[Pollinator] Blog from NSAC about pollinator conservation

Tue May 17 06:14:39 PDT 2016

FROM: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition blog

http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/sarepollinator/

SARE STORIES FROM THE FIELD: THE BUZZ ON POLLINATOR CONSERVATION

May 15, 2016

*Editor’s Note: This is the sixth and final blog in our series highlighting
the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Our
previous blog featured farmers in California’s Salinas Valley and how they
were able to reduce farm inputs through improved nutrient management*

When you hear the term “pollinator”, what do you think of? For most people,
honeybees would be the first thing that comes to mind – but as the number
of managed honeybee hives has decreased, native pollinators are playing an
increasingly important role in our food system. Pollinators, which can
include several types of bees as well as other insects, help produce more
than $24 billion worth of crops and products every year in the US – making
them an essential part of our food economy.

“There are 4,000 species of native bees in North America, from small
solitary mining bees to large and highly social bumble bees, all of which
can be important pollinators for agriculture,” said Eric Mader, Pollinator
Program Co-Director at The Xerces Society. “With the number of pollinators
declining, it’s important that people are educated in identifying these
bees and taking measures to try and conserve their populations and protect
their habitats.”

In order help protect native pollinator populations, The Xerces Society
utilized funding from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program’s Professional Development Grants. SARE is a farmer-driven
research, education and extension grant program that provides training and
support for farmers and agriculture professionals throughout the country.

*Expanding Knowledge to Support Farmers*

The Xerces Society began their relationship with the SARE program in 2009.
For their first project, they received funding from North Central SARE
(SARE is divided into four regional branches) to create a Pollinator
Conservation Short Course for agricultural professionals and staff at the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Social and Water
Conservation Districts (SWCD), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Cooperative
Extension programs. The courses were designed to draw attention to the
population decline of native pollinators, and to promote pollinator
conservation by giving agency staff the tools, knowledge, and resources to
protect and rebuild pollinator habitats on agricultural lands.

“A lack of knowledge is the key constraint to wider adoption of pollinator
conservation,” said Mader. “Farmers want to provide additional habitat for
pollinators, but need technical assistance to do so. Our courses provide a
mechanism for developing technical support knowledge among farm educators,
as well as the farmers themselves.”

Xerces’ Pollinator Short Course provides both classroom and field training
components, and covers such topics as principles of pollinator biology, the
economics of insect pollination, basic bee field identification, land
management practices, habitat restoration, and plant selection.

In order to make their work applicable to a wide variety of farmers and
farm landscapes, Xerces worked with SARE conservation experts in each state
to identify local communities interested in promoting pollinator
conservation efforts in agricultural landscapes. The regionally specific
information gathered through this effort was used to inform Xerces’
original series of short courses in the North Central SARE region, and was
a significant part of the courses’ success.

Because of the success of their North Central SARE project, The Xerces
Society expanded their Pollinator Conservation Short Course nationally by
applying for grants in every SARE region. In total, nearly 4,000 people
across the country have attended Xerces Pollinator Short Courses to date.

“We’ve received grants from every region for our Pollinator Conservation
Short Course, which made us the first project to be funded in all four SARE
regions and implemented in all 50 states,” said Mader. “As far as we know,
we were the first and only organization to receive SARE funding to
implement a project in all 50 states.”

*Impacting Pollinator Health*

The goal of Xerces’ courses is the protection and revitalization of
pollinator populations, but they have also helped create positive ripple
effects for agriculture and for the environment generally.

“Pollinator habitats can be incorporated into buffer systems that protect
soil and water, and support other wildlife such as game and songbirds,”
said Mader. “The conservation impact has a much broader reach than one may
realize.”

In the Southern SARE region, for example, over 1,000 staff members in 13
different states from NRCS, SWCD, FSA, and Cooperative Extension programs
participated in Xerces’ pollinator short course over the course of three
years. Because of the lessons taught in these courses, 10,000 acres of land
are now being managed for pollinators, creating healthier lands for farmers
and a healthier environment for rural communities.

The impact is even greater when viewed nationally. Mader estimates that
each agricultural professional who participates in a short course training
goes on to impact at least 100 acres of land and assist with ~3-5 USDA
conservation program contracts each.

*The Future of SARE Research*

Increased investment in sustainable agricultural research is vital to
continued productivity and innovation in American agriculture.

For over 25 years, SARE has been at the forefront of research and extension
activities that develop profitable and environmentally sound farming
systems.

Despite SARE’s popularity, efficiency, and productivity, it is still not
funded at even half of its authorized amount. NSAC urges Congress to match
the Administration’s budget request to fund SARE at $30 million in fiscal
year 2017, which would bring the funding to just half of the authorized
spending level.

SARE is administered through four regional councils of producers,
researchers, educators, and government representatives. Regional SARE
councils house their program information and requests for proposals
separately, but you can find the latest SARE information and data from
across all regions in the most recent SARE Roundup on the NSAC blog.

*What’s in a Name? The Xerces Society*

Named after The Xerces Blue Butterfly – the first butterfly species to
become extinct in the United States. Originally The Xerces Society focused
solely on butterfly conservation, but later expanded their work to include
a wider range of invertebrate wildlife conservation efforts. The Xerces
Society is a leader in invertebrate conservation work throughout the
country, working on issues ranging from protecting freshwater mussels to
pesticide policy advocacy.

________

*Matthew Shepherd*

Communications Director

*[image: Xerces-logo-CMYK-email_Outlook]*

*Protecting the Life that Sustains Us*

Stay in touch:     *xerces.org <http://www.xerces.org/>*      *Xerces blog
<http://www.xerces.org/blog/>*      *E-newsletter
<http://www.xerces.org/enewsletters/>*      *Facebook
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Xerces-Society/193182577358618>*
  *Twitter
<https://twitter.com/xerces_society>*

628 NE Broadway, Ste 200, Portland, OR 97232-1324, USA

Tel: (503) 232-6639 ext. 110; Toll free: 1-855-232 6639 ext. 110; Cell:
(503) 807-1577

matthew.shepherd at xerces.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20160517/d95cab0c/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 2955 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20160517/d95cab0c/attachment.jpg>