Registration $45 per person. A late fee of $5 will be added to registrations made after March 24th.
Lunch is not included. Please plan on bringing a sack lunch with you to the course.
Canceled registrations can be refunded until April 1st, 2014.
This Pollinator Conservation Short Course is made possible with the support of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Additional support for this training is provided by the following: the Ceres Foundation, CS Fund, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Endangered Species Chocolate, Turner Foundation, Whole Foods Market and its vendors, and Xerces Society members.
Special thank you to Mississippi NRCS, Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Districts, USDA ARS, and Mississippi Extension for supporting these courses.
Native bees on coreopsis by Glynda Clardy.
Pollinator Conservation Short Course
Coffeeville, Mississippi
April 10, 2014
9:00 am - 4:00 pm CDT
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 Short Course was developed to address this need.
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.
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 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.
**Continuing Education Credit Available**
Certified Crop Adviser (5 CEUs)
Society for American Foresters (5 CFE credits)
The Wildlife Society (5.5 contact hours)
SHORT COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES
COURSE AGENDA
Module 1 Introduction – The Importance of Pollinator Conservation
Module 2 Basic Bee and Butterfly Biology
Module 3 Bee-Friendly Farming
Module 4 Habitat Restoration
Module 5 Introduction to and Conservation of Native Bees in the Southeast
Module 6 Current Farm Bill Provisions
Module 7 Additional Resources
Module 8 Wrap Up
Drive to NRCS Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center
Module 9 Open Laboratory (outdoors, weather permitting)
INSTRUCTOR
Nancy Lee Adamson, PhD – Pollinator Conservation Specialist - East Region
Nancy is the Pollinator Conservation Specialist - East Region for the Xerces Society and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service East National Technology Support Center (ENTSC). She supports pollinator conservation care of the ENTSC in Greensboro, North Carolina. She studied bees important for crop pollination (primarily native bees) and meadow restoration in the mid-Atlantic, ran the horticulture and Master Gardener programs for Frederick County, Maryland’s Extension, and has long been involved in inventorying, collecting seed, and propagating native plants for habitat restoration. As Education Coordinator and Nursery Manager at Adkins Arboretum on the eastern shore of Maryland, she started a local ecotype propagation program following work with Bloomin’ Natives (now Chesapeake Natives). A former Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia, she also worked as an intern with Cultural Survival in Petén, Guatemala.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Thomas Moss, NRCS Research Agronomist, Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center
Blair Sampson, PhD, Research Entomologist, USDA Agricultural Research 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.