[Pollinator] TEXAS POLLINATOR POWWOW - LUBBOCK/TAHOKA - APRIL 22-24, 2016

Mon Feb 22 20:53:18 PST 2016

We are very pleased to announce that we are now taking registrations for
our upcoming Texas Pollinator PowWow at the Museum of Texas Tech University
in Lubbock, and at nearby Tahoka Lake Pasture.  We're really pleased to be
in the Panhandle for this conference, and it's been deeply gratifying to
learn of  the growing groundswell of interest in pollinators and
agricultural practices supporting conservation in this area.

http://www.texaspollinatorpowwow.org/lubbocktahoka-april-22-24-2016.html  Space
is limited to 250. *PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 12*.  If we are not
sold out by that date, you may register at the door, but your lunch will
NOT be included.

The Lubbock/Tahoka PowWow has two dozen speakers and field trip leaders,
two Native Bee ID workshops, two Milkweed Propagation workshops, and two
dozen exhibitors. And one very awesome field trip! The Lubbock/Tahoka
pollinator conference focus will be on native bees.  Due to space
limitations in the Sculpture Court, we regrettably will not have a raffle
this time.  However, the Texas Pollinator PowWow has attained our 501c3
status, and alternatively there is an entry on the registration page if you
wish to make a donation to our mission directly. We thank you heartily!

The Native Bee ID workshops will be taught by some of the finest "bee guys"
in the country:  Dr. Scott Longing, Sam Droege, Dr. Jack Neff and Dr.
Shalene Jha. The *Native Bee ID workshop (I) on Friday the 22nd will have
the following content*:

Tips and Tricks for Bee Collecting and Processing; Labeling and Curating
Bees; Bee ID Manuals; Online Resources and working with others for ID;
Observing Bees in Nature Using Binoculars and Cameras; Major Bee Groups and
their General Morphology - This class is for advanced beginners. *You may
register for ONLY ONE Bee ID class*, so please choose carefully according
to your level of expertise. You MUST be registered for Friday's conference
before signing up for this particular class. There's a limit of 35,
first-come, first-served.

The* Native Bee ID workshop (II) for Saturday the 23rd* will be strictly
for those who have had at least some experience with bee collections and
identifications. There will be native bee specimens available in the class,
but it is strongly encouraged that you bring your "unidentifiable own" as
the instructors are really excited to see what you might be finding 'out
there', and where. :-) You MUST be registered for Saturday's conference in
order to sign up for this class. This class is for BEE TAXONOMY ONLY. There
will be no general instruction.  *If you register for this workshop, you
may NOT be registered also for Bee ID Workshop I*. Class limit is 35,
first-come, first-served. Please do not be intimidated by this class. It is
good practice. Bee after bee, individual microscopes and work stations,
with one-on-one instruction from the "bee guys" and the TTU entomology grad
students... for three hours... :-) Gotta love it, right?

If you do not register in time for either of these workshops, please do not
despair!  Sam Droege, USGS, will be instructing the entire conference about
native bees, and taking questions, for 90 minutes at the end of the day on
Friday, April 22nd. Please see the agenda.

Concurrent with those workshops will be *two Milkweed Propagation
workshops *with these fine instructors:  Dr. Karen Clary and staff, Lady
Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Dr. Cynthia McKenney and staff, TTU Plant
and Soil Science Lab, and Barbara Willy, Monarch Gateway.   We particularly
want to thank Dr. McKenney for her kindness and generosity in being willing
to share her greenhouses, supplies and very fine horticulturists for the
sessions. Due to space limitations, there is a limit of 35 spaces available
for each workshop.

The MW workshops will both have the same content.  *Choose one only, and
you must be registered at the conference for that particular day*. It will
be hands-on, so plan on dirt therapy :-). Bring a notebook and writing
instrument. You will learn vernalization and stratification techniques, and
the sowing depth of a variety of native milkweeds. There will also be
instruction about a similar variety of native nectar plants from the salvia
genus.  You will have lots of opportunity to ask advanced practical
horticultural questions concerning milkweed of these fine women and their
capable staff. All milkweed seed is donated by Monarch Gateway, is
identified by their GIS collection points and Web Soil Survey ecotypes, and
will be returned to public projects in those specific areas or used
similarly by donation to the LBJWC and TTU.  So,  no take-homes for us, but
plenty of practice, and your gift to our pollinators state-wide. :-)

On Sunday, April 24th, there is an optional field trip (*for conference
attendees only*) thirty  minutes southeast of Lubbock at Tahoka Lake. This
is a privately-owned, never-plowed, native shortgrass prairie and playa
lake that is governed by a 501c3. The terrain is diverse. We will be
divided into small groups led by teams of entomologists/botanists/wildlife
biologists, and the purpose is to bring together all you have learned about
the plant/pollinator relationships and their ecosytems. Identification and
collection will be the primary focus. That said, many of you have other
interests. Please feel free to indulge them. Bring your equipment, and use
it: plant presses, insect collection equipment, optics, camera equipment,
aquatic ecology and geology implements, etc.. This prairie is also a
primary breeding ground for the snowy plover, and it will be the tail end
of migration season for many other birds that either nest here or are
heading elsewhere. DRESS ACCORDINGLY for the weather, the lake edge, seeps,
rocky inclines and declines, etc. There are bathrooms at the entrance, but
be prepared for anything as we'll be out on the land for about five hours.
Pack it in, pack it out, tread lightly. :-)

Also, the president of the Tahoka Lake 501c3, Mrs. Clyde May, will greet
us, and two of her board members, Dr. Warren Conway/TTU and Manuel De
Leon/NRCS, will be guiding us.  Donations to their continued efforts to
save this prime prairie in perpetuity from commercial or agricultural
development would be most welcome and gratefully received should you wish
to address them on that subject.

If you have questions, most them are probably answered with a careful
reading of the website. Pay close attention to all of the dropdowns,
particularly the registration page. We have rooms blocked at the special
government rate of 89.00 per night/per room at the Overton Hotel, and the
link is on the website. The Overton is three minutes from the Museum of
Texas Tech.

As is usual with us thus far, the PowWow does not have a marketing budget,
so we would be most grateful if you would forward this information to any
groups, associations, institutions, chapters or individuals that you think
might be interested. Keep tabs of our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/texaspollinatorpowwow/and the website conference
pages for any updates. There will be one or two changes with speakers as we
get additional information and fill in the gaps.

We would like to especially point out, with deepest gratitude, that our
speakers, trip leaders and workshop leaders have generously donated their
time and efforts to you all in the interest of increasing your knowledge
and confidence level about pollinator ecology and conservation, and
assisting in your own networking efforts in these areas. When you see them
at the PowWow, please freely express your heartfelt appreciation to them
for their outstanding personal efforts, and give them your support in their
own life's work.

Thank you so very, very much for your continuing engagement with pollinator
conservation and their habitats and the Texas Pollinator PowWow's mission,
and if we don't see you at this one, we hope to see you at the next.

Warm regards,
Carrie

Carrie McLaughlin
TEXAS POLLINATOR POWWOW, Coordinator
https://www.facebook.com/texaspollinatorpowwow/
http://www.texaspollinatorpowwow.org/
carrie.mclaughlin58 at gmail.com
682-459-1684
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