Bee City USA

ERC Speaker Series: Impactful Pollinator Conservation Initiative at University of Illinois Chicago
2023-11-14 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Online
THE ENERGY RESOURCES CENTER PRESENTS
ERC Speaker Series: Impactful Pollinator Conservation Initiative at University of Illinois Chicago
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 – 11:00 AM Central
As the first campus in Illinois to be certified as a Bee Campus USA, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is dedicated to enhancing and expanding pollinator habitat on campus. UIC’s impact expands far beyond the campus, however. The Energy Resources Center (ERC) at UIC supports pollinators nationwide by facilitating the Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group, a cross-sector collaboration to support habitat conservation on working lands. Learn more about the diverse ways that different groups across UIC are working to protect pollinators both now and in the future through this co-hosted webinar by the ERC and the Office of Planning, Sustainability, and Project Management at UIC.
Register here

In the Life of Western Monarchs: A Community Science Approach to Conservation
2023-11-16 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This event will be recorded and posted to: The Xerces YouTube Channel

Join Isis Howard, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, to talk about the powerful ways community science is shaping the conservation of western monarch butterflies. From surveying monarchs and their milkweed host plants in the summer to counting butterflies clustering along the west coast in the winter, learn how everyday individuals are collecting important data to protect an iconic species.
This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Isis Howard – Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Western Monarch Community Science – Xerces Society
As an endangered species conservation biologist, Isis works in California to protect and support the western population of monarch butterflies. She manages several community science projects, including the annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count and the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper, and provides support to land managers and the public on maintaining and restoring western monarch breeding habitat. Prior to joining Xerces, Isis worked for a resource conservation district and the North Coast Soil Hub, advancing climate adaptation work in the agricultural sector, engaging diverse community partners, and expanding the RCDs’ western monarch and pollinator program. Originally from Sonoma County, CA, Isis is an experienced outdoor educator and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental management and protection with a minor in biology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In her free time, Isis enjoys listening to podcasts, trying new creative outlets, and advocating for diversity and inclusion in the outdoors.

In the Life of Monarchs East of the Rockies: Biology and the Great Migration
2023-12-07 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This event will be recorded and posted to: The Xerces Youtube Channel

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.

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.

Pollinators in the Urban Environment
2023-12-08 06:00 - 08:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join the Xerces Society as we present on Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA to an international audience!
Promote Pollinators is looking forward to hosting an online event on December 8th at 15:00 CET (6:00 AM – 8:00 AM PT/ 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM MT/ 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT/ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM ET). The free webinar 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. 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.
This event will not be recorded. Learn more and register here today.
Program
Presentations
The presentations about pollinators in the urban environment will be held by various experts.

State of the art science

Katherine Baldock (Nortumbria University)

The national perspective

Mexico, Sol Ortiz Garcia (Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development)

What is happening in cities?

Montreal – Michel St-Germain (Montreal Insectarium Museum)
Tallinn – Meelis Uustal (Tallinn City Government)
Nairobi – Wanja Kinuthia

The Bee City and Bee Campus USA Initiatives

Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation)

Panel discussion
The presentations will be followed by panel discussions. Leading questions:

what are critical success factors for good urban pollinator initiatives?
(how) can urban pollinator initiatives contribute to science and awareness?
how can other governmental levels support the development of urban pollinator initiatives?

Would you like to participate?
You can sign up for the webinar here. The webinar will be broadcast live aii 15:00 CET. You can help us by sharing the link with your network and inviting other professionals working on pollinator protection. We look forward to your attendance! The webinar will be held in English and is open to the public, both members and non-members are invited to attend.
About Promote Pollinators
Promote Pollinators, the Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators, is a coalition of countries and observers who believe that country-led politics can foster policy measures and innovative action to protect pollinators. Pollinators play a key role in the conservation of biological diversity, ecosystems, food production and the global economy. The effects of current human activities hamper animal pollination. Promote Pollinators reaches out to potential new partners to develop and implement national pollinator strategies.

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.
