[Pollinator] pollinator curricula?

[Tim Miklasiewicz]

Hi Rob,

         I suggest that you contact Karen Strickler at Pollinator Paradise, 
who works with native bees in New Mexico and could provide state-specific 
information.  You can reach her via the website 
http://www.pollinatorparadise.com/.

         A consortium of groups headed by the American Museum of Natural 
History sponsors an intensive bee course each year during August 
(http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/beecourse/).  That course is based at 
the AMNH Southwest Research Station in Portal, AZ, and does some field work 
in western NM.  Steve Buchmann of The Bee Works 
(http://www.thebeeworks.com/) might also be able to assist your 
project.  He is one of the Bee Course instructors/organizers.

         There are some nice web-based documents located at the AATRA 
website http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/nativebee.html, International 
Pollination Systems (http://www.pollination.com/), and the Pollination Home 
Page (http://pollinator.com/).  You can also access a wealth of information 
about pollinators from the USDA Bee Biology Lab in Logan, UT 
(http://www.loganbeelab.usu.edu).

         Hope this helps you to get started.  There's alot of information 
out there.  The real challenge may be translating to material useful and 
interesting to the target audience.  I would encourage schools to set up 
pollinator gardens containing features such as nectar/pollen plants for a 
variety of pollinator groups (bees, flies, beetles, butterflies/moths, 
hummingbirds, bats), butterfly/moth larval host plants, resident bee 
shelters and other nesting opportunities, so that students and teachers can 
continue learning on their own beyond the inevitable limits of your 
visits.  If you need more help, you can contact me directly.

Best wishes,
Tim Miklasiewicz


At 09:33 AM 14/08/2005 -0700, you wrote:
>Rob Yaksich
>Rio Grande Nature Center State Park
>Albuquerque, NM, USA
>
>Hi all - I think this topic has been broached before,
>but my feeble recollection is at it again.
>
>I'd like to develop a travelling trunk program for
>grades 3-5 that I can take around my vast chunk of NM.
>In particular, I want to develop a standards-based
>program on pollinators that would include me traveling
>to schools, schools coming to my parks, and schools
>creating pollinator habitats on their grounds.
>
>So, any suggestions as to where to start? Any success
>stories out there?  Anything to help a park ranger
>with a biology background and not a formal education/
>curriculum development-evaluation background create a
>curriculum?
>
>THANKS!
>
>BTW, we had our annual Summer Wings Festival
>yesterday, and many, many visitors toured through our
>Mariposaville Pollinator Habitat. Made lots of
>converts to native bees!!%^)
>
>
>
>"Ranger" Rob Yaksich
>NM State Parks, Region 1
>c/o Rio Grande Nature Center State Park
>2901 Candelaria Rd. NW
>Albuquerque, NM  87107
>(505) 344-7240


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tim Miklasiewicz, Ph.D.            miklasiewicz.1 at osu.edu
Ohio Bee Conspirators
Applied Ecology
Massillon, OH  44647  U.S.A.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~