Jennifer Sterling-Folker

Ashford PP Steering Committee Chairperson, and author of the monthly Ashford Pollinator Pathway News article in the Ashford Citizen –

Jennifer has been an Ashford resident since 1994 when she began teaching as a Professor of International Relations at the University of Connecticut.  She served as a member of the Ashford Board of Education (two years as Chair) and is currently a member of Ashford Garden Club.  Her own garden is a woodland shade garden with a mix of cultivars and native plants.  It is registered with Pollinator Pathways and as a National Federation of Wildlife habitat.  Jennifer has found that native plant gardening is empowering – we can help save the planet while doing what we love!

Melinda MacDonald

Ashford PP Steering Committee member and webmaster –

Melinda has been an avid gardener for most of her life. She started with marigolds and myriad annuals, only discovering perennial gardening in her 30s. Then she joined a CSA in her 40s and began growing vegetables, which became a singular passion for a while. Now that she’s retired, with more time on her hands and a greater awareness of the biodiversity crisis we’re facing, her gardens are varied – annuals and ornamental perennials, yes. But her emphasis at this point is on growing native plants to support pollinators, and vegetables to feed humans. ‘Just plant the seed‘ is one of her favorite phrases.

Heather McKelvie

Ashford PP Steering Committee member, content creator, and team photographer –

Heather comes from a long line of gardening enthusiasts. Raised in Bucks County, PA, and rural Vermont, Heather was fortunate to be immersed in both wild and cultivated spaces during her formative years. Passionate about art, design, and nature, Heather obtained a degree in landscape architecture from UConn and later obtained her master gardener’s certification from the UConn extension center. She is especially interested in sustainability and ecological restoration, which is why the Pollinator Pathway mission is so important to her.

Click here to view the Ashford Page on the Pollinator Pathway site!

Click here to view the Ashford Pollinator Pathway facebook page!