<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:231475588;
mso-list-template-ids:1476661340;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:753092002;
mso-list-template-ids:712544604;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:11.25pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#18453b">Keynote presenters announced for second annual national protecting pollinators conference</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:16.2pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;letter-spacing:-.1pt">The keynote presenters and their session descriptions have been announced for the 2017 Protecting Pollinators in Ornamental Landscapes Conference Oct. 9-11, in Traverse City, Michigan.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Posted on <b>July 11, 2017</b> by <b><a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/experts/rebecca_finneran"><span style="color:#18453b">Rebecca Finneran</span></a></b>, and Heidi Lindberg, Michigan State University Extension</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#231f20"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:12.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20"><img border="0" width="400" height="290" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D2FAE7.F18C2A50" alt="With populations declining, the rare, Rusty Patch bumble bee has become the flagship photo for this Conference. Photo by Colt Bolt."></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:12.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#2b6832">With populations declining, the rare, Rusty Patch bumble bee has become the flagship photo for this Conference. Photo by Colt Bolt.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20"><a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/"><span style="color:#18453b">Michigan State University Extension</span></a> and <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/"><span style="color:#18453b">North Carolina State University</span></a> will host the second national <a href="https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=F29D7CC5F604007C"><span style="color:#18453b">Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes Conference</span></a> in Traverse City, Michigan, at the <a href="https://park-place-hotel.com/"><span style="color:#18453b">Park Place Hotel</span></a> on Oct. 9-11, 2017, in Grand Traverse County.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">The team of conference planners is pleased to announce featured speakers and conference contributors including <a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/keynote_presenters_announced_for_second_annual_national_protecting_pollinat#LaurencePacker"><span style="color:#18453b">Laurence Packer</span></a>, York University; <a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/keynote_presenters_announced_for_second_annual_national_protecting_pollinat#DamonHall"><span style="color:#18453b">Damon Hall</span></a>, St. Louis University; <a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/keynote_presenters_announced_for_second_annual_national_protecting_pollinat#DanPotter"><span style="color:#18453b">Dan Potter</span></a>, University of Kentucky; <a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/keynote_presenters_announced_for_second_annual_national_protecting_pollinat#MaryGardiner"><span style="color:#18453b">Mary Gardiner</span></a>, The Ohio State University; and <a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/keynote_presenters_announced_for_second_annual_national_protecting_pollinat#MaceVaughan"><span style="color:#18453b">Mace Vaughan</span></a>, Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Program.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Conference keynotes and 12 additional internationally-known speakers will be addressing a cadre of topics during the three-day event. Some of the key issues explored include:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#231f20"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Function of pollinators in urban landscapes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#231f20"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Pesticides and pollinators.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#231f20"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Pollinator health and habitat in urban landscapes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#231f20"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Efforts, challenges and opportunities for protecting pollinators.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#231f20"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Educating the public about the importance of protecting pollinators.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Below are descriptions of the keynote presenters and their session description.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><a name="LaurencePacker"></a><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Opening Keynote: Laurence Packer, York University, Toronto, Canada – “Bees: Important and Diversity”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">There are over 20,000 species of bees known worldwide, but only one—the western domesticated honey bee—is generally understood to be important for pollination. <a href="http://www.yorku.ca/bugsrus/PCYU/DrLaurencePacker"><span style="color:#18453b">Laurence Packer</span></a> will outline the diversity of bees worldwide and present the results of some research that suggests other pollinators are far more important than generally recognized.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Packer is a professor of biology at <a href="http://www.yorku.ca/index.html"><span style="color:#18453b">York University</span></a> where he has worked since 1988. His teaching and research include entomology and biodiversity. He and his students published, “Keeping the Bees,” published by HarperCollins, as well as “Bees: A Close-up Look at Pollinators Around the World” with co-author Sam Droege, published by Voyageur Press. Both books will be for sale at the event.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Parker and his team have described over 100 new species of bees. The collection he has started at York University now includes several hundred thousand specimens with examples from well over 100 countries; it is one of the most diverse bee collections in the world.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">He was a member of the <a href="http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=A9DD45B7-1"><span style="color:#18453b">Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada</span></a> and the <a href="http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/index_eng.asp"><span style="color:#18453b">Natural Science and Engineering Research Council</span></a> of Canada’s Evaluation Group for Ecology and Evolution. His research has been funded by the latter organization as well as <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/"><span style="color:#18453b">National Geographic</span></a>, <a href="https://www.genomecanada.ca/"><span style="color:#18453b">Genome Canada</span></a> and the <a href="https://www.innovation.ca/"><span style="color:#18453b">Canadian Foundation for Innovation</span></a>. His general public presentations reach hundreds to thousands of people each year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><a name="DanPotter"></a><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Dan Potter, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky – “Duration of Bees’ Exposure of Insecticide Residue, BMPs and Safeguards”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20"><a href="https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/person/daniel-potter"><span style="color:#18453b">Dan Potter</span></a> will summarize recent research on the extent and duration of bees’ exposure to insecticide residues in lawn and landscape settings. Session will include researched-based, best management practices (BMPs) landscape managers can implement to safeguard bees when controlling pests. Opportunities for how the “bee issue” can help educators, garden centers and lawn care providers promote more diversified and sustainable landscapes will be discussed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Potter is a professor of entomology at the <a href="http://www.uky.edu/UKHome/"><span style="color:#18453b">University of Kentucky</span></a>. He has studied management of pests and beneficial insects in urban landscapes for more than 40 years. He teaches courses in horticultural entomology and insect-plant relationships, and has supervised dozens of graduate students.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Potter is a Fellow of the <a href="http://www.entsoc.org/"><span style="color:#18453b">Entomological Society of America</span></a> (ESA) and received ESA’s National Distinguished Achievement Awards in Urban Entomology (1995), Teaching (1999) and Horticultural Entomology (2006). His industry recognitions include the U.S. Golf Association National Green Section Award (2010), the Professional Land Care Network’s Leadership Award (2008) and the American Nursery and Landscape Associations Distinguished Achievement Award (2006).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><a name="DamonHall"></a><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Damon Hall, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri – “The Human Dimensions of Urban Pollinator Conservation”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Biodiversity losses give us insight into the long-term effects of human behaviors. The task of social science is to engage in research designed to understand the unintended consequences of intentional human actions. <a href="http://www.slu.edu/sustainability/about-us/faculty/damon-hall-phd"><span style="color:#18453b">Damon Hall’s</span></a> talk chronicles the social, cultural and political dimensions of wild and native bee conservation via collaborative research being conducted in St. Louis, Missouri.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Hall is an assistant professor at <a href="https://www.slu.edu/"><span style="color:#18453b">Saint Louis University</span></a> at the <a href="https://www.slu.edu/sustainability"><span style="color:#18453b">Center for Sustainability</span></a>, a graduate-degree granting research institute. He holds a PhD in wildlife and fisheries sciences and a Boone and Crockett PhD Fellowship in Conservation Policy at Texas A&M University.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">He attained a master’s degree in communication and bachelor’s degree in agriculture concentrating on forestry and natural resources from Purdue University. At Purdue, he was an apiary manager of Hunt’s Honeybee’s Genetics Lab. His research examines the interactions between social and ecological systems where science, policy and culture meet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><a name="MaryGardiner"></a><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Mary Gardiner, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio – “A Growing Conservation Focus in Shrinking Cities; How Vacant Land Ecology Structures Bee Communities”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">During this presentation, <a href="https://entomology.osu.edu/our-people/mary-gardiner"><span style="color:#18453b">Mary Gardiner</span></a> will examine how the design, management, contamination legacy and landscape context of urban greenspaces influences conservation value for bee communities.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Gardiner received her PhD in 2008 and is currently an associate professor in the <a href="https://entomology.osu.edu/"><span style="color:#18453b">Department of Entomology</span></a> at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/"><span style="color:#18453b">The Ohio State University</span></a>. Her research program focuses on the ecological value of urban vacant land. This work is concentrated in Cleveland, Ohio—a city that has experienced significant economic and population decline.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Cleveland currently contains 27,000 vacant lots encompassing approximately 4,000 acres of land. The Gardiner Lab examines how alternative vegetation designed and management regimes influence the value of vacant land for the conservation of biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Gardiner is a state specialist in Extension and works with several stakeholder groups including home gardeners, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists and urban farmers. Her Extension programming focuses on identifying and attracting beneficial insects to gardens and farms to promote conservation and ecosystem services.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">In 2015, she released a book focused on natural enemies and their role in biological control in home gardens, “Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know about Beneficial Predatory Insects.”<i> </i>She has also embraced the use of citizen science in her research with the statewide program Pollination Investigators,<i> </i>which engages volunteers in the study of pollination services.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><a name="MaceVaughan"></a><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society, Portland, Oregon – “Back Forty to the Backyard: 15 years of pollinator conservation”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">The <a href="https://xerces.org/"><span style="color:#18453b">Xerces Society</span></a> has been a leader in pollinator conservation since its founding in 1971. The last 15 years have seen remarkable growth in the work of the Xerces Society and our pollinator conservation partners nationwide. In this talk, <a href="https://xerces.org/staff/"><span style="color:#18453b">Mace Vaughan</span></a> will share stories, strategies and lessons learned working with farmers, conservation partners and backyard gardeners across the U.S.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">Vaughan serves as the Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program co-director and a joint pollinator conservation specialist to the <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/"><span style="color:#18453b">USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Services</span></a> (NRCS). Mace has led Xerces’ Pollinator Conservation programs since 2003. In his tenure at the Xerces Society, the pollinator program has grown from a small pilot project on California farms to the world’s largest team of pollinator conservation experts.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">His work with other staff at the Xerces Society and the USDA NRCS has led to the implementation of protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of pollinator habitat. Through education and outreach events, he has directly reached thousands of agency staff and farmers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:15.0pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">More information on the Conference</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">For more information on the <a href="https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=F29D7CC5F604007C"><span style="color:#18453b">Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes Conference</span></a>, including lodging, tours, registration, poster sessions and other speakers, see the article “<a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/second_national_conference_on_protecting_pollinators_in_urban_landscapes"><span style="color:#18453b">Second national conference on protecting pollinators in urban landscapes</span></a>.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">You can also visit the registration page at <a href="https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=F29D7CC5F604007C"><span style="color:#18453b">Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes Conference</span></a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#231f20">This article was published by <a href="http://www.msue.msu.edu/" title="Michigan State University Extension"><b><span style="color:#18453b">Michigan State University Extension</span></b></a>. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.msue.msu.edu/"><span style="color:#18453b">http://www.msue.msu.edu</span></a>. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit <a href="http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters"><span style="color:#18453b">http://www.msue.msu.edu/ne</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>