This workshop is a companion to our Bumble Bee Atlas workshop trainings (pnwBumbleBeeAtlas.org and caBumbleBeeAtlas.org). While the workshops for those projects are generally focused on training volunteers how and why to participate, many volunteers are excited to learn more about the specifics about bumble bee identification. We've heard you! As such, for the first time, we will focus an entire workshop on identification, taking the time to introduce you to each species and the details we think will help you to identify them. Xerces Society staff members Leif Richardson and Rich Hatfield will co-teach this webinar. Together, they'll share their bumble bee identification expertise, and take you on a tour of the bumble bees of the West Coast (including Idaho). This bumble bee ID course will be geared toward community science volunteers for our Bumble Bee Atlas Projects, but we welcome anyone hoping to learn more about the bumble bees of our region.
Click here for more information and to register.
Rich Hatfield
Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Bumble Bee Conservation Lead - The Xerces Society
Rich is a senior conservation biologist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and has been leading the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas since 2018. He has authored several publications on bumble bees, including a set of management guidelines entitled Conserving Bumble Bees. He serves as the Red List Authority for the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Bumble Bee Specialist Group and has taught bumble bee management and identification courses throughout the U.S. In addition to his work with bumble bees, Rich has investigated native bee pollination in agricultural systems in the Central Valley of California, and studied endangered butterflies in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and throughout the Pacific Northwest. When not at work, Rich is often off exploring the wonders of the Pacific Northwest with his family.
Leif Richardson
Conservation Biologist California Bumble Bee Atlas - The Xerces Society
Leif is a conservation biologist who coordinates the California Bumble Bee Atlas project. His research focuses on the ecology, distribution, and declines of North American bumble bees. Leif previously worked as an environmental consultant, studying pesticide risk to bee pollinators, and as an ecologist for Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. He is co-author of a range of scientific publications on bees, including Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide (2014, Princeton University Press), the standard reference manual on this group of insects. He is an expert in the inventory and identification of bumble bees, and has extensive experience training others to collect bumble bee distribution data in the field. Leif holds a Master’s degree from the University of Arizona and a PhD from Dartmouth College.