[Pollinator] MN & WI Pollinator Stakeholders Meeting

[Scott Hoffman Black]

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*Researchers, Conservationists, and Agencies Meet to Discuss Pollinator
Conservation in Minnesota and Wisconsin*

For Immediate Release
August 9th, 2010

Contact
Eric Mader, Assistant Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation, (503) 232-6639, or eric at xerces.org
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.

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.

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.


"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."

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.

*Learn More about The Xerces Society's Pollinator Conservation
Program<http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/>
*

 OUR MISSION <http://www.xerces.org/mission/>
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.

DONATE NOW! <http://www.xerces.org/give/>
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• innovative conservation programs
• effective education and advocacy
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<http://www.xerces.org/give/>JOIN <http://www.xerces.org/join/>
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.

As a member, you will receive two issues of our member magazine *Wings *each
year. *Wings *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 membership
page<http://www.xerces.org/join/>on our website.

PHOTO CREDITS
Sunflower bee (Svastra sp.) by Sarah Greenleaf, California State University,
Sacramento

         The Xerces Society • 4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97215
USA • tel 503.232.6639

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