<style>
.headerTop { background-color:#FFCC66; border-top:0px solid #000000; border-bottom:1px solid #FFFFFF; text-align:center; }
.adminText { font-size:10px; color:#996600; line-height:200%; font-family:verdana; text-decoration:none; }
.headerBar { background-color:#FFFFFF; border-top:0px solid #333333; border-bottom:10px solid #FFFFFF; }
.title { font-size:20px; font-weight:bold; color:#CC6600; font-family:arial; line-height:110%; }
.subTitle { font-size:11px; font-weight:normal; color:#666666; font-style:italic; font-family:arial; }
td { font-size:12px; color:#000000; line-height:150%; font-family:trebuchet ms; }
.sideColumn { background-color:#FFFFFF; border-left:1px dashed #CCCCCC; text-align:left; }
.sideColumnText { font-size:11px; font-weight:normal; color:#999999; font-family:arial; line-height:150%; }
.sideColumnTitle { font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; color:#333333; font-family:arial; line-height:150%; }
.footerRow { background-color:#FFFFCC; border-top:10px solid #FFFFFF; }
.footerText { font-size:10px; color:#996600; line-height:100%; font-family:verdana; }
a { color:#FF6600; color:#FF6600; color:#FF6600; }
</style>
<table width="100%" bgcolor="#cccc99" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<table width="600" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr bgcolor="#cccc99">
<td style="background-color: rgb(204, 204, 153); border-top: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: center;" align="center" bgcolor="#cccc99"><div align="right"><span style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(153, 102, 0); line-height: 200%; font-family: verdana; text-decoration: none;">Email not displaying correctly? <a href="http://www.xerces.org/enewsletter/stakeholders.meeting_pressrelease.html">View it in your browser.</a></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: rgb(204, 204, 153); border-top: 0px solid rgb(51, 51, 51);" valign="middle" align="left" bgcolor="#cccc99" height="240"><center><a href="file:///C:/Users/ashley/Desktop/enewsletter/stakeholders.meeting_pressrelease.html"></a>
<a href="file:///C:/Users/ashley/Desktop/enewsletter/stakeholders.meeting_pressrelease.html"><img id="editableImg1" src="http://www.redpenguindesign.com/clients/xerces/bee.jpg" title="The Xerces Society" alt="The Xerces Society" align="top" border="0"></a>
</center></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table width="600" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">
<td style="font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 150%; font-family: trebuchet ms;" valign="top" width="327" bgcolor="#ffffff"><br>
<p class="style14" align="center"><b><span class="style1 style16">Researchers, Conservationists, and Agencies Meet to Discuss Pollinator Conservation in Minnesota and Wisconsin</span><span class="style16"></span></b><br>
</p><p></p><p class="style4"><span class="style14">For Immediate Release</span><br>
August 9th, 2010 </p>
<p class="style4"><span class="style14">Contact</span><br>
Eric Mader, Assistant Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society
for Invertebrate Conservation, (503) 232-6639, or <a href="mailto:eric@xerces.org">eric@xerces.org</a></p>
EAU CLAIRE, WIS -- Regional bee and butterfly researchers, conservation
groups, government agencies, and local farm organizations are meeting
this week at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire to discuss
pollinator conservation issues in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
<p> Pollinators such as honey bees, thousands of native bee species,
butterflies, and even bats are essential to the reproduction of roughly
70 percent of the world's flowering plants, including an estimated $20
billion a year of U.S. crops. For example, in Minnesota and Wisconsin,
cranberries, apples, blueberries, pumpkins, and biofuel crops like
canola, all depend upon animal pollinators. Despite their critical
importance, many pollinators have declined in recent years due to
habitat loss, pesticide use, and in the case of honey bees, the
phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder.
</p><p> This meeting, hosted and moderated by the Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation, is the first step in developing a
comprehensive regional blueprint of pollinator conservation priorities.
This blueprint will provide guidance to agencies, researchers, and
conservation groups, helping them more effectively take action to
protect pollinators. Some of the issues to be discussed include enhanced
monitoring of at-risk species, reducing pesticide use, the restoration
of pollinator habitat in agricultural lands, and the creation of native
wildflower plantings along highway rights-of-way. </p><p> "This meeting
is an effort to build dialog between regional stakeholders," said Eric
Mader, Assistant Pollinator Program Director at the Xerces Society, a
non-profit conservation group named after the extinct Xerces blue
butterfly. "We hope to identify knowledge gaps and better understand the
most significant conservation concerns facing pollinators, and to
explore opportunities for collaboration on research initiatives and
public education." </p><p> Meeting participants include faculty
researchers from the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota, staff from
the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, state departments of
natural resources and departments of agriculture, as well as farm
organizations like the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers
Association, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, and
the National Honey Bee Advisory Board. Following the initial meeting on
Wednesday, August 11, event organizers will develop a report summarizing
their recommendations for state and federal policy makers. </p><p><strong><a href="http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/">Learn More about The Xerces Society's Pollinator Conservation Program</a></strong><br>
</p></td><td style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left;" valign="top" width="191"><p class="style3"> </p>
<span class="style5"><a href="http://www.xerces.org/mission/" target="_blank">OUR MISSION</a></span><br>
<span class="style20">The Xerces Society is an nonprofit organization
that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and
their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is at the forefront of
invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of
scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation
programs.</span> <p></p>
<p><span class="style3"><span class="style5"><a href="http://www.xerces.org/give/" target="_blank">DONATE NOW!</a></span><span class="style6"><br>
</span></span><span class="style20">Your contribution goes directly to support<br>
</span><span class="style9" style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="style21" style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%;"><span style="line-height: 100%; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">• </span></span></span></span><span class="style20">innovative conservation programs<br>
<span style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%;">• </span>effective education and advocacy<br>
<span style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%;">• </span>scientific and popular publications</span></p>
<p class="style3" align="left"><span class="style9"><a href="http://www.xerces.org/give/" target="_blank"></a></span><span class="style5"><a href="http://www.xerces.org/join/" target="_blank">JOIN</a></span><br>
<span class="style20">If you are not already a member, please
consider joining the Xerces Society. Membership funding helps to spread
the word about the vital role that invertebrates play in our lives. </span></p>
<p class="style3" align="left"><span class="style20">As a member, you will receive two issues of our member magazine <em>Wings </em>each year. <em>Wings </em>is
a full color magazine that highlights essays on invertebrate
conservation and is a great addition to your home library. For more
information on membership please visit the <a href="http://www.xerces.org/join/" target="_blank">membership page</a> on our website. </span></p>
<p><span class="style3"><span class="style5">PHOTO CREDITS</span><br>
<span class="style6">Sunflower bee (Svastra sp.) by Sarah Greenleaf, California State University, Sacramento</span></span><span class="style3"><span class="style6"><br>
<br>
</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="style8" align="right"> </p>
<p class="style8" align="right"> </p>
<p class="style8" align="right"> </p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" style="border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255);" valign="top" bgcolor="#cccc99">
<p style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%; font-family: verdana;" align="center"> The Xerces Society • 4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97215 USA • tel 503.232.6639 <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.xerces.org/Membership/join.htm">join</a> • <a href="http://www.xerces.org/Membership/index.htm">give</a> • <a href="mailto:info@xerces.org">contact</a></p>
<p style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%; font-family: verdana;" align="center">Copyright (C) 2008 The Xerces Society. All rights reserved.</p>
<p style="font-size: 10px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 100%; font-family: verdana;" align="center"> </p></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>