and perhaps also its predecessor, the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA). Throughout my years working with energy and transportation partners in the Monarch CCAA and across the Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group, the one factor I’ve seen that has had the greatest impact on pollinator program success is the level of buy-in and ownership from the vegetation management (VM) team.
Many organizations approach pollinator conservation as a series of separate projects or initiatives, often spearheaded by the environmental group or a passionate internal champion. While this can lead to some outstanding conservation wins, the overall extent may be small, it can be resource- and time-intensive compared to the benefits gained, and the program may be one budget cut or personnel change away from disappearing altogether. The key to long-term success lies in programmatically engaging the VM “boots on the ground” from the beginning to build buy-in and ownership.
VM departments are uniquely positioned to not only help implement but actually drive CCAA and CBA efforts. The outcomes of these programs largely depend on how well VM managers and field crews understand the conservation objectives, take ownership of them, and integrate conservation practices into their routine operations. In reality, many of the practices that support monarchs, bumble bees, and other pollinators are already primary components of an effective Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) program. Controlling invasive species, promoting desirable low-growing vegetation, minimizing unnecessary disturbance, and applying the right treatment in the right place and time all benefit both VM operations and habitat.
While the CCAA and CBA programs require recurring monitoring of vegetation and habitat conditions, it’s nothing beyond the reach of traditional VM personnel, especially with a little training. The benefits of empowering your VM team to conduct CCAA and CBA habitat assessments include lower costs than outsourcing the monitoring tasks, streamlined program tracking, and opportunities to integrate the collected data in VM decision-making. But, probably more importantly, tasking VM crews with habitat monitoring encourages them to begin viewing the landscapes they manage through a conservation lens. And that is how environmental stewardship becomes part of your operational culture, not just a set of external requirements.
In short: the most successful CCAA and CBA programs are not built alongside VM programs. They are built into them.
How has your VM team been involved in pollinator conservation efforts? I'd love to hear what's worked best for you.
Many organizations approach pollinator conservation as a series of separate projects or initiatives, often spearheaded by the environmental group or a passionate internal champion. While this can lead to some outstanding conservation wins, the overall extent may be small, it can be resource- and time-intensive compared to the benefits gained, and the program may be one budget cut or personnel change away from disappearing altogether. The key to long-term success lies in programmatically engaging the VM “boots on the ground” from the beginning to build buy-in and ownership.
VM departments are uniquely positioned to not only help implement but actually drive CCAA and CBA efforts. The outcomes of these programs largely depend on how well VM managers and field crews understand the conservation objectives, take ownership of them, and integrate conservation practices into their routine operations. In reality, many of the practices that support monarchs, bumble bees, and other pollinators are already primary components of an effective Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) program. Controlling invasive species, promoting desirable low-growing vegetation, minimizing unnecessary disturbance, and applying the right treatment in the right place and time all benefit both VM operations and habitat.
While the CCAA and CBA programs require recurring monitoring of vegetation and habitat conditions, it’s nothing beyond the reach of traditional VM personnel, especially with a little training. The benefits of empowering your VM team to conduct CCAA and CBA habitat assessments include lower costs than outsourcing the monitoring tasks, streamlined program tracking, and opportunities to integrate the collected data in VM decision-making. But, probably more importantly, tasking VM crews with habitat monitoring encourages them to begin viewing the landscapes they manage through a conservation lens. And that is how environmental stewardship becomes part of your operational culture, not just a set of external requirements.
In short: the most successful CCAA and CBA programs are not built alongside VM programs. They are built into them.
How has your VM team been involved in pollinator conservation efforts? I'd love to hear what's worked best for you.
Iris Caldwell recently joined Grow With Trees as Vice President. She previously founded and facilitated the internationally recognized Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group to convene people at the intersection of energy and transportation, conservation, research, and policy.
