Bee Informed!

It's still winter, but buttercups and crocuses are peeking out. If this sunny weather has got you dreaming of June (it certainly has me dreaming), never fear--field season is right around the corner, really. I hope you've found a few minutes this week to sit in the sun.

GHCC would like to share an update from Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Dr. Hatfield and his team have compiled some sweet data and photos from the Bumblebee Atlas Project. Your hard work last summer Solstice, and our good time together, and the hard work and good times of many other crews of potlucking volunteers around the state, made this project a success in 2019. If you take a look at the map, you'll see that our outings provided enough data to meet Xerces' objectives. On behalf of GHCC and our partners--thank you!

Take a look at these highlights, pat yourself on the back, and please holler back at me if you are interested in attending another family-friendly Bumblebee Atlas survey (with chili! and s'mores) this year, