Bee City USA

In The Life Of Wasps: Hunters, Pollinators, Masons, And More
2024-08-22 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online
This event will be recorded and posted to: The Xerces Society YouTube channel

Join us to learn more about the diverse lives of wasps! Pollinator Conservation Specialists, Jennifer Hopwood and Rae Powers will outline the roles of wasps, highlight some key groups, outline conservation measures, and address concerns about wasps.
This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Jennifer Hopwood – Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, NRCS Partner Staff Support, Roadside Specialist – 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.

Rae Powers – Pollinator Conservation Specialist, NRCS Partner Biologist, Nebraska and South Dakota – Xerces Society
Rae is a Nebraska native with a bachelor’s of science in environmental studies and a master’s of science in ecology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her previous environmental work has focused on the function and diversity of the prairie ecosystem; researching the impacts of restoration, management, and soils; and experiencing the joys and trials of native plant production. Currently, Rae works with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff and landowners in Nebraska and South Dakota to create and protect pollinator habitat using farm bill programs. Her environmental work has taken her to the shores of Alaska with the National Wildlife Refuge system, the lakes of northern Minnesota as a canoe guide, and, most recently, to the wide prairies of Midwest. Her time with the Nebraska Natural Heritage program exposed her to the array of rare and endangered species found in grassland ecosystems, and her work with The Nature Conservancy and the native seed farm Prairie Legacy, Inc. focused on the function and diversity of the mixed-grass prairie. When she’s not out in the field, Rae can often be found reading library books, at the dog park, or planting wildflowers in the front y

National Recreation & Parks Association Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz
2024-09-01 - 2024-09-30
Parks for Pollinators is a national campaign to raise awareness and community involvement in the pollinator crisis through local parks and recreation and like-minded organizations. NRPA and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation are challenging local parks to get involved and host a pollinator BioBlitz during September.
Visit the NRPA Pollinators BioBlitz Page to learn more about the benefits of hosting an event today!

Pollinator Gardens with a Purpose
2024-09-28 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, F, 33774, United States
This program will discuss the connection our lives have to our important pollinators and how you can transform your home landscapes into a balanced and healthy environment. You will enjoy learning about the important role native plants play in a thriving ecosystem. From trees to flowers, our pollinators need a good mix of diversity to bring life to our urban landscapes. We will explore the many different pollinator plants available, and how to use them to create your very own home ecosystem. Zack Pitchford from Wilcox Nursery and Landscape will present the topic.

Fall Wildflower & Pollinator Festival
2024-10-05 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Brooker Creek Preserve, 3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs, FL, 34688, United States
Wildflower and Pollinator Festival, October 5, 2024
The annual family-friendly Wildflower and Pollinator Festival returns to Brooker Creek Preserve this year on Saturday, October 5 from 9:00-2:00!
This year’s festival will include some of the most popular activities like:
• Butterfly Encounter – wander through a butterfly enclosure for an up-close encounter with our winged wonders
• Native Plant Vendors – local nurseries will be offering native plants perfect for planting your own pollinator garden at home
• Wildflower Quest – discover native wildflowers at the Preserve on a short, self-guided hike and receive a prize!
• Arts and Crafts – Pollinator-themed arts and crafts suitable for the whole family, all day in the Auditorium
• Refreshments – MyCone Creamery will be on-site offering delicious, custom-made coffee and decadent ice cream
• Tattoo Station – visitors can wear a delightful temporary tattoo designed by Florida Artist Kate Dolamore of Kate Dolamore Art.
In addition to these favorites, this year’s festival will also include a real honeybee hive demonstration and a chance to learn more about these European helpers that make local honey. Author Linda Smock will be reading her newest book: Black-eyed Susan and Friends. The book follows a child exploring a garden stopping along the way through the pages of the book to explain about the pollinators they see along the way. Great for families!
Parking for the event is first-come first served.
Dogs and pets are not allowed at the Preserve.
Wildflower and Pollinator Festival
Brooker Creek Preserve
3940 Keystone Road
Tarpon Springs, FL 34688

IPM Toolkit Webinar
2024-10-10 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
To protect pollinators, Bee Cities and Campuses are reducing pesticide use and embracing integrated pest management practices. To help, we’re launching a new IPM Plan Toolkit to guide affiliates as they create or improve their IPM plans. Join us for a presentation by Aaron Anderson, Pesticide Program Specialist at the Xerces Society, to learn about these brand new resources and review why IPM and pest reduction is such an important BCUSA commitment. We’ll also share some examples of affiliates doing creative IPM work in their communities. This session is appropriate for all Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA affiliates, including grounds staff; city or campus managers; and community members.
This free Bee City USA webinar is hosted by Xerces Society and will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel on the Bee City USA playlist. Auto-generated Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Aaron Anderson
Pesticide Program Specialist. Towns and Cities Lead.
The Xerces Society
Aaron Anderson works with the public and Xerces staff to reduce pesticide use in residential landscapes, including promoting alternative pest control measures and pollinator-friendly gardening practices. Prior to joining Xerces in 2022, he researched pollinator conservation in urban landscapes, restored habitat for several endangered butterfly species, and worked in insect biocontrol. In 2021 he was an AAAS Mass Media Fellow at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he reported science and business stories. Aaron has a PhD from Oregon State University, and outside of work you can probably find him riding his bike, science writing, or fiddling with old cameras.

World Migratory Bird Day for Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean
2024-10-12
World Migratory Bird Day is an extension of Interntaional Migratory Bird Day, which focused on the Western Hemispere and started in 1993. Continuing the tradition with IMBD, WMBD celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas – bird migration. It includes 700 events and programs dedicated to introducing the public to migratory birds and ways to conserve them.
Although Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated on the Second Saturday in October for Mexico, Cenral and South America, and the Carribean, as migrating birds return to wintering sites, birds do not all migrate at the same time. To provide the opportunity to observe birds on stopover sites as they journey, you are encouraged to celebrate when the timing is best at your location. WMBD programs and events are hosted nearly every month of the year.
Every day is Bird Day!

Bat Week
2024-10-24 - 2024-10-31
Bat Week is an international celebration of the role of bats in nature. It is designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.
Photo Credit: Paul Moosman/ Wikimedia

Celebrating Invertebrates: A Year of Conservation with the Xerces Society
2024-12-05 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM MT / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Join Executive Director Scott Black as he explores the impactful work of the Xerces Society in 2024. From creating pollinator habitat and advocating for pesticide reduction to launching community science initiatives and educational programs, Xerces has achieved remarkable progress in invertebrate conservation.
This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Scott Black – Executive Director – Xerces Society

Western Butterflies and Lost Species in the Anthropocene
2025-01-09 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Monitoring is essential to our understanding of insects in the modern era, the Anthropocene, and monitoring comes in many different forms and serves different purposes. Join Matt Forister, professor in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, as he discusses working with North America’s longest-running butterfly monitoring project across Northern California, and presents major findings with respect to the impacts of climate change and pesticides on butterfly populations. He will also talk about data from projects supported by community scientists, which are going to be of increasing importance in the coming years. Finally, Matt will discuss new efforts to organize information on species that appear to be lost, but, with effort from scientists and the public, might be found again.
This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar. 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM MT / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

Matt Forister is a professor of biology and insect ecology in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has studied butterflies and other insects in the western US for the last 20 years, and has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on issues that include insects adapting to exotic plants and butterflies responding to a changing climate. One of the main concerns for Forister and his graduate students is the collection of data at sites in the Sierra Nevada that have been studied for almost 50 years, a project originally started by Art Shapiro of UC Davis.

Proposal Window Open: Mid-Atlantic Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kits Project
2025-01-21 - 2025-02-16
The proposal window is open now through February 16 for the Xerces Society’s Mid-Atlantic Monarch and Pollinator Kits! Please feel free to share this with anyone you think might qualify (including Bee Cities and Bee Campuses!):
🌻 Qualifying projects: Urban farms, community gardens and spaces, working lands, public lands and tribal lands. Not for residential/private homes.
🌻 Qualifying locations: Mid-Atlantic and NYC region
🌻 Special kit features: Supports monarch butterflies and native pollinators
🌻 Project proposals: January 20 – February 16, 2025
🌻 Kit pickup: Late-May to Early-June (exact dates TBD)
Learn more and submit a proposal

Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA Renewal Report Walk-Through
2025-01-22 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Is this your first year reporting on your community’s Bee City or Bee Campus activities? We’re here to help! Join us for a walk-through of the reporting process on Jan. 22. We’ll show you how to navigate the website and access a preview of the report. For inspiration, we’ll share recent examples of great reports from Bee Cities and Bee Campuses.
Who reports in 2025? If your community was certified as a Bee City or Bee Campus (BCUSA) in 2023 or earlier, your report on 2024 activities is due by Feb. 28, 2025. The reporting window opens Feb. 1.
This free Bee City USA webinar is hosted by Xerces Society and will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel on the Bee City USA playlist. Auto-generated Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA Reporting Window Opens
2025-02-01
Log in to fill out your Bee City or Bee Campus annual report on the “Renewal” tab. Pay your renewal fee on the “Fee Payment” tab.
If your city or campus was certified in 2023 or earlier: your renewal report and annual fee are due on February 28, 2025. If you are one of our first 60 affiliates, you are an early adopter and do not need to pay the renewal fee.
If your city or campus was certified in 2024: your renewal report and annual fee are due in February 28, 2026
If this is your first year of reporting and are wondering what’s involved, check out some of last year’s reports for inspiration.
Thank you!

Proposal Window Open: Detroit Pollinator Habitat Kits
2025-02-07 - 2025-03-20
Qualifying projects: Community-serving urban farms, community gardens, and community organizations
Qualifying locations: Detroit and Greater Metro Detroit, MI
Special kit features: Emphasis on urban agricultural landscapes and habitat aesthetics in cities; native plants attractive to pollinators, natural enemies of pests, and your community.
Project proposals: February 7 – March 20, 2025
Kit pickup: Late May / Early June

Learn more and submit your proposal here

Proposal Window Open: California Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kits
2025-02-10 - 2025-04-04
Qualifying projects: Working lands, public lands, tribal lands, and private/non-working lands recovering from wildfires
Qualifying locations: Distinct regions in California (Central Coast, Central Valley, Sierra Nevada Foothills, and Southern California)
Special kit features: Supports monarch butterflies and other pollinators, climate-smart selections
Project proposals: February 10 – April 4, 2025
Kit pickup: October; December (Southern California)

Learn more and submit your proposal here

Great Buzz Gathering
2025-02-15 12:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | The Mule at Devil’s Foot, 131 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, 28803
For the 6th year, Bee City USA-Asheville is convening a gathering of pollinator, native plant, and biodiversity enthusiasts to celebrate current pollinator conservation efforts to inspire future opportunities for collaboration.
12:00 PM ET Doors for networking and visiting exhibitors. Relax and grab a beverage or lunch from the food truck!
1:00 PM ET The formal program of 10-minute presentations begins:
1.Bill Jones, Owner, Carolina Native Nursery—How the Southeast’s Largest Supplier of Native Shrubs Is Recovering From Helene
2. Ruth Gonzalez, Member, Bee City USA-Asheville Leadership Committee—The Asheville Butterfly Trail Is Taking Flight!
3. Dr. Jennifer Geib, Associate Professor, Biology Department, Appalachian State University— Pollinators in Peril: How Climate Change Is Shifting the Buzz
4. Hannah Coats, Land Resources Manager & Elijah Charette, Stewardship Coordinator, RiverLink—Best Natives for Replanting Streambanks & Floodplains
5. Keith Aitken, Urban Forester, City of Asheville—A Brighter Future for Asheville’s Tree Canopy
2:00—3:00 PM ET Visit speakers and other exhibitors at their tables.
Whether you’re passionate about gardening, fascinated by biodiversity, or simply curious about how to help, this is your opportunity to join the movement. Together, let’s create a world where pollinators—and all life—can thrive. We can’t wait to see you there!

Radio-Tracking Monarchs: Harnessing Technology to Unravel Western Migration and Habitat Insights
2025-02-20 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Join Xerces Society Endangered Species Conservation Biologist and Monarch Overwintering Specialist, Ashley Fisher, to learn about radio-tracking monarchs. Radio-tracking is a new technology that answers long-held questions about the western monarch movement and habitat use. See this technology in action and how it will help conserve our precious western monarchs.
This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Ashley Fisher – Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Monarch Overwintering Specialist – Xerces Societyo

Bee City and Bee Campus Renewal Reports and Fees Due
2025-02-28
Log in to fill out your Bee City or Bee Campus annual report on the “Renewal” tab. Pay your renewal fee on the “Fee Payment” tab.
If your city or campus was certified in 2023 or earlier: your renewal report and annual fee are due on February 28, 2025. If you are one of our first 60 affiliates, you are an early adopter and do not need to pay the renewal fee.
If your city or campus was certified in 2024: your renewal report and annual fee are due on February 28, 2026
If this is your first year of reporting and are wondering what’s involved, check out some of last year’s reports for inspiration.
Thank you!

Best Practices for Pollinators Summit
2025-03-03 08:00 - 2025-03-05 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Learn ecologically sound land practices that promote pollinators, climate resilience, clean waters and lands. Practical knowledge and innovation on pesticide reduction, habitat installation, fostering soil health, pollinator biology, pollinator conservation and more. March 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 8 AM – 12:00 PM PT each day.
Hosted by: Pollinator Friendly Alliance.
Learn more and register here today.

Proposal Window Open: Oregon Habitat Kits
2025-03-13 - 2025-04-01
Qualifying projects: Working lands, public lands, tribal lands, community spaces. Not for residential/private homes.
Qualifying region: The Klamath-Siskiyou Region of SW Oregon
Project proposals: Open now – April 1, 2025
Kit pickup: October 2025
Please visit the Oregon Habitat Kit website for more information on how to participate.

Facts Are Not Enough: Science Communication and Audience Emotions
2025-03-13 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Unfortunately, there isn’t “one weird trick” to communicating bug science. We know that emotions are important in persuading people and encouraging evidence-based decision making. But how do you make a real connection in a time of misinformation and political division? Join Gwen Pearson, science communicator and entomologist, to explore this topic in our upcoming webinar.
This webinar will be recorded and available on the Xerces Society’s YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Gwen Pearson is an award-winning science communicator with a PhD in Entomology. In addition to her work writing for WIRED Magazine, Highlights For Kids, and other science news outlets, she’s run an insect zoo and worked as an Extension Entomologist in various roles. She’s now retired and is an Outreach Ambassador for the non-profit Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
To request a reasonable accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact outreach@xerces.org.

Webinar - Still Growing: Pollinator Habitat Maintenance Tips
2025-03-25 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online
Planting flowers can be a feel-good community activity, but who is sticking around to upkeep that new garden? Quality pollinator habitat needs a game plan for long-term success.
Join Xerces Society staff Kaitlin Haase and Stefanie Steele as they share their on-the-ground experiences with pollinator plantings. They will review common challenges, offer best practices, and share resources to help your plantings thrive. Bee City and Bee Campus case studies will be highlighted and we’ll have a Q&A at the end. This will be an interactive webinar, so please bring your issues, advice, and achievements. Participation is encouraged!
This free Bee City USA webinar is hosted by Xerces Society and will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel on the Bee City USA playlist. Auto-generated Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Guest Speaker Bios

Kaitlin Haase
Pollinator Conservation Specialist
Southwest
As the Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the Xerces Society, Kaitlin works to create climate-resilient, connected pollinator habitat in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. She collaborates with and educates public and private urban land managers in New Mexico and the desert Southwest on pollinator-friendly practices for landscaping, gardening, and open space restoration. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Northern Arizona University, where she studied impacts of drying on aquatic invertebrate diversity in natural and human-made ponds. Before graduate school, she worked as an ecological science technician in a variety of systems across the US, including predator-prey ecology in Michigan, riparian restoration in Virginia, and rare species monitoring in Massachusetts.

Stefanie Steele
Pollinator Conservation Specialist
NRCS Partner Biologist
Urban and Small Farms
Michigan
Stefanie is the Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Specialist for Urban and Small Farms in Underserved Communities and a NRCS Partner Biologist in the Upper Midwest – Detroit, Michigan area. Through this work, she provides technical assistance, planning, and education on incorporating pollinator and other beneficial invertebrate habitat in small urban agricultural areas and community gardens in historically excluded communities. Her work supports projects including the Xerces Habitat Kit Program, People’s Garden Initiative, and NRCS Conservation Programs through the USDA Farm Bill.
Stefanie received a master’s degree in biology from Portland State University where she studied the nesting habits of cavity nesting bees and wasps in the Portland, OR area and completed a multi-year study surveying the solitary bees in Portland’s urban core and their floral use. Since graduating, she has worked on numerous research projects studying diverse bee communities, and she has a deep knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of native bees. While in Portland, OR, Stefanie worked with several urban gardens, orchards, farms, and restoration areas to help incorporate pollinator habitat in these spaces. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Stefanie has a strong knowledge of the Upper Midwest local plant communities and is excited to be back working with urban communities in the Midwest.

The Truth About Mosquito Sprays: Investigating their Impact on Pollinators
2025-04-17 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM MT / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Insecticides sprayed to kill adult mosquitoes are often used in home yards, as mosquitoes can be a nuisance and health risk. But, the insecticides used in these sprays are broadly toxic to insects, and the risks they pose to pollinators isn’t well known. In the summer of 2023, Xerces performed a study comparing insecticide residues and quantifying risk to pollinators in yards sprayed by private mosquito spray services, in yards near a neighbor who sprayed, and yards sprayed by vector control districts. Join Aaron Anderson, Pesticide Program Specialist and Towns and Cities Lead, to hear the results of the study and discover practical, non-chemical mosquito management strategies for use at home.
This webinar will be recorded and available on the Xerces Society’s YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Aaron Anderson – Pesticide Program Specialist, Towns and Cities Lead – Xerces Society
To request a reasonable accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact outreach@xerces.org.

Bumble Bee Atlas Ecology And Conservation
2025-04-19 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PT / 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM MT / 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM CT / 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET
The nearly fifty species of bumble bees in North America are highly efficient pollinators of our natural areas and farm fields, making them essential to ecosystem function. Unfortunately, substantial declines in widespread and formerly common species have been reported. Between climate change, the widespread use of pesticides, habitat loss, and the amplification and spread of diseases from commercial bees, bumble bees face an uphill challenge to recover from observed declines, and repopulate areas where they’ve been lost. In this webinar we will discuss bumble bee ecology, how that interacts with ongoing conservation issues, and what we can all do to help. The good news is that we can all contribute. Beyond participating in our Bumble Bee Atlas projects, protecting, creating, and restoring habitat is the key. We’ll discuss how to provide critical aspects of habitat to benefit each stage of the life cycle, whether you have a small porch, or manage several acres.
While this webinar is directed toward our Bumble Bee Atlas volunteers, anyone is welcome to join. The webinar will be led by the bumble bee conservation crew at the Xerces Society: Katie Lamke, Leif Richardson, Genevieve Pugesek, Molly Martin, Michelle Toshack, Amy Dolan and Rich Hatfield, who will be joined by Dr. Elaine Evans and Elise Bernstein of the University of Minnesota.
This webinar will be recorded and available on the Xerces YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Bee City & Bee Campus USA Virtual Affiliate Meetup: South & Southeast
2025-04-24 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Join us for our regional virtual meeting for the South & Southeastern US! We are giving the floor to Bee Cities and Bee Campuses to share their pollinator conservation events with the group.
Did you host a Moth Night, bioblitz, or pollinator festival? We want to hear how it went! This is an opportunity to share your successes, ask for advice, and connect with your fellow affiliate cities and campuses.
If you would like to be featured, email 1-2 high resolution photos (with photo credit) and a short event/activity description to beecityusa@xerces.org. Selected presenters will have 5-10 minutes to speak, with extra time for questions and group discussion.
Feel free to join us if you are a Bee City or Bee Campus affiliate in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Virginia, and Texas.
This free Bee City USA webinar will be recorded and available to affiliates who are unable to attend. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Photo credit: Bee City USA – Rowlett, TX

Bee City & Bee Campus USA Virtual Affiliate Meetup: West
2025-05-01 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Join us for our virtual regional meeting for the Western US! We are giving the floor to Bee Cities and Bee Campuses to share their pollinator conservation events with the group.
Did you host a Moth Night, bioblitz, or pollinator festival? We want to hear how it went! This is an opportunity to share your successes, ask for advice, and connect with your fellow affiliate cities and campuses.
If you would like to be featured, email 1-2 high resolution photos (with photo credit) and a short event/activity description to beecityusa@xerces.org by April 25. Selected presenters will have 5-10 minutes to speak, with extra time for questions and group discussion.
Feel free to join us if you are a Bee City or Bee Campus affiliate in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming.
This free Bee City USA webinar will be recorded and available to affiliates who are unable to attend. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.
Photo Credit: Clark College, WA

