From left: Volunteer coordinator Laura Wallace, co-director Bieke Puncochar, co-director Bethany Crandell

We created this initiative because we are very excited about urban habitat restoration. Our hope is to make it easier for active families like ours, new and seasoned gardeners, schools, churches, community gardens, and park-goers to learn about and source affordable native plants and feel the satisfaction that comes from creating biodiverse sanctuaries in their own spaces.

We also want to help foster human community through a shared love of nature by connecting with other orgs in our city and region, so please drop us a line if you have plant needs or thoughts to share. We're happy you stopped by!

Bieke was born and raised in Belgium, where she earned a Master’s degree in child psychology from the University of Leuven. She went on to complete her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, later teaching undergraduate and graduate classes, supervising junior clinicians, and publishing research. Today, she runs a private practice specializing in psychoeducational evaluations for children and adolescents. A lifelong nature lover, Bieke enjoys gardening, birding, going on nature walks, and spending time outdoors with her family. In recent years, she has become an avid native plant enthusiast, filling her garden with a vibrant array of native species. 

Bethany is a master gardener and has a landscape design certification from Cornell, with other previous professional iterations including book author profiled in The New York Times, magazine writer, and non-profit admin. Growing up in the open spaces of Southwestern Wisconsin, she spent many hours with native plants before learning about their essential ecological gifts later in life!