Visit Vancouver’s
Pollinator Festival

Dr. Robert Michael Pyle grew up studying seashells (a bad choice in Colorado) and butterflies (a better one). After graduating the University of Washington, he studied butterfly conservation in England on a Fulbright Scholarship, eventually earning a PhD in butterfly ecology at Yale University. He worked in Conservation Biology jobs in Papua New Guinea (with the biggest butterflies in the world), Cambridge, U.K., and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Andony Melathopoulos is an Associate Professor of Pollinator Health Extension and leads up the Master Melittologist program, which is the first program in the U.S. dedicated to surveying wild bee populations. He is also the host of the weekly podcast PolliNation.

Josephine Woolington is a writer and musician living in her hometown of Portland. Her book, "Where We Call Home: Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific Northwest," won a 2024 Oregon Book Award. She writes stories about the environment and Indigenous affairs for High Country News and other publications.

Michael O’Loughlin is the Environmental Sustainability Manager at Clark Public Utilities in Vancouver, WA. In his spare time, he can be found working on habitat enhancement projects and pollinator seed trials on his farm in McMinnville, OR. The farm is a flagship farm where he teaches other landowners how to be better land stewards. He is an instructor for Oregon State University’s Master Melittologist program and a member of both the Oregon Bee Atlas and the Washington Bee Atlas as well as serving on the Washington State Pollinator Health Task Force.

Jane Tesner Kleiner loves to connect people, of all ages, to nature. As a landscape architect and ecologist, she loves to help people add pockets of nature into their everyday lives. She works on a wide range of projects, but adding nature to school campuses ranks at the top of the list. Adding shade trees to playgrounds, healthy habitat for hands-on learning and learning gardens, all add healthy landscapes for learning, play and wellness. 

Steven Clark is a biology professor emeritus at Clark College.  He is currently serving as the Bee Campus Project Manager at Clark College.  Steven has done research on the Western Pond Turtle, the American Pika, Sage Grouse  and dozens of species of rare plants as part of the University of Washington’s Rare Plant Conservation.  Among several nature memberships, he is a long-time member of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the Vancouver Audubon Society.  Steven serves as a board member for the Washington Native Plant Society and is on the science staff for Cascade Pika Watch.

Bella Padgett is the Habitat Restoration Specialist for the Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. She received her B.S. in Biology with a focus in ecology from Oregon State University and her Associates of Arts from Portland Community College. She sits on the board of directors for the Vancouver Bee Project. They previously served as an AmeriCorps member with the City of Vancouver's Urban Forestry and Naturespaces Programs, working with volunteers to restore wildlife habitat in public spaces.