Bee City and Bee Campus USA Regional Meeting: Northeast
2025-05-08 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us for our virtual regional meeting for the Northeastern US! We are giving the floor to Bee Cities and Bee Campuses to share their pollinator conservation events with the group.
Did you host a Moth Night, bioblitz, or pollinator festival? We want to hear how it went! This is an opportunity to share your successes, ask for advice, and connect with your fellow affiliate cities and campuses.
If you would like to be featured, email 1-2 high resolution photos (with photo credit) and a short event/activity description to beecityusa@xerces.org by May 5. Selected presenters will have 5-10 minutes to speak, with extra time for questions and group discussion.
Feel free to join us if you are a Bee City or Bee Campus affiliate in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington DC, or West Virginia.
This free Bee City USA webinar will be recorded and available to affiliates who are unable to attend. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.
Photo Credit: University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Collecting Urban Bee Data: Community Science Training
2025-05-08 18:00 - 19:30 (America/North_Dakota/Beulah) | Zoom
Join us for a FREE online event to learn about native bees in urban spaces and how to collect community science data that supports them!
During the event, learn how to get invonvoled in a new iNaturalist Project “Urban Bees of the Great Lakes Region”
Help scientists learn about urban bees by sharing observations from your city!
View the project here

Insect Restoration and Conservation: Creating Usable Habitats in Human-Dominated Landscapes
2025-05-22 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM MT / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

Although most ecosystems on Earth are altered by humans, we still have little understanding of how to do conservation, especially of insects in human-dominated ecosystems. Join Dr. Chelse Prather, Associate Professor of Biology at the Univeristy of Daylon, to talk about four projects on this topic covering diverse ecosystems such as restored prairies, greenroofs, urban farms, and solar arrays as well as diverse insect groups like beetles, hemipterans, bees, ants, and butterflies.
This webinar will be recorded and available on the Xerces YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Dr. Chelse Prather – Associate Professor – University of Dayton
Dr. Chelse Prather is an ecologist with 20 years of diverse experience working with insect communities in forests, grasslands, and urban ecosystems. She is a passionate instructor, mentor, and scientist. She has managed a variety of projects from understanding basic insect ecology, like what nutrients limit insect communities, to very applied projects, such as how the development of solar power affects insect communities.
To request a reasonable accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact outreach@xerces.org.

Webinar - Learn about Ground-Nesting Bees with Cornell’s GNBee Project
2025-05-22 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Did you know that most native bees are ground nesting? Aggregations (aka groups) of these nests are under-studied, but Dr. Jordan Kueneman at Cornell University is working to change that through Project GNBee (gnbee.org). Since spring 2023, the public has already provided over 5,000 observations of about 370 species of ground-nesting bees to GNBee. This community science project provides critical information for researchers to understand when, where, and why solitary ground-nesting bee aggregations occur. It’s easy to participate and the coming weeks are a great time of year to observe new bees emerging from the ground!
Please join Dr. Kueneman as he teaches us about ground nesting bees, shows off some great bee photos, and learn how your Bee City or Bee Campus community can get involved in GNBee.
This free Bee City USA webinar is hosted by Xerces Society and will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel on the Bee City USA playlist. Auto-generated Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Dr. Jordan Kueneman
Cornell University
Dr. Jordan Kueneman is a research associate at Cornell University, working in the Danforth Lab within the Department of Entomology. He earned his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he focused on conservation medicine and host-associated microbiomes under the mentorship of Dr. Valerie McKenzie.
Following his Ph.D., he spent four years in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, studying plant and animal microbiomes. During this time, he led a large-scale project investigating the microbiome of bees across different life-history strategies, seasonal patterns, and spatial distributions.
Most recently, Dr. Kueneman has developed and runs Project GNBee, a research initiative dedicated to understanding why solitary ground-nesting bees form aggregations in specific locations, identifying the factors that determine their long-term success, and working to protect nesting aggregations where they occur.

Image credit: Jack Clauss and GNBee

Bee City & Bee Campus USA Virtual Affiliate Meetup: North Central
2025-05-29 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us for our virtual regional meeting for the North Central US! We are giving the floor to Bee Cities and Bee Campuses to share their pollinator conservation events with the group.
Did you host a Moth Night, bioblitz, or pollinator festival? We want to hear how it went! This is an opportunity to share your successes, ask for advice, and connect with your fellow affiliate cities and campuses.
If you would like to be featured, email 1-2 high resolution photos (with photo credit) and a short event/activity description to beecityusa@xerces.org by May 26. Selected presenters will have 5-10 minutes to speak, with extra time for questions and group discussion.
Feel free to join us if you are a Bee City or Bee Campus affiliate in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.
This free Bee City USA webinar will be recorded and available to affiliates who are unable to attend. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.
Photo Credit: Council Bluffs Public Library
