[Pollinator] Xerces Society Michigan Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Course, June 24th 2010

[Matthew Shepherd]

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MICHIGAN POLLINATOR CONSERVATION PLANNING SHORT COURSE

Thursday June 24, 2010

The 2008 Farm Bill makes pollinators and their habitat a conservation
priority for every USDA land manager and conservationist. This training
session provides an overview of pollinator-specific language within the Farm
Bill, and how to translate that language into on-the-ground conservation.

This day-long Short Course will equip conservationists, land managers, farm
educators, and agricultural professionals with the latest science-based
approaches to increasing crop security and reversing the trend of pollinator
decline, especially in heavily managed agricultural landscapes.

Introductory topics include the basic principles of pollinator biology, the
economics of insect pollination, recognizing native bee species, and
assessment of pollinator habitat.

Advance modules will cover farm management practices for pollinator
protection, the development of pollinator habitat enhancements,
incorporating pollinator conservation into NRCS programs, selection of
plants for pollinator enhancement sites, management of natural and urban
landscapes, and the additional funding sources and technical support
available to land managers.

Throughout the workshop these training modules are illustrated by real case
studies of pollinator conservation efforts across the country.

The first 30 registrants will receive the Xerces Society’s Pollinator
Conservation Toolkit that includes published farm and habitat management
guidelines, fact sheets and nest construction plans, relevant Extension and
NRCS publications. Additional Toolkits will be available for purchase
($20.00).

Location: USDA NRCS Rose Lake Plant Materials Center, 7472 Stoll Rd. East
Lansing, MI 48823-9420

Cost: Free (lunch not included).

For NRCS Registrations: Please contact Betsy Dierberger at 517-324-5265 or
betsy.dierberger at mi.usda.gov

For Non-NRCS Registrations: Please send an email to
ashley at xerces.org<mfrancis at ttor.org>with your name, affiliation,
mailing address, phone number, or call Ashley
Minnerath at 503-232-6639.

COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES

   - Awareness of various federal programs and funding available for
   pollinator conservation
   - Identify approaches to increase and enhance pollinator diversity on the
   land
   - Knowledge of the current best management practices that minimize
   land-use impacts on pollinators
   - Ability to identify bees and distinguish them from other insects
   - Understand the economics of insect-pollinated crops, and the effects of
   pollinator decline
   - Knowledge of the 2008 Farm Bill pollinator conservation provisions and
   how to implement those provisions in programs such as WHIP, EQIP, and CSP
   - Ability to assess pollinator habitat and to identify habitat
   deficiencies
   - Ability to make recommendations to farmers and land managers that
   conserve pollinators (including subjects such as tillage, pesticide use,
   irrigation, burning, grazing, and cover cropping)
   - Ability to design and implement habitat improvements, such as native
   plant restoration and nest site enhancements

COURSE AGENDA
Module 1. Introduction

   - Pollination economics and the role of native bees in commercial crop
   production
   - Pollination biology
   - Colony Collapse Disorder and honey bee industry trends

Module 2. Basic bee biology

   - Bee identification
   - Identifying pollinator nest sites

Module 3. Bee-friendly farming

   - The role of farm habitat
   - Mitigating pesticide damage
   - Protecting ground-nesting bees in cultivated fields

Module 4. Open Laboratory

   - Field observation and land-use discussion (outdoors)
   - Examination of pinned specimens, artificial nests, and display
   materials

Module 5. Habitat restoration

   - Habitat design considerations
   - Plant selection and seed sources
   - Planting techniques for native wildflowers
   - Long-term habitat management
   - Artificial nest sites

Module 6. 2008 Farm Bill provisions

   - Using NRCS programs and practices for pollinator conservation
   - Conservation case studies

Module 7. Additional resources

Acknowledgements

These Pollinator Conservation Short Courses are supported by the supported
by the Michigan Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Since 1988,
SARE has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally
sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education
grants program. The SARE program is supported by the National Institute of
Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Agriculture. More
information about SARE is available at www.sare.org.

 INTENDED AUDIENCE
The content of this course is tailored to the needs of NRCS, SWCS,
Cooperative Extension and state department of agriculture employees as well
as crop consultants, natural resource specialists, non-governmental
conservation organization staff, and producers of bee-pollinated crops.


LEAD INSTRUCTOR BIO
Jennifer Hopwood is the Xerces Society's Midwest Pollinator Outreach
Coordinator. In this role she works to provide resources and training for
pollinator habitat management, creation, and restoration to agricultural
professionals and land managers. Jennifer holds a Master’s in Entomology
from the University of Kansas, where her research focused on bee communities
in roadside prairie plantings and prairie remnants. Contact:
jennifer at xerces.org. <jennifer at xerces.org>

GUEST INSTRUCTOR
Rufus Isaacs is an extension specialist and professor in the Department of
Entomology at Michigan State University, where he directs the Berry Crops
Entomology program. He has worked as an agricultural entomologist for twenty
years in vegetable, field crop, and fruit systems, studying various aspects
of insect management. Pollination of fruit crops is a focus of the program,
working with students and postdoctoral researchers to develop strategies for
sustainable pollination in Michigan's blueberry industry. Their recent
studies have identified the native bee community in blueberry farms,
examined bee-pesticide interactions, and quantified the contribution of
native bees to crop pollination. Current research projects are exploring the
role of farmland conservation practices in supporting beneficial insects,
including bees, at organic and conventional fruit farms.<jennifer at xerces.org>


ABOUT THE XERCES SOCIETY
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international
non-profit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their habitat. Launched in 1996, the Xerces Society’s
Pollinator Conservation Program works with leading native pollinator
ecologists to translate the latest research findings into on-the-ground
conservation. More information about the Xerces Society is available at
www.xerces.org

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

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USA • tel 503.232.6639

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