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Master Gardeners say Marion County led Southeast pollinator census, drew international collaboration
Summary
UF/IFAS Extension staff and Marion County Master Gardeners told commissioners their local Pollinator Ambassador Academy and the county's role in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census drew 2,800 Florida participants in year one and opened talks with U.K. researchers.
Marion County’s UF/IFAS Extension staff and Master Gardeners reported to the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 19 that local training and outreach have positioned the county as a leader in pollinator conservation in the Southeast.
Why it matters: County extension officials said citizen science and volunteer training are building community capacity to monitor and improve pollinator habitat — an environmental and agricultural interest with local and broader ecological implications.
Jeremy Roden, the county’s urban horticulture agent and Master Gardener coordinator, told the board the county launched a Pollinator Ambassador Academy in 2024 to train local volunteers in pollinator monitoring and outreach. Roden said 170 people from 25 Florida counties trained in Marion County as ambassadors, and those volunteers reached more than 2,000 Florida residents. Roden said in its first year the Florida portion of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census drew about 2,800 Floridians from 53 counties and resulted in 110 new pollinator habitats planted in the state.
Roden said the Southeast-wide census drew nearly 19,000 participants and more than 2,000 pollinator gardens across the region. He said the census and ambassador training caught the attention of UK pollinator researchers; Marion County was invited to collaborate with the U.K. Centre for Hydrology and Ecology and other institutions to compare citizen‑science pollinator monitoring methods internationally.
Commission discussion and context: Commissioners thanked extension staff and volunteers and noted the county’s volunteer Master Gardener program — roughly 150 volunteers — as the backbone of the county’s outreach. Commissioners and staff discussed how local garden and habitat work contributes to broader research and how the program could be scaled or repeated across UF/IFAS districts.
Ending: The board presented an award to one of the county’s ambassadors, and extension staff said they plan to continue ambassador training statewide and to work with partners to expand pollinator monitoring and planting efforts.
