This workshop, co-taught by Katie Lamke, Genevieve Pugesek, Jared Brabant, and Alex Morphew, will introduce attendees to bumble bee (Bombus spp.) identification in the Lower Midwest. While this workshop is geared toward Bumble Bee Atlas volunteers in Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas, we welcome anyone interested in learning more about bumble bee identification. We will cover the basics of bumble bee anatomy, and introduce you to each of the species you may encounter throughout the region. For each species we’ll include ID tips and an overview of habitat preferences.

This event is co-hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation, University of Missouri. Learn more and register here today!


Katie Lamke - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist - Midwest Bumble Bee Atlas - Xerces Society
Katie joined the Xerces Society in 2019 to work on bumble bee conservation initiatives. Based in Nebraska, her main role is to coordinate and engage people in the Midwest's numerous Bumble Bee Atlas efforts. Working with community scientists, researchers, agency and NGO staff, she helps develop tools that drive bumble bee conservation. 

Katie earned her master's degree in entomology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she compared wild bee diversity and their floral associations between remnant and restored tallgrass prairies.  She is enthusiastic about pollinator ecology and is committed to raising awareness about the conservation of wild bees. Outside of work, Katie enjoys birding, gardening, skating, and, well, looking for bees.


Genevieve Pugesek - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Midwest Bumble Bee Atlas - Xerces Society
Genevieve is one of the project managers of the Bumble Bee Atlas, a community science project aimed at tracking and conserving bumble bees. She works with Atlas programs in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. She is broadly interested in conservation biology, land management, and animal natural history. She earned her Ph.D. at Tufts University, where she studied the nesting and overwintering ecology of bumble bees. Prior to working at Xerces, Genevieve worked as a postdoc at UW-Madison, studying the effects of prescribed fire in oak savannas on bumble bee abundance. Outside of work, Genevieve enjoys baking, painting, and spending time outside.

Dr. Ray Moranz will begin by presenting on the basic aspects of monarch biology, including the life cycle, the use for milkweeds as host plant, the incorporation of cardiac glycosides as a chemical defense, and the vulnerability of this species to various predators, parasites, parasitoids and diseases. However, the heart of the talk will be on monarch migration, and how monarch biology changes in fascinating ways from month to month as they move from one region of North America to another. He will do his best to provide information relevant to people from Saskatchewan to Mexico City, and from Nova Scotia to Cuba, and everywhere in between. He will conclude by talking about some things you can do to help monarchs where you live.

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

Learn more and register here today!


Ray Moranz - Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist, Partner Biologist for the NRCS Central National Technology Support Center - Xerces Society 
Ray works to conserve pollinators on rangelands in the central U.S., and he also serves as a Partner Biologist to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Central National Technology Support Center in Fort Worth, TX. He is based at the NRCS Field Office in Stillwater, Oklahoma. One focus of his work is to assist in the planning and implementation of monarch butterfly conservation efforts in the south central U.S.. Ray began studying the effects of fire and grazing on prairie plant and butterfly communities in 2004, and earned his Ph.D. in natural resource ecology and management from Oklahoma State University in 2010. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, he worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California, Iowa State University, and Oklahoma State University.

This workshop, co-taught by Elaine Evans, Elise Bernstein, Katie Lamke, and Genevieve Pugesek, will introduce attendees to bumble bee (Bombus spp.) identification in the Upper Midwest. While this workshop is geared toward Bumble Bee Atlas volunteers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, we welcome anyone interested in learning more about bumble bee identification. We will cover the basics of bumble bee anatomy, and introduce you to each of the species you may encounter throughout the region. For each species we’ll include ID tips and an overview of habitat preferences.

This event is co-hosted by the University of Minnesota. Learn more and register here today!


Katie Lamke - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist - Midwest Bumble Bee Atlas - Xerces Society
Katie joined the Xerces Society in 2019 to work on bumble bee conservation initiatives. Based in Nebraska, her main role is to coordinate and engage people in the Midwest's numerous Bumble Bee Atlas efforts. Working with community scientists, researchers, agency and NGO staff, she helps develop tools that drive bumble bee conservation. 

Katie earned her master's degree in entomology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she compared wild bee diversity and their floral associations between remnant and restored tallgrass prairies.  She is enthusiastic about pollinator ecology and is committed to raising awareness about the conservation of wild bees. Outside of work, Katie enjoys birding, gardening, skating, and, well, looking for bees.


