Registration $45 per person. After April 4th, registration is $50 per person. Course registration includes a copy of Attracting Native Pollinators.
Discounted registration of $35 available for members of Stone Barns Center!
Lunch is not included. Please plan on bringing a sack lunch with you to the course.
Canceled registrations can be refunded until April 7, 2014.
This Pollinator Conservation Short Course is made possible with the support of the Northeast 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: Ceres Foundation, CS Fund, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Endangered Species Chocolate, Sarah K. de Coizart Article TENTH Perpetual Charitable Trust, Turner Foundation, Whole Foods Market and its vendors, and Xerces Society members.
Special thank you to Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture for hosting and supporting this course.
Bumble bee on crimson clover, New Jersey NRCS.
Pollinator Conservation Short Course
Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
Pocantico Hills, New York
April 16, 2014
9:00 am - 4:30 pm EDT
Learn how to attract native pollinators to your orchard, farm, or garden!
Pollinators, which include bees, butterflies, and other insects 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.
SHORT COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES
COURSE AGENDA
Introduction and announcements (9:00 am - 9:15 am)
Module 1 (9:15 am - 9:45 am) Value and Importance of Pollinators
Module 2 (9:45 am - 10:15 am) Basic Bee Biology
Module 3 (10:15 am - 10:45 am) Habitat Restoration
Break (10:45 am - 11:00 am)
Module 4 (11:00 am - 12:00 pm) Assessing Pollinator Habitat
Lunch (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm) - on your own, if you didn't bring lunch, there is a cafe on-site
Field Tour (1:15 pm - 2:45 pm) Habitat types TBA
Walk back to the classroom (2:45 pm - 3:00 pm)
Module 5 (3:00 pm - 3:45 pm) Bee-Friendly Farming
Module 6 (3:45 pm - 4:00 pm) Accessing Technical and Financial Support
Module 7 (4:00 pm - 4:15 pm) Additional Resources
Module 8 (4:15 pm - 4:30 pm ) Wrap Up
INSTRUCTOR
Kelly Gill – Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Region
Kelly is the Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions for the Xerces Society and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. A Pennsylvania native, Kelly recently 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.
Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
The mission of Stone Barns Center is to create a healthy and sustainable food system that benefits us all. Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is a nonprofit institution that operates an 80-acre farm and works to:
Increase public awareness of healthy, seasonal and sustainable food.
Train farmers in resilient, restorative farming techniques.
Educate children about the sources of their food, and prepare them to steward the land that provides it.
Join us as we work with our natural environment to improve the way America eats and farms. Explore our fields. Stroll through our pastures. Walk our woodlands. Talk with our farmers. Support our cause.
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.