Who We Are, What We Do
BGO (the Bee Girl Organization) is a grassroots nonprofit centered on bee habitat conservation through research, regeneration, art, & education.
We are working on conservation, research, education, and conceptual art projects from the Coast Mountains of Oregon, through the Great Basin, to Montana’s Paradise Valley, and into the Great Plains. Though our roots are in beekeeping, our current work has also led us into regenerative agriculture, native bee conservation, and wildlife coexistence.
We work shoulder-to-shoulder with ranchers, farmers, vineyard managers and wine makers, universities, government entities, policy makers, and partner nonprofits to understand and address issues in agriculture that affect bees, and to create collaborative win-win solutions for bees and producers.
Our Worker Bees
Sarah Red-Laird
Founder and Executive Program Director
Sarah Red-Laird is the founder and Executive Program Director of the Bee Girl organization (BGO), a grassroots nonprofit centered on bee habit conservation through research, regeneration, & education. Her work currently has her chasing bees from the Coast Mountains of Oregon, though the Great Basin, to Montana’s Paradise Valley, and into the Great Plains. She is a graduate of the University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation and the Davidson Honors College with a degree in Resource Conservation, focused on community collaboration and environmental policy. To see her commitment to good policy and education realized, she has formerly served as the director of the American Beekeeping Federation’s “Kids and Bees” program, as president of the Northwest Farmers Union and Western Apicultural Society, and as a board member of the National Farmers Union. When she is not working alongside bees, beekeepers, kids, farmers, ranchers, vineyard managers, and policy makers, Sarah loves to read books while drinking coffee, ride her vintage 10-speed, run in the hills, and see new places, things, and people. To see her latest projects updates visit Instagram and Facebook @sarahbeegirl
Ginelle Dekker
Operations Director
Ginelle Dekker is the Bee Girl Organization’s new Operations Director. Born and raised in Michigan, she graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree. Ginelle comes to BGO from Park City, Utah where she worked in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. She spent a decade working in the ski industry, serving as the Senior Manager of Retail Operations for Park City Mountain for a number of years, with a focus on operational excellence and leadership development. Most recently, Ginelle managed Human Resources and Administration for a growing humanitarian non-profit out of Park City. Her passion for conservation and stewardship of our natural resources has informed over a decade of volunteerism and service. Volunteering on the administrative side of grant funding, outreach, and liaison work, as well as getting her hands dirty maintaining trails, and working in local food pantries. When she’s not supporting the BGO mission, you can find Ginelle skiing, hiking, teaching and practicing Anusara Yoga, and whitewater rafting with her partner and pups! She looks forward to the opportunity to support BGO operationally, while engaging with the #loveourbees community and beyond!
Sarah gardner
Bee Habitat Project Advisor & Taxonomist
Sarah Gardner is a pollination ecologist and native bee taxonomist out of Pendleton, Oregon, where she has her own ecological consulting business. Starting at a young age she volunteered for entomology labs, and gained a dedicated enthusiasm for solitary bees while working for the Bee Biology and Systematics lab in Logan, Utah. Sarah graduated in 2012 from Utah State University with her Master’s in Science, where she examined the effects of oil and gas development on rare plants and pollinators in Colorado. Recently she has become more focused on researching anthropogenic effects on invertebrate communities in the Pacific Northwest, with special emphasis on the hundreds of native bee species that can be found in the area. When not in front of a microscope, she can be found running around summer meadows with a net, teaching diverse groups about native bees, or whitewater boating with her husband and dogs. Sarah is thrilled to be collaborating with BGO, who’s stewardship and community involvement advocate for pollinators in a unique and accessible way.
Tara Laidlaw
Educational Content Developer
Tara is an instructional designer and teacher trainer passionate about using place-based education to inspire environmental literacy and stewardship in learners of all ages. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropological Sciences from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in Natural Science and Environmental Education from Hamline University, and she has worked at the intersection of formal and informal education for over a decade. Tara offers education consulting services through her own company, Out to Learn, and she works part-time as the Education Program Manager with the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. When she’s not teaching science outdoors, you might find her sewing a quilt, leading a dance lesson, or getting her hands dirty in the garden. She loves bees because they invite genuine curiosity and wonder in learners of all ages... once you get over the fear factor, they're absolutely fascinating critters!
Our Support Staff
Midgie Red-Laird Koerner
Lead Adorableness Officer
Midgie's main job is to be her mom's very best friend as they sit in the office and art studio at home, and travel in the van across the American West. Named after the relentless and ferocious Scottish bitting ghat, her energy is endless. While Midgie's demon-mode will get any cow quickly on the move, the barn cats across the country that have grown quite the affinity for her affectionate soul could never imagine it. Despite her wee "Cowboy Corgi" legs, she is also an excellent trail runner.
Hermin Red-Laird Cullison
Director of Aloofness
Like Midgie, Hermin is a foster-fail that was collected from Sarah's mom, who's a devoted foster hero for the local animal shelter. Hermin was scooped out of a pile of muck and bottle fed by her people. Though she came to us teacup sized, she's now exceedingly large, a trait commented on by the very few people who have been able to get a glimpse of her. Also notable is her ever-present Russian Blue smile, and her moonbeam feets. Her primary role at BGO is to appear out of nowhere and lay across the laptop keyboard, dotting everything with drool as she purrs.
Willis Red-Laird
Director of Creativity: Cord Chewing and Backyard Absconding
Willis is one of nine brothers and sisters who was born to a young single mother, rescued from a storage unit. While he thinks his primary position at BGO is chewing laptop and printer cords in half, it's actually to be unbelievably soft and fun to cuddle. He's also into physical comedy, magical disappearing acts, and according to his vet, shouldn't get any more plump.
Rune Laidlaw
Garden Supervisor
Since joining the Laidlaw household as a grey-faced old man, Rune has taken his post-retirement role of Garden Supervisor very seriously. He patrols regularly for unexpected feline, avian, and rodent visitors, he samples perfectly ripe vegetables to remind Tara that she needs to harvest them ASAP, and he guards the compost pile for the other 23 hours each day by sleeping in it.
Jefe Dekker-Eberle
Board of Fur-ectors
Jefe has recently retired from a long career of river running, stick chasing, and fly fishing. He now enjoys slow afternoons by the fire, rides in the back of the UTV, and mentoring his baby brother Pungo in all things “good boy”. Jefe’s primary role at the home office is shadowing Ginelle’s every move, while soliciting pets and treats.
Pungo Dekker-Eberle
Forestry Intern
Pungo is an eager and amped pup named after a favorite camp on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Under the mentorship of Jefe, Pungo’s primary responsibilities include alerting everyone of meal times, cuddling his kitty Wynnie, collecting firewood, and hunting for pine cones in the backyard.
Wynnie Dekker-Eberle
Social Outreach Coordinator
Wynnie wears many hats at the home office, including office chair occupant, pup snuggler, and bird watcher. Named after the winter season in which she arrived on the doorstep, she is brave, unpredictable, and affectionate. Wynnie leaps at any social opportunity, and loves to be the star of the zoom meeting.