Connecting communities and scientists in discovering, understanding, and conserving the natural world.

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Save the bees! Save the pollinators!

You’ve likely seen these messages on stickers, shirts, or social media. Pollinators have created quite a “buzz” in the news too, as studies confirm alarming insect declines worldwide—driven by habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change.

While European honey bees often get the spotlight, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to 302 native bee species. Through our All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI), Discover Life in America has documented park life since 1998—revealing that insects make up 47% of the park’s 22,837 known species. Beyond bees, thousands of butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, and beetles are quietly sustaining these ecosystems.

We’re asking urgent questions:

  • How are native pollinators faring in the Smokies?
  • Which species are most vulnerable?
  • What would happen if their populations collapsed?

The rusty-patched bumble bee, listed as endangered in 2017 and last seen in the park in 2001, is a stark warning. That’s why expanding our work is critical.

With decades of biodiversity data behind us, we’re ready to launch conservation-first initiatives: to identify species in decline, track early warning signs and launch a comprehensive evaluation of native bee populations in the Smokies.

The time to act is now. Your donation will help us:

  • Launch the first-ever native bee assessment in Great Smoky Mountains National Park–a deep dive into bee data collected through the ATBI to assess bee health and drive their conservation. 
  • Develop rapid, efficient methods for measuring the health of insect populations in the Smokies and beyond.
  • Use ATBI data to detect signs of biodiversity stress or decline among other key organisms.
  • Build the capacity we need to manage and analyze ATBI data to predict emerging environmental threats.
  • Widen our footprint by expanding our work in Southern Appalachia, a region renowned for its biological diversity.

Your gift of any amount helps discover, understand, and conserve pollinators in the Smokies and beyond. 

Together, we can ensure the Smokies remain a haven for native pollinators and the thousands of other species they support. Thank you for being part of the DLiA community. 

          With gratitude,

Todd Witcher, DLiA Executive Director

Sam Rosolina, DLiA Board Chair

Thank you for helping us conduct and promote science in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and beyond!

Other ways to support DLiA:

Discover life in America is a proud nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their mission is to discover, understand, and conserve biological diversity. DLiA’s flagship project, the ATBI (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory), is a joint effort with the National Park System to identify and understand every species within the park. 

To date, the ATBI has added 12,507 new species to the park’s inventory, including 1,093 new to science. There are now 22,837 total species documented in the Smokies and an estimated 60,000–80,000 additional species to be discovered.

Discover Life in America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Tax identification number: 62-1770910