BRING BACK THE POLLINATORS:
How You Can Help Conserve Native Bees

Soil Born Farms
Rancho Cordova, CA
Friday, May 11th, 2018
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS HANDS-ON TRAINING EVENT ON WHAT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO CONSERVE POLLINATORS IN URBAN SPACES

COURSE AGENDA

Module 3: Risk Factors for Pollinators

• Overview of the risk factors pollinators face: habitat loss, pesticides, diseases and non-native species, and climate change.

Module 4: Creating Urban Pollinator Habitat

• Where and how to create pollinator habitat in urban and suburban spaces – from yards to parks and everywhere in between.

Module 5: Engaging Your Community

• How to broaden your efforts into your community and engage neighbors, friends, and others in pollinator conservation and citizen science.

• How to develop a pollinator conservation policy for your area.

Module 6: Identifying Pollinators

• How to identify differences between bees and wasps and butterflies and moths, plus identifying some common groups of pollinators.

Field Component

• Work on identifying some common pollinator groups and habitat areas.

• Tour the Sacramento Valley CA Native Plant Society’s Elderberry Farms Native Plant Nursery with Chris Lewis to learn more about native plants in the area.

INSTRUCTORS

Aimee Code, Pesticide Program Director, The Xerces Society
Aimee Code joined Xerces in 2013 to direct its new pesticide program. In that role, she has built a program focused on securing practices and policies that promote ecologically sound pest management. Aimee oversees and works hand-in-hand with two staff members to evaluate the risks of pesticides, develop technical guidance, and advocate for actions that reduce reliance on and risks of pesticide use. She and her staff work closely with Xerces other programs to ensure a coordinated conservation effort to respond to pesticide risks in both urban and agricultural settings. Aimee received her M.S. in Environmental Health with a minor in Toxicology from Oregon State University. She has dedicated her professional career to helping people evaluate and mitigate pesticide risks.

Sarah Hoyle, Pesticide Program Specialist, The Xerces Society 
Sarah works to support Xerces’ invertebrate conservation by evaluating the risks that pesticides pose to species. She advances policies throughout the country that promote alternative pest management strategies and protect habitat from pesticides. Sarah holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she focused on sustainable agriculture policy. She is based in Truckee, California.

Jessa Kay Cruz, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, The Xerces Society 
Jessa is the Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist for The Xerces Society in California, and a partner biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She manages and coordinates many aspects of the pollinator program in California and throughout the Western United States. Since joining Xerces in 2008, she has worked in agricultural and natural lands throughout the Western United States to create habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, and to promote practices that support them. She provides education and technical support to a range of individuals and agencies, including farmers and ranchers, agricultural professionals, and land managers. Jessa holds a Master’s of Science in Environmental Entomology and Integrated Pest Management from California State University, Chico, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Farming from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Kathryn Prince - Farm Bill Pollinator Conservation Planner, The Xerces Society
Kathryn Prince is a partner biologist with the Xerces Society and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Based out of Madera, she helps farmers, ranchers, and NRCS planners incorporate pollinator habitat in to the city's Central Valley's working lands.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Shannon Hardwicke, Youth Education Manager, Soil Born Farm
Shannon leads our Growing Together School Garden program. She facilitates teacher training and support, coordinates five school garden programs in the South Sacramento area and leads our annual Garden in Every School Symposium. Previously, Shannon started and led a model school garden program at Theodore Judah Elementary for 10 years. She is now using this experience to equip others to create and sustain a successful school garden program while impacting the school communities in the areas of health, education and environmental stewardship.

Christina Lewis, CNPS Elderberry Farms Native Plant Nursery
Christina is the founder and co-director of Elderberry Farms Native Plant Nursery, Board member of Sacramento Valley Chapter of California Native Plant Society, representative to the American River Parkway Coalition, and representative to the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS). She guest teaches at American River College each year.