Genevieve Pugesek - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Midwest Bumble Bee Atlas - Xerces Society
Genevieve is one of the project managers of the Bumble Bee Atlas, a community science project aimed at tracking and conserving bumble bees. She works with Atlas programs in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. She is broadly interested in conservation biology, land management, and animal natural history. She earned her Ph.D. at Tufts University, where she studied the nesting and overwintering ecology of bumble bees. Prior to working at Xerces, Genevieve worked as a postdoc at UW-Madison, studying the effects of prescribed fire in oak savannas on bumble bee abundance. Outside of work, Genevieve enjoys baking, painting, and spending time outside.

This free webinar is hosted by Promote Pollinators and will focus on pollinators in the urban environment. The webinar aims to share knowledge on the relevance of pollinators in the urban environment and to showcase examples of urban pollinator policies and initiatives from across the globe. We want to enhance attention with other cities and city-influencers and identify facilitators that help cities to develop and implement pollinators strategies. The webinar will last about 2 hours and will be divided into two parts: presentations and panel discussions between experts. The webinar will be held in English and is open to the public, both members and non-members are invited to attend.

Learn more and register here today!


Mace Vaughn - Pollinator and Agricultural Biodiversity Co-Director - Xerces Society
Mace Vaughan serves as the Xerces Society’s Pollinator and Ag Biodiversity Program Co-Director and as a Partner Biologist and Conservation Entomologist to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Mace has 25 years of experience working on insect and pollinator conservation issues across the U.S. and abroad, where he has helped to improve federal and state policy, implement national conservation programs, restore habitat, write guidelines, teach diverse audiences, and conduct research and monitoring to conserve biodiversity. 

Beetles are one of the most diverse groups of insects on the planet and are endlessly fascinating. Join Jennifer Hopwood to learn more about how beetles are helping us in myriad ways, by contributing to soil health, controlling crop and garden pests, pollinating plants; and learn more about steps we can take to help them.

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

Learn more and register here today! 


Jennifer Hopwood - Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Midwest - Xerces Society 
Jennifer provides resources and training for pollinator and beneficial insect habitat management and restoration in a variety of landscapes. She oversees a team of four USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service partner biologists and works closely with the NRCS. Jennifer has authored a number of publications and articles, and is co-author of several books, including Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, and a roadside revegetation manual. Jennifer has a master's degree in entomology from the University of Kansas. Along with work as a research specialist conducting invertebrate field research and identification, Jennifer was an instructor in biology and environmental science at Iowa State University and Des Moines Area Community College prior to joining Xerces in 2009.

There is more to fireflies than just summer sparkles! Join endangered species conservation biologist Richard Joyce for a presentation about the fireflies of the USA, focusing on the natural history and conservation needs of our most threatened species. He will also give tips on how to decode the flash patterns of fireflies and explain how you can provide crucial data for firefly research and conservation through Xerces's Firefly Atlas project.

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

Learn more and register here today!


Richard Joyce - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist Firefly Atlas - Xerces Society 
Richard joined Xerces as an endangered species conservation biologist in 2022. He coordinates many aspects of the Firefly Atlas project, collaborates with researchers, land managers, and community scientists, and compiles and creates tools and resources that drive firefly conservation efforts.

Before joining Xerces, Richard worked at conservation non-profits and agencies in Maine and South Carolina, including The Nature Conservancy, Maine Natural Areas Program, and Congaree National Park. He is based in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he enjoys birding, botanizing, and photographing insects in local green spaces.

Join Rich Hatfield, Xerces Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, to take a deep dive into the reproductive females of bumble bees, including cuckoo bumble bees. We'll primarily look at the solitary phase of the lifecycle, including what is known about where and how they hibernate, and what we know about what it takes to establish a nest and how they select a site. We'll likely have as many questions as answers in this webinar, but please join us for an exploration into the lesser known aspects of bumble bee ecology.

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

Learn more and register here today!


Rich Hatfield - Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Bumble Bee Conservation Lead - Xerces Society
Rich manages all aspects of the Xerces Society’s work on bumble bees. Rich has a master’s degree in conservation biology from San Francisco State University, and he joined the Xerces Society in 2012. While earning his degree, his thesis focused on local- and landscape-level factors that contribute to bumble bee species richness and abundance. He has also investigated native bee pollination in agricultural systems in the Central Valley of California and researched endangered butterflies in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. In addition to his skills as a research biologist, Rich also has extensive classroom teaching experience with a focus on conservation biology, ecology, and sustainability.