Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Course

Tucson, Arizona
April 19, 2012
9:00 am - 4:30 pm MST

Pollinators are essential to our environment. The ecological service they provide is necessary for the reproduction of more than 85 percent of the world's flowering plants and is fundamental to agriculture and natural ecosystems. More than two-thirds of the world's crop species are dependent on pollination, with an annual estimated value of $18 to $27 billion in the United States alone. Beyond agriculture, pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems, since their activities are ultimately responsible for the seeds and fruits that feed everything from songbirds to black bears. Conservation of pollinating insects is critically important to preserving both wider biodiversity, as well as agriculture.

In many places, however, this essential service is at risk. In 2006, the National Academy of Sciences released the report Status of Pollinators in North America, which called attention to the decline of pollinators. The report urged agencies and organizations to increase awareness and protect pollinator habitat. The Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Course was developed to address this need. The course will include both classroom and field training components.

Introductory topics include the principles of pollinator biology, 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.

In addition, special guest Dr. Gary Nabhan will share case information about the Borderlands Habitat Restoration Initiative and Southwest Center's Sustainable Agriculture program's pollination services for farms and ranches initiative.

We will also be joined by Bruce Munda (Plant Materials Specialist) and Stuart Tuttle (State Biologist) of the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. They will share information about USDA conservation programs that support pollinator conservation projects in Arizona.

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

The Xerces Society is offering similar Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Courses across the country. Visit our online events page to view up-to-date short course information. If you would like to receive announcements about upcoming short courses, please email shortcourses@xerces.org. Be sure to include the following information: name, affiliation, mailing address, phone number, and the state(s) for which you would like to receive announcements.

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

COURSE AGENDA

Welcome (9:00 am - 9:15 am) Michael Rosenzweig, Director, Tumamoc: People and Habitats and author of Win-Win Ecology and an internationally recognized proponent of reconciliation ecology.

Module 1 (9:15 am - 10:00 am) Introduction

• Pollination economics and the role of native bees in commercial crop production
• Pollination biology
• Colony Collapse Disorder and honey bee industry trends

Module 2 (10:00 am - 10:45 am) Basic Bee and Butterfly Biology

• Bee identification
• Basic bee ecology
• Identifying pollinator nest sites

Break (10:45 am - 11:00 am)

Module 3 (11:00 am - 11:30 pm) Bee-Friendly Farming

• The value of natural habitat
• Mitigating pesticide damage
• Protecting nesting sites

Module 4a (11:30 am - 12:15 pm) Habitat Restoration

• Habitat design considerations
• Plant selection and seed sources
• Site preparation and planting techniques for native wildflowers
• Long-term habitat management
• Artificial nest sites

Lunch (12:15 pm - 1:00 pm)

Module 4b (1:00 pm - 1:45 pm) Restoration case studies from the Tucson area

• Special guest and local host Dr. Gary Nabhan will share stories of pollinator habitat restoration on farms in the Tucson area.
  

Module 5 (1:45 pm - 3:30 pm) Open Laboratory

• Tour of Tumamoc Hill with Dr. Gary Nabhan and Mace Vaughan
• Field observation, native plant selection, and land-use discussion (outdoors)
• Examination of pinned specimens, artificial nests, and display materials

Module 6 (3:30 pm - 4:00 pm) Current Farm Bill Provisions (special guest from the USDA-NRCS)

• Using USDA programs and practices for pollinator conservation
• Conservation Case Studies

Module 7 (4:00 pm - 4:15 pm) Additional Resources

Module 8 (4:15 pm - 4:30 pm) Wrap Up

• Questions
• Evaluations
• Raffle

INSTRUCTORS

Mace Vaughan – Pollinator Program Director, Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist for NRCS West National Tech Support Center
Mace has led the Xerces Pollinator Conservation Program since 2003. In this capacity, he supervises research and outreach on habitat restoration for crop pollinating native bees; develops and presents educational materials to farmers, conservationists, land managers, and policy makers; and collaborates extensively with scientists researching the role and habitat needs of crop-pollinating native bees. Mace also serves as the Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, working from the agency’s West National Technology Support Center in Portland, Oregon. He has written numerous articles on the conservation of bees, butterflies, aquatic invertebrates, and insects, and is co-author of Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies and the Pollinator Conservation Handbook. He is also lead author of Farming for Bees: Guidelines for Providing Native Bee Habitat on Farms. He was a lecturer on honey bee biology and beekeeping at Cornell University, from which he holds Masters Degrees in Entomology and Teaching.

LOCAL HOST & GUEST SPEAKERS

Dr. Gary Nabhan, Research Social Scientist, University of Arizona - Southwest Center. Dr. Nabhan is an internationally-celebrated nature writer, seed saver, conservation biologist and sustainable agriculture activist who has been called "the father of the local food movement" by Utne Reader, Mother Earth News, Carleton College and Unity College. Gary is also an orchard-keeper, wild forager, and Ecumenical Franciscan brother in his hometown of Patagonia, Arizona. He is author or editor of twenty-four books, including authoring The Forgotten Pollinators and editor of Migratory Pollinators and Their Nectar Corridors. For his writing and collaborative conservation work, he has been honored with a MacArthur "genius" award, a Southwest Book Award, the John Burroughs Medal for nature writing, the Vavilov Medal, and lifetime achievement awards from the Quivira Coalition and Society for Ethnobiology.

Bruce Munda, Plant Materials Specialist, Arizona USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Stuart Tuttle, State Biologist, Arizona USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service.

ABOUT THE XERCES SOCIETY

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. The Society's Pollinator Conservation Program was launched in 1996, and works with leading native pollinator ecologists to translate the latest research findings into on-the-ground conservation. More information about the Xerces Society is available at www.xerces.org.