<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Greetings:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Rob Jean (Missouri Department of Conservation)
and Sam Droege (USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center) will again
be hosting a bee identification workshop at USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center. The dates for this Fall's workshop will be December 10-14,
2007. Pertinent information is attached below. Similar to last
year there is no charge and participants are accepted on a first-come first-serve
basis. The emphasis is on learning to identify Eastern North American
bees to species. There are currently 8 slots open.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Email me if you have questions.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Thanks</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">sam</font>
<br>
<div>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">
<br>
Sam Droege Sam_Droege@USGS.GOV
<br>
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624<br>
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center<br>
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705<br>
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">"It's a good thing we don't get
all the government we pay for." Will Rogers</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Native Bee Identification Workshop</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring
Laboratory</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Laurel, Maryland</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">December 10 – December 14</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Sam Droege</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Rob Jean</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Missouri Department of Conservation</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Objectives: Our overall objective
is to create a pool or researchers, technicians, and advanced amateurs
who can accurately identify bees for both their studies and more importantly
for others, whether for pay or not. Lack of institutional identification
experience has led to many errors in native bee research and monitoring
and currently limits the creation of any extensive monitoring programs.
The status of most bee populations is currently completely unknown.
Participants in this workshop can change that.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Number of participants: 10</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Facilities: Our laboratory is
located on the campus of the USDA Beltsville Research Center. The
agriculture campus is approximately 24,000 acres of agriculture, research
facilities, and native habitats. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
and National Wildlife Refuge are immediately adjacent and represent another
15,000 acres of high quality bee habitat. We will be using our lab
room, which houses our collection and specimens and another lab room nearby
for expansion space. Participants will have complete access to the
collection, computers, and instructors throughout the time. Additionally,
we have a large collection of surplus bees that are available to all participants
to take back with them.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Cost and Daily Logistics: There
is no cost to attend this workshop. Lodging and food costs are borne
by the participants. In the building there is a complete kitchen
with stove, microwave, and refrigerators. There are a variety of
restaurants nearby that will deliver ethnic and traditional food. </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Coffee will be available at all times!</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Daily Schedule: A combination
of lab, talks, discussions, and lots of microscope and guide work. Microscope
work and identification guides will be emphasized.</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The lab will be open throughout the
day and night; the instructors will arrive before 9:00 a.m. At 9:00 a.m.
each day we will meet and discuss the options for the day and the remainder
of the week.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">In addition to plenty of time investigating
specimens under microscopes, the following topics will be covered during
twice daily talks/discussions:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">December 10 – Introduction to bee terminology,
identification strategies, genera characteristics, genera gestalts, microscope
use </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">December 11 – Introduction to bowl
trapping, netting, processing of specimens, databasing, information and
collection management</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">December 12 – Genera life histories,
relative abundance, distribution </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">December 13 – Work on specimens –
Supper and party at Sam’s </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">December 14 – Survey Techniques - Work
on specimens and wrap-up</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Daily Schedule:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">9:00 a.m. – Participants work with
specimens and guides with instructor’s guidance</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">10:30 a.m. – Lecture by Sam Droege
or Rob Jean on issues of bee taxonomy, bee natural history, statistical
sampling, bee identification work, field techniques</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Noon – Lunch</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">1:00 p.m. – Participants work with
specimens and guides with instructor’s guidance</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">2:30 p.m. – Another lecture by Sam
Droege or Rob Jean on issues of bee taxonomy, bee natural history, statistical
sampling, bee identification work, field techniques</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">3:30 – 6:00 p.m. - Participants work
with specimens and guides with instructor’s guidance</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Directions and a map to Patuxent are
at the link below, but please note you will want to go to the Beltsville
Laboratory not the Main Campus. We are in room 124 and you do not
need to get a visitor’s pass as indicated:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/aboutus/direct.cfm</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Local lodging is listed at the web site
below:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/aboutus/lodging.cfm</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Things to bring:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">• Specimens
you would like to identify</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">• Pins</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">• Specimen
Boxes - Specimen boxes and pins will be available for a small fee</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">• Note
that we will have at least 4 very high quality microscopes here as well
as 6 of the standard type of microscopes and lights. You may want
to bring your own microscope and light both because it will be familiar
to you and because it may be better than our standard scopes. </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">• If
you have them: Michener et al.’s book on the Bee Genera of North America
(available for sale at www.knoxcellars.com) and, in particular, Mitchell’s
2 volumes on the Bees of the East (out of print but sometimes available
via used book stores) will be useful. Single copies of both will
be available.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Contact Information:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Please contact Sam Droege at:</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Work 301-497-5840</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Home 301-390-7759</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">sdroege@usgs.gov</font></div>