Are Plants Sold as Pollinator-friendly also Pollinator-safe? The Case of Milkweed and How to Help

A recently published study reported that milkweeds purchased from retail nurseries across 15 states contained an average of 12 pesticides per plant. Join the lead researchers from the University of Nevada-Reno and Xerces Society to learn more about the findings and to learn what consumers and retailers can do to help turn the tide toward greater availability of pollinator-safe plants from U.S. nurseries. A thirty minute presentation will be followed by 30 minutes for Q and A.

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

Click here for more information and to register for free.

Chris Halsch

PhD candidate – University of Nevada Reno

Chris is a PhD candidate at the University of Nevada Reno where he studies the impacts of global change on butterfly populations, especially climate change and pesticides. This can take the form of running through the mountains with a net or slumped over a laptop in a coffee shop. When not in the mountains for work he goes to the mountains for pleasure!

Sharon Selvaggio

Pesticide Program Specialist Parks, Nurseries & Natural Areas Lead – The Xerces Society

Sharon assists Xerces staff, partners, and the public to reduce reliance on pesticides and understand pesticide risk to invertebrates. Sharon previously worked at Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, and integrates her focus on pesticides with her experience managing natural areas and agricultural lands. Sharon earned a master’s of science in energy and resources and a bachelor of arts in biology, both from the University of California, Berkeley. Sharon spends a lot of time in her vegetable garden, which has an always-buzzing insectary/pollinator patch, and she is a frequent visitor to the Pacific northwest’s wildlands for recreation.