Think about the possibilities. Electric utilities manage miles of transmission lines across the areas they serve. What if the land within those rights-of-way could create better food sources, shelter and protection for pollinators?
That’s exactly what the Bonneville Power Administration has done in Portland, Oregon’s Forest Park—one of the largest urban parks in the country—through a multiyear collaboration with Portland Parks and Recreation and Metro, a regional planning agency. By improving the land beneath power line rights-of-way in the 5,200-acre park, about 67 acres of habitat now provide better nesting sites, shelter and food sources for pollinators.
Begun in 2016, the Forest Park project has increased pollinators along the rights-of-way while reducing the company’s maintenance costs. The initiative speaks to sustainability, environmental stewardship and community involvement.
“Pollinators are crucial to the environment and to the very food we eat,” says Nancy Wittpenn, BPA environmental protection specialist and a leader in BPA’s Pollinator Workgroup. “However, many people are not aware of the benefits butterflies, beetles, bees and other pollinators provide, so we wanted to involve our employees in education and activities to learn more.”
In 2018, the agency created its first Pollinator Workgroup.
“The Pollinator Workgroup formalized what some BPA staff had already been working on,” Nancy says. “Today, our Pollinator Workgroup has 20 or so members who plan events and activities for employees during National Pollinator Week, create educational opportunities and design hands-on projects to protect and support pollinators.”
Activities have included installing temporary mason bee houses at BPA facilities, promoting the weeklong National Pollinator Week each June and sponsoring speakers to educate BPA staff about the importance and benefits of pollinators.
Projects have included a monarch butterfly mapping program, native plant selection and advice for landscape design at BPA facilities, creating pollinator-friendly management best practices used by several groups within BPA, and partnerships to replicate the Forest Park model in other BPA rights-of-way.
In 2023, BPA received national recognition for its work in Forest Park through the Pollinator Electric Power Award from the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. Nancy received the 2021 Power Delivery and Utilization Technology Transfer Award for her contributions to a documentary about pollinators. The Electric Power Research Institute produced the documentary as part of its Power-in-Pollinators initiative.
What has driven BPA’s commitment to pollinators?
“Our agency is in a very unique position to support pollinators while continuing to be effective environmental stewards,” Nancy says. “BPA’s leadership and employees have made a commitment to pollinator survival, and this commitment has become an important part of our sustainability culture.
“We’re working within the organization, but many of our individual employees and their families are supporting pollinators in their own home landscapes and communities. It’s not only a win-win for BPA and the environment, but for the communities we serve, our customers and stakeholders, our employees and their families.”