This webinar will prepare community scientists and agency biologists to participate in the Montana and Mountain States (Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming) Bumble Bee Atlas Project. During this webinar, we will cover how to sign up for the project, Atlas protocols, how to complete a survey, and how to submit data. We will also answer any questions you may have.

This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Learn more and register today!


Michelle Toshack - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Montana Bumble Bee Atlas - Xerces Society
Michelle leads the Montana Bumble Bee Atlas to engage community scientists in conserving bumble bees. Michelle obtained a masters in biological sciences from Simon Fraser University, where she researched pollinator biodiversity and the impacts of farming practices on bumble bees. She has led the strategy and implementation of numerous community science programs across North America to advance conservation efforts. Michelle enjoys exploring the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains in many ways, especially ridge-top scrambling, mountain running, and wild ice skating.

Join Xerces pollinator conservation biologist Emily May to learn more about the pollinators that come out to work as others turn in for the evening. Moths, flies, beetles, and other dusk and night-time pollinators can play important roles in pollinating wild and managed plants. Emily will talk about the ecology, diversity, and importance of these hidden pollinators, and how we can best support them in our gardens and communities.

This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Learn more and register today!
 

Emily May - Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Agricultural Lead - Xerces Society
Emily May is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society's Pesticide Program. She received a master's of science in entomology from Michigan State University, and has studied pollinator habitat restoration, bee nesting habits, and the effects of pest management practices on wild bee communities. Her work with Xerces since 2015 has focused on supporting crop pollinators through habitat creation and protecting bees and other beneficial insects from pesticides.

Many of us know the butterfly life cycle– egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult. But how does this life cycle work in the hot Mojave or Sonoran deserts? What are butterflies in isolated springs across the West eating as caterpillars? How do they survive the winter in the Cascade Mountains? And how are these butterflies responding to habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and the changing climate we all find ourselves in?

The western United States contains hundreds of butterfly species, found in habitats ranging from hot, arid deserts to the peaks of the High Sierras. While some of these butterflies are widespread and can (luckily) be found in gardens, parks and natural areas across the West, others are much more localized. All of these species have amazing strategies to survive and thrive in what can be some of the most hostile climates in the United States. And many of them are facing threats new and old to their populations and habitats. Join Kevin Burls, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, as he starts with an overview of butterfly diversity in the West and then highlights some of the amazing strategies that have allowed them to colonize deserts, grasslands, and mountains. Kevin will also discuss the threats these butterflies face, and how we can all protect them and their habitats.

This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Learn more and register today!


Kevin Burls - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist - Xerces Society
As a conservation biologist for the endangered species program, Kevin’s efforts with the Xerces Society focus on protecting the hundreds of butterfly species that inhabit deserts, forests, and grasslands across the western United States. Many of these species are currently in decline or are threatened by habitat loss, insecticides, and the effects of climate change. Kevin’s work includes collaborating with land managers and scientists to understand the conservation needs of butterfly species, then advocating for their protection by crafting conservation guidelines and legislation with agencies and policy makers at the regional, state, and federal levels.

Before working with the Xerces Society, Kevin was the integrated pest management educator for the University of Nevada, Reno Extension program, with a focus on native pollinators and beneficial insects. In addition, Kevin and his wife co-founded the invertebrate science education nonprofit Nevada Bugs & Butterflies in Reno, Nevada in 2012. As a part of this work Kevin has spent several seasons searching for some of Nevada’s endemic and at-risk butterfly species in the mountains and deserts of the Great Basin. He holds a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology from the University of Nevada, Reno. In his free time, you can find him hiking with his wife, son, and two dogs, or fixing the drip irrigation at his home in Washoe Valley, Nevada.