BPA’s pollinator habitat featured in national database

The Electric Power Research Institute’s Power-in-Pollinators Initiative has developed a Pollinator Stewardship Dashboard to highlight the collective habitat improvements of PiP members. The Bonneville Power Administration is one of 15 participating power companies across the U.S. So far, 227 sites have been entered into the database by the members, covering a little more than 24,000 acres. To see BPA’s contributions, filter the company column by “Bonneville.”

The dashboard includes a short description for each site and provides information on the location type (right-of-way, substation, etc.), acreage, pollinator species specialization (whether the plants will benefit native pollinators or monarchs), target plant type and more.

“This is only a start,” said Jessica Fox, senior technical executive with EPRI. “We know there are more sites and acres. This type of effort shows the value of collaborative efforts, provides access to information to stakeholders, and informs federal and state agencies about existing conservation actions supporting species.”

Tracking pollinator habitat is an important part of BPA’s sustainability strategy and is just one of the benefits of BPA’s membership in the PiP Initiative. It also provides insight and inspiration into what other utilities, like the Tennessee Valley Authority, are doing to promote and conserve pollinator habitat.

BPA’s Pollinator Work Group continues to look for opportunities to increase and improve pollinator habitat across the agency’s service territory. BPA and other electric transmission providers are in a unique position to provide connected habitat corridors to pollinators that are under increased pressure from habitat loss and climate change effects.

Learn more about BPA’s proactive measures
Because high-growing vegetation poses a risk to power lines and the reliable delivery of electricity, which in turn can impact public safety, BPA works to cultivate low-growing native plants along its right-of-ways and adheres to stewardship criteria developed by the Right-of-Way Stewardship Council. When herbicide is used, it’s used in a highly targeted manner to address noxious weeds and tall-growing plants that pose a reliability risk.

We are also working with EPRI and the Xerces Society to create a Bee Better Certification program for electric power companies.