The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund Announces the Appointment of New Board Member

New board member brings first-hand experience in building habitat. 

February 21, 2024. The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to plant high-quality pollinator habitat, announced today the appointment of Russell Freeman to the board of directors. 
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“I couldn’t be more excited to utilize my experience to further the mission of this organization,” says Freeman. “I have seen the benefits of planting habitat first-hand and The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund’s approach to large-scale pollinator habitat plantings has the opportunity to change the landscape for the better, resulting in multiple benefits.” 

Freeman, who resides in Edina, MN, has spent the last ten years creating habitat for wildlife on his family farm of roughly one thousand acres in Logan County, ND. During his career, he spent fifteen years in marketing and communications and was a key growth player for two different companies. He also has experience serving on the University of North Dakota College of Arts and Sciences Advisory board where he is also leading a fundraising effort on campus. 

“Having Russ on our Board of Directors couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Peter Berthelsen, Executive Director of The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund. “His background experience and passion for the environment will be vital as we continue to grow and deliver our pollinator health and habitat mission.”  

The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to establishing high quality pollinator habitat to ensure pollinator populations thrive. They work with landowners, conservationists, scientists, and beekeepers to build healthy and sustainable pollinator habitat with maximum benefits. Their solution precisely targets pollinators’ needs by engineering projects that provide appropriate bloom diversity, density, and duration to optimize forage potential. 

Seed a Legacy Program now available in Kentucky.

The Seed a Legacy program, offered by The Bee and the Butterfly Habitat Fund, provides free seed and technical guidance for landowners and land managers wanting to plant high-quality pollinator habitat on 2+ acres. Due to increased interest and support, the program is now available in the state of Kentucky. The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund recently attended the North American Honey Bee Expo (NAHBE) in Kentucky to officially announce the expansion.

     "We couldn't be happier about the response we've received already from attending the NAHBE," says Elsa Gallagher, Habitat Program Director. "Whether you have land or not, this is an all-hands-on deck effort. The more support we have, the more we can change the landscape for the better and the quicker we can expand into more states."

If you are interested in applying for The Seed a Legacy program, click HERE. 
If you are interested in donating to support this program, click HERE. 

 ​     The Bee and the Butterfly Habitat Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting high-quality pollinator habitat, has announced that they are now offering their Seed a Legacy program to landowners in Pennsylvania.
     Started in 2017, the Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund’s Seed a Legacy program identifies opportunities to establish critical pollinator habitat to help honey bee and monarch butterfly populations thrive. The program provides landowners that have two or more acres with free NextGen seed mixes along with one-on-one technical guidance to ensure the success of the habitat. To date, the nonprofit has successfully established over 500 pollinator projects on 4,000+ acres across a 12-state region.
     "The Seed a Legacy program started in twelve core Midwest states because those states provide critical habitat for beekeeping and eastern monarch butterfly population recovery," states Elsa Gallagher, Habitat Program Director. "As we looked to expand outside of that region and make an even bigger impact, Pennsylvania came to the top of our list. The state has huge potential for creating quality pollinator habitat. Plus, we've already seen a lot of interest from landowners here."
     Beekeepers benefit tremendously from the NextGen seed mixes that the Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund utilizes. These state-specific mixes are formulated for optimal pollinator health and lead to better outcomes for honey bees, including healthier, stronger beehives, increased honey production and increased annual survival. A recent research project completed by Dr. Clint Otto (US Geological Survey, Jamestown ND), shows the differences in pollinator use and in floral abundance between several habitat types, including The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund's NextGen seed mixtures.