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<H1>Watershed Association Spotlights Native Pollinators</H1>
<H3>by Jim Waltman, Executive Director / Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed
Association
<DIV style="MARGIN-TOP: 6px">Monday July 27, 2009, 10:25 AM</DIV></H3>
<P>The headlines say it all. From white-nose syndrome decimating bat
populations, to colony collapse disorder affecting honeybees nationwide, you
don't have to look to far to realize our pollinators are facing serious threats.
</P>
<P>But while the news is grim, there's one point of light on the horizon.
Research by scientists like Dr. Rachael Winfree of Rutgers University is showing
that some of our native pollinators are more than capable of picking up the
slack - if we can provide them with the right habitat to thrive. </P>
<P>The <STRONG>Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association </STRONG>- central
New Jersey's first environmental group - will be exploring the important role of
our native pollinators in a special 60th Anniversary event <A
href="http://www.thewatershed.org/home_calendar.php">"Bees to Butterflies:
Native Pollinators of NJ" </A>on Thursday, August 13 at 7 p.m. at the Watershed
Reserve in Hopewell Township. <BR></P>
<DIV class="photo-center large"><IMG
src="http://blog.nj.com/watershed_impact/2009/07/large_RachaelWinfree_TimDunne_WatershedReserve.jpg"><SPAN
class=byline>Photo by: Gwen McNamara</SPAN><SPAN class=caption>Nationally
recognized bee researcher Dr. Rachael Winfree and Tim Dunne of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service hunt for native
pollinators at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association's grassland
restoration area in Hopewell NJ. </SPAN></DIV>
<P></P><A name=more></A>
<P>A preview to the <A href="http://www.thewatershed.org/">Watershed
Association's </A><A
href="http://www.thewatershed.org/events/butterfly2009.html">9th Annual
Butterfly Festival </A>on Saturday Aug. 15, <A
href="http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/winfree.htm">Dr. Winfree </A>will join
<A href="http://www.nj.nrcs.usda.gov/news/ourpurpose/employees.html">Tim Dunne
</A>of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation
Service, and <A href="http://www.honeybrookorganicfarm.com/">Jess Niederer
</A>of Hopewell-based Honey Brook Organic Farm, the nation's largest
community-supported organic farm, to shine a light on our unsung native
pollinator heroes, the important work they do, and the challenges they face for
survival in New Jersey. </P>
<P>Our pollinators include a wide range of wild creatures - from birds and bats,
to butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and even some land mammals and reptiles.
But "there's no question that bees are the most important in most ecosystems,"
said Dr. Winfree in an interview with National Wildlife Magazine. </P>
<P>Unlike domesticated honeybees, imported to North America in the 1600s, the
majority of our native bees are solitary, nesting in burrows on the ground or
small holes in wood instead of building hives. While conducting research at
sites throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including the Stony
Brook-Millstone Watershed Association's 860-acre Watershed Reserve, Dr. Winfree
found that native bees in her research area are already providing a great deal
of pollination - a great back-up plan as European honeybee populations decline
due to colony collapse disorder.</P>
<P>To learn more about what we can do to ensure our native pollinators can
continue to thrive and how farmers are taking advantage of their "services," be
sure to attend the Watershed Association's "Bees to Butterflies: Native
Pollinators of NJ" panel discussion at 7 p.m. on Thursday Aug. 13 in the Irving
B. Kingsford Community Room at the Watershed Reserve, 31 Titus Mill Road,
Pennington NJ. Space is limited and registration required. Call (609) 737-3735
x10. </P>
<P><STRONG>About the Watershed Association</STRONG><BR><EM>The Stony
Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, a not-for-profit organization, protects
the 265-square-mile region drained by the Stony Brook and Millstone River - an
area spanning 26 towns and five counties. Founded in 1949, the Watershed
Association is central New Jersey's first environmental group protecting clean
water and the environment through conservation, advocacy, science and
education.</EM> <A
href="http://www.thewatershed.org">www.thewatershed<EM>.</EM>org</A></P></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT" size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive
Director<BR><B>Pollinator Partnership </B><BR>423 Washington Street, 5th
floor<BR>San Francisco, CA
94111<BR>415-362-1137<BR>LDA@pollinator.org</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#0000ff size=4 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="14"><B><A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></B></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></B><BR><A
href="http://www.nappc.org/">www.nappc.org</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="12"><B><I>National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2009. <BR>Beecome
involved at <A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></I></FONT></B></DIV></FONT><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="7fb4482aaa333f3442d632b2c41c8bbe"><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/><B>A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. <A HREF=http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221823322x1201398723/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=115&bcd=JulystepsfooterNO115>See yours in just 2 easy steps!</A></B></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>