Pollinator Conservation Short Course

Powisset Farm
Dover, Massachusetts
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
9:00 am - 4:30 pm EDT

Learn how to attract pollinators to fields, farms, and orchards!

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Pollinators – which include bees, butterflies, and other insects – provide an essential ecological service for the environment.  They support the reproduction of over 85% of the world's flowering plants and more than two-thirds of the world's crop species, valued at $18–$27 billion annually in the United States alone. Beyond agriculture, pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems, necessary to produce seeds and fruits that feed everything from songbirds to black bears. Conservation of pollinating insects is critically important to preserving both wider biodiversity and healthy agricultural systems.

In many places, however, pollinators are 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.  In response, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation developed the Pollinator Conservation Short Course to educate producers of bee-pollinated crops, agriculture employees, natural resource specialists, land managers, and conservation organization staff.

SHORT COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES

• Knowledge of the economics of insect-pollinated crops, and the effects of pollinator decline
• Ability to identify bees and distinguish them from other insects
• Knowledge of the current best management practices that minimize land-use impacts on pollinators
• Ability to assess pollinator habitat and to identify habitat deficiencies
• Ability to identify ways of increasing and enhancing pollinator diversity on the land
• 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
• Knowledge of the current Farm Bill pollinator conservation provisions and how to implement those provisions through USDA programs such as EQIP, CSP, and CRP
• Ability to make pollinator conservation recommendations to farmers and land managers

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

*Continuing Education Credits Available*
Certified Crop Adviser (5 CEUs)
Society of American Foresters  (5 CFE credits)
The Wildlife Society (5.5 contact hours)

COURSE AGENDA

Welcome (9:00–9:15 am) – Mike Francis, Powisset Farm

Module 1 (9:15–9:45 am) – Introduction

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

Module 2 (9:45–10:15 am) – Basic Bee Biology

• Bee identification
• • Identifying pollinator nest sites and ecological needs

Module 3 (10:15–10:45 pm) – Bee-Friendly Farming

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

Break (10:45–11:00 am)

Anne Averill (UMass) (11:00–11:30 am) – Bee health in agricultural settings

Module 4 (11:30 am–12:00 pm) – Assessing Pollinator Habitat

• Learning to use the bee habitat assessment guide to inform pollinator conservation planning

Lunch (12:00–1:15 pm) – Bring a sack lunch

Field Tour (1:15–3:00 pm) with Mace & Anne (weather permitting)

• Field observation of pollinators and plants (Anne Averill)
• Using the Pollinator Habitat Assessment Form and Guide (Mace Vaughan)

Module 5 (3:00–3:45 pm) – Habitat Restoration

• Best plants for bees in Massachusetts
• Site preparation and planting techniques for native wildflowers and woody plants
• Case study in cranberry
• Long-term habitat management

Module 6 (3:45–4:00 pm) – Accessing Technical and Financial Support

• USDA programs and practices for pollinator conservation

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

Module 8 (4:15–4:30 pm) – Wrap Up

• Questions
• Evaluations
• Raffle

INSTRUCTOR

Mace Vaughan – Xerces Society Pollinator Program Co-Director and Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the NRCS West National Tech Support Center
Mace has led Xerces's 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 Farming with Native Beneficial Insects. 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.

GUEST SPEAKER

Anne Averill – Professor of Entomology, University of Massachusetts–Amherst
Dr. Anne Averill is a professor and co-director of the Environmental Science undergraduate major in the Department of Environmental Conservation at UMass–Amherst. Her specialization is in Insect Behavior and Ecology (Insect/ Plant Interactions, Cranberry Entomology), with a focus on cranberry production and bumble bees, the most abundant of the native pollinators in bog systems. She works extensively with the cranberry industry and grower cooperators, surveying the impact of pathogens, habitat enhancements, and pesticides on bees in the cranberry system. 

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.

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