Intended Audience
Anyone with an interest in making their community better for bees and other pollinators. This might include gardeners, teachers, city park managers, and naturalists.
Cost
Registration is $25* per person. Pre-registration is required and space is limited.
Each participant will receive a packet of information materials, including a copy of the best-selling book, Attracting Native Pollinators.
Lunch will not be provided, please bring a lunch and refillable water bottle to the workshop.
*Scholarships are available. No application necessary.
Registration Contact
Rachel Dunham
The Xerces Society
rachel.dunham@xerces.org
Workshop Instructor Contact
Matthew Shepherd
The Xerces Society
matthew.shepherd@xerces.org
Reasonable Accommodations
The Xerces Society provides reasonable accommodations for special events with adequate notice. To request accommodation for events, please contact rachel.dunham@xerces.org.
The Xerces Society is an equal-opportunity provider and employer.
About the Xerces Society
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is a trusted source for science-based information and advice. We collaborate with people and institutions at all levels and our work to protect pollinators encompasses all landscapes. Our team draws together experts from the fields of habitat restoration, entomology, botany, and conservation biology with a single focus—protecting the life that sustains us. To learn more about our work, visit www.xerces.org.
Partners and Acknowledgements
Thank you to the Ittleson Foundation for funding this workshop and St Paul's United Methodist church for hosting it.
Photo Credits
Bumble Bee by Sara Morris/FLickr (inset).
Planting for Pollinators:
Conserving Native Pollinators in Towns and Cities
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
Milwaukie, OR
Saturday, July 27th, 2019
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM PDT
Please join us to learn about bees and butterflies, and what you can do to provide the habitat they need in urban and suburban gardens and greenspaces.
This workshop will open a window into the fascinating world of North America’s native bees and butterflies, introduce you to what they need, and examine the threats that make the future daunting for them. You will learn about native pollinators’ natural history, their importance to our environment and food supply, and most importantly, the straightforward steps you can take to create lasting change in our urban landscapes to help make your home, and your community, native pollinator friendly.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Pollinator Conservation and Threats
- We'll introduce you to the importance and diversity of native pollinators, and why we should care.
- Overview of the four principal threats pollinators face: habitat loss, pesticides, diseases and nonnative species, and climate change.
Natural History and Identifying Pollinators
- An introduction to the life history of pollinators, plus pointers for identifying some commonly encountered bees and butterflies.
Walk and Talk
- Let’s go outside to see what pollinators look like in real life, take a close-up look at some of them, and practice spotting good habitat—and what could be improved.
Giving Pollinators What They Need in Towns and Cities
- Where and how to improve towns and cities for pollinators by creating flower-rich habitat in urban and suburban spaces, from yards to parks—and everywhere in between.
Engaging Your Community
- Ways to broaden your efforts by engaging neighbors, friends, and others in pollinator conservation and citizen science.
INSTRUCTOR:
Matthew Shepherd, Communications & Outreach Director, The Xerces Society
In the past 18 years, Matthew has collaborated with people from all walks of life to promote awareness about and protection of pollinators, especially native bees. Matthew is author of numerous articles and books, including Attracting Native Pollinators (Storey Publishing, 2011) and Gardening for Butterflies (Timber Press, 2016). He is now the Society’s Director of Communications & Outreach, reducing the amount of time spent with pollinators, but increasing the time supporting the many other aspects of Xerces conservation work. He has created and maintained wildlife gardens everywhere he has lived.
Rachel Dunham, Community Engagement Coordinator, The Xerces Society
Rachel recently joined the Xerces Society to build a new volunteer program and to extend Xerces outreach efforts into towns and cities. By utilizing volunteers, she will help further conservation efforts of invertebrate species through engaging and motivating communities to action. Rachel has a Masters of Wildlife Conservation and several years of experience in volunteer management and outreach.