PSC ATS Habitat Heroes

There are so many fantastic pollinator projects taking place through our Pollinator Steward Certification (PSC) Agriculture Training and Support (ATS) program as participants complete their habitat and outreach activities. We wanted to highlight some especially impactful projects in our Habitat Heroes series.

Check out their work below!

Steve Lane

Written by Alyson Wakeen

Nature tells a story… about the people who cared for it before us, the creatures who call it home today, and for the future generations, a glimpse into our actions today. Steve Lane attended  Pollinator Partnership’s Pollinator Steward Certification (PSC) in November 2024 and wasted no time afterward getting into action. When asked what inspired his involvement, Lane shared about the story that nature tells and proposed the question “What story does a lawn tell?”. Barren, uniform, lacking inspiration.

“Aw and wonder is an important part of being human” Lane said, fueling the way we connect, create, and view the world as a whole. Native habitat tells a much different story than turf grass… one of life, diversity, and abundance.

When Lane moved from Baltimore, MD  to Canton, OH, he knew he finally had a chance to “do something good” and tend to the land in a meaningful way. He began incorporating native plants in his backyard with inspiration from Doug Talamy’s infamous “Homegrown National Park”. When he came across an opportunity to take the PSC in-person he knew he had to seize it and thus, he and his wife, Amber, drove an hour each way for multiple days to take the class.

Their project for certification poured back into their community with a pocket meadow on Malone University’s campus in Canton, Ohio, enrolling the help of local preschoolers to plant the site. The seeds they sowed transformed a bed that was once hard to cultivate due to stormwater washout into a pocket full of life. Now, the site boasts false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae),common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and more.  

Photo credits: Alyson Wakeen

Even moreso, the site has provided an educational opportunity for Lane’s college students. During his Spring Beekeeping course, Lane teaches students about not just honey bees, but native pollinators as well. One of the exercises the class undertakes is a campus search for native bee habitat – hollow stems for nesting, native plants for forage – and concludes the exercise at the native habitat he created, explaining how our typical style of landscaping – lawn, hostas – creates a barren desert for pollinators.

“Students have enjoyed learning about natives and it brings up an important discussion about the pros and cons of honey bees”.  Lane’s approach to education exemplifies how honey bees can be a gateway for deeper learning and connection with native plants and pollinators. Afterall, “you’d be surprised how far a jar of honey can get you”.

Future plans on campus include a native landscaped patch outside their science building, a large meadow surrounding the apiary, and even applying for Bee Campus certification within the next year – enrolling their grounds crew and professors across disciplines to oversee the certification. Steve Lane’s PSC journey is one of curiosity and community connection, showcasing how each small step can accumulate into something much bigger than we’d ever expect.