Conservation Planning for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects

This full day workshop will focus on concepts around protecting and enhancing populations of pollinators and beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. The course will provide an overview of pollinator and beneficial insects natural history and farm practices that support these important insects, such as protecting and creating habitat, modified horticultural practices, and reducing risk from pesticides and farm practices. 

Introductory topics include the principles of pollinator biology and integrated crop pollination, the economics of insect pollination, basic bee field identification, and evaluating pollinator habitat. Advanced modules will cover land management practices for pollinator protection, pollinator habitat restoration, incorporating pollinator conservation into federal conservation programs, selection of plants for pollinator enhancement sites, management of natural landscapes, and financial and technical resources to support these efforts. Throughout the short course these training modules are illustrated by case studies of pollinator conservation efforts across the country.

Registrants will receive the Xerces Society's Pollinator Conservation Toolkit which includes Xerces' book, Attracting Native Pollinators. as well as habitat management guidelines and relevant USDA-NRCS and extension publications.

The Xerces Society is offering similar Pollinator Conservation Short Courses, as well as Conservation Biological Control Short Courses across the country. Visit our online events page to view up-to-date short course information.

SHORT COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES

• Ability to identify ways of increasing and enhancing pollinator diversity on the land
• Knowledge of the current best management practices that minimize land-use impacts on pollinators
• Ability to identify bees and distinguish them from other insects
• Knowledge of the economics of insect-pollinated crops, and the effects of pollinator decline
• Knowledge of the current Farm Bill pollinator conservation provisions and how to implement those provisions through USDA programs such as WHIP, EQIP, CSP, and CRP
• Ability to assess pollinator habitat and to identify habitat deficiencies
• Ability to make recommendations to farmers and land managers that conserve pollinators (including subjects such as roadside management, tillage, pesticide use, burning, grazing, and cover cropping)
• Ability to design and implement habitat improvements, such as native plant restoration and nest site enhancements
• Ability to incorporate pollinators into land-management or policy decisions

Continuing Education Credits offered:

• Certified Crop Advisor Credits (6 CEUs)
  
• Society of American Foresters Credits
  
• The Wildlife Society Credits
  

COURSE AGENDA

Introduction - The Importance of Pollinator Conservation 

• Overview of pollinator diversity
• Pollination biology and the role of native bees in crop production
• The status of pollinator populations

Basic Bee and Butterfly Biology

• Recognizing native bees and other pollinators
• General overview of bee biology and identification
• Pollinator habitat needs – foraging and nesting habitat

Break 

Habitat Restoration

• Habitat planning and design considerations
• Plant selection and sources
• Site preparation and planting techniques for woody and herbaceous plants
• Conservation practices that support pollinators (e.g. wildflower plantings, buffers, windbreaks, cover crops, field borders, hedgerows, etc.)
• Long-term habitat management
• Protecting nesting sites
• Farm case studies and garden examples

Lunch - Please bring your own bagged lunch and a refillable water bottle!

Beneficial Insects - Predators and Parasitoids

• Introduction to beneficial insects and the ecological services they provide
• How to recognize common beneficial insects (predators and parasitoids)
• Overview of beneficial insect biology and habitat needs
• Profiles of common predators and parasitoids and the insect pests they attack

Guest Speaker: Bee Faunas of Coastal and Inland Sites in Southern Rhode Island (Howard S. Ginsberg and Aya Rothwell) 

• We surveyed the bee fauna of Napatree Point, on the southwest coast of Rhode Island, and the faunas of two inland sites: the Great Swamp and the Carter Preserve
• The sites shared many species, but there were interesting differences among the faunas, apparently related to environmental differences between coastal and inland sites.
• Rhode Island wild bees need additional study; this one-year survey found several species that were not previously known from Rhode Island.

Break

Bee Research at URI and Toxicity of Insecticides to Bees in the Home Landscape (Steven R. Alm, Sara Tucker, Steven Sipolski)

• Blueberry pollination in Rhode Island by native bees
• The carpenter bee - the good, the bad and the beautiful
• Japanese beetle traps and bee by-catch
• Insecticide use in the home landscape - effects on bees

Guest Speaker: Broad Ecological Benefits of Pollinator Seeding and Shrub Planting (Gary Casabona)

• Managing habitat for pollinators can potentially benefit many other species, including migratory songbirds, hummingbirds, and even turtles!
• Choosing the right native shrubs can maximize benefits for wildlife
• Patches of pollinator habitat can help protect water quality around streams
  
• Forests can be managed for natural regeneration of native shrubs
• Insecticide use in the home landscape - effects on bees

Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Friendly Farming Practices

• Best management practices for pollinator protection
• Mitigating pesticide damage
• IPM and pollinator protection

Wrap Up

• Questions
• Additional Resources
• Evaluations
• Raffle

  INSTRUCTORS

Kelly Gill – Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Region
Kelly is the Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions for The Xerces Society and a partner biologist with the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Kelly’s position provides technical support for planning, installing, and managing habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. A Pennsylvania native, Kelly completed her Master’s Degree in Entomology at Iowa State University. There, she conducted small plot and farm scale research, collaborating with organic and conventional farmers, on the development of best practices for conserving beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes.

Gary Casabona, State Biologist, NRCS RI 
Gary Casabona holds a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University, and a M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Virginia Tech.  He worked for USDA-NRCS in New Jersey for 14 years before moving to Rhode Island in 2011 as the statewide wildlife biologist for NRCS.  Gary’s current activities include habitat projects for New England cottontail, native pollinators, scrub/shrub birds, wetland restoration, fish passage, and oyster restoration.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Howard S. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
Howard Ginsberg is a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Unit Leader of Patuxent’s Rhode Island Field Station, and Professor in Residence at URI.  Dr. Ginsberg has published widely on the ecology of vector-borne diseases, especially tick-transmitted infections such as Lyme disease, and on mosquito ecology.  He also studies bee foraging ecology and works to develop efficient approaches to surveillance and management of vector-borne diseases that protect public health while minimizing adverse effects on pollinators.  Dr. Ginsberg received the Director’s Award for Natural Resource Research, 1999, from the U.S. National Park Service.  

Steven R. Alm, B.S. M. S. in entomology SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Ph.D. in entomology The Ohio State University
Steven's current research interests are in the ecology of native and managed bees, entomopathogens for control of turf and ornamental insects, and chemical communication in insects.  Current research projects include: native bees pollinating highbush blueberries, native pollinator plants, and floral scents attractive to bees.  Current graduate students are researching nectar robbery and pollination efficacy, pollen stores and nesting requirements of the Eastern carpenter bee as well as floral scents attractive to native bees.  Other research on establishment of pollinator forage is also being conducted.  

Aya Rothwell - Research Assistant, University of Rhode Island
Aya is a research assistant for a mosquito study with the Couret Lab (University of Rhode Island). She earned her Master of Environmental Science and Management from University of Rhode Island in 2018, where she studied the wild bees at Napatree Point. Aya has worked as a visual science communicator, creating images for science journals and science comics anthologies. She has also worked in Japan as a Coordinator for International Relations with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). www.AyaRothwell.com