Intended Audience
This training is provided for anyone who has a curiosity for bumble bees and flowers, and an interest in contributing to an important community science project to provide a better understanding of the status of native bumble bees in Nebraska.Registration is $25* per person. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 50 people.
*Scholarships are available. No application necessary.
Lunch will not be provided; please plan to bring a bagged lunch and reusable water bottle with you to the course.
Participants are asked to use the knowledge and skills provided by the training to participate in the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas Project.
When
Saturday, August 17th, 2019
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM CST
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Where
Hardin Hall Auditorium (Room 107)
101 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege Street
School of Natural Resources
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583
Driving Directions
Lauren Richey, The Xerces Society
(503) 232-6639, Ext. 123
lauren.richey@xerces.org
Katie Lamke, The Xerces Society
(707) 477-2224
katie.lamke@xerces.org
Reasonable Accommodations
The Xerces Society provides reasonable accommodations for special events with adequate notice. To request accommodation for events, please contact
lauren.richey@xerces.org.
The Xerces Society is an equal-opportunity provider and employer.
The Xerces Society embraces diversity in our program services. At the Xerces Society, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment is one where all participants feel valued and are treated with respect regardless of their gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, education and/or disability.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for hosting the event.
About the Xerces Society
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is a trusted source for science-based information and advice. We collaborate with people and institutions at all levels and our work to protect pollinators encompasses all landscapes. Our team draws together experts from the fields of habitat restoration, entomology, botany, and conservation biology with a single focus—protecting the life that sustains us. To learn more about our work, visit www.xerces.org.
Photo Credit
Side bar photo:
Katie Lamke
NEBRASKA BUMBLE BEE ATLAS TRAINING
Hardin Hall Auditorium - University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
Saturday, August 17th, 2019
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST
Please join us in a collaborative effort to track and conserve the bumble bees of Nebraska through this hands-on training.
Learn about bumble bees, their conservation status, and how to participate in the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas during this full-day training. In recent years, the story of vanishing bees has become a common theme in news reports and popular culture. In most cases, these reports have focused on the disappearance of honey bees, a non-native species introduced to North America from Europe. The larger, often underappreciated story is that while honey bees are a popular and important species, native bees are also suffering, and in some cases, their fates are far worse. This is particularly true of some of North America’s native bumble bees.
Nebraska is home to nearly 20 species of bumble bees that play an important role in sustaining the health of our environment by pollinating flowers in natural, urban and agricultural settings. However, many of them face an uncertain future, and Nebraska Game and Parks has identified four of the state’s bumble bees as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Xerces Society have collaborated to launch a community science project that will help track and conserve Nebraska’s native bumble bees.
Please join this project and help collect critical information on the status of Nebraska’s bumble bees. With your help, we can create an army of trained volunteers equipped with cameras and vials, and collect bumble bee data throughout the state. Your participation will allow us to quickly and efficiently cover the state, collect scientific quality data, and contribute to the local, regional, and global understanding of bumble bee distributions.
COURSE AGENDA
The focus of the training will be to introduce participants to the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas Project and familiarize participants with several aspects of bumble bee biology. In addition to basic life-history and ecology, participants will learn which species are most imperiled throughout Nebraska, the threats they face, and management techniques to help protect them. The bulk of the workshop will be dedicated to the identification of our native fauna, as well as learning different techniques for surveying and observing bumble bees, and how to submit observations to contribute data to this project.
The training will have several different components. The morning will be broken up into 4 different modules:
Module 1: Introduction to the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas Project
Module 2: Bumble Bee Ecology and Conservation
Module 3: Bumble Bee Identification
Module 4: Bumble Bee Survey Techniques and Observation Submission
The afternoon will include a field trip to nearby habitat where we will discuss bumble bee ID and survey techniques in more detail, while we sample the local area for foraging bumble bees.
INSTRUCTORS
Katie Lamke, Bumble Bee Conservation Specialist, The Xerces Society
Katie leads the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas project, where she fosters community engagement to increase our understanding of the state’s native bumble bees. She is enthusiastic about pollinator ecology, wild bee identification and is committed to raising awareness about the conservation of biodiversity. Katie earned a Master of Science degree in entomology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied the interactions of wild bees and flowering plants in prairie ecosystems.
Jennifer provides resources and training for pollinator and beneficial insect habitat management and restoration. Jennifer is an author of a number of publications and articles, and has experience in invertebrate field and laboratory research, identification, education, and outreach. She has degrees in ecology and entomology from the University of Kansas and is based in Nebraska.
Rae Powers, Farm Bill Pollinator Conservation Planner & NRCS Partner Biologist, The Xerces Society
Rae is a partner biologist with the Xerces Society and NRCS based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Rae works with farmers, ranchers, agencies, and conservation groups to promote pollinators and other beneficial insects on working lands. Rae provides technical support to farmers, NRCS staff, and other agency professionals in the Great Plains and Midwest as they navigate questions surrounding pollinator habitat needs, plant selection, site preparation, and monitoring.
PARTNERS
This short course is made possible thanks to the support of the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
The Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas is a collaborative effort between the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to track and conserve the bumble bees of Nebraska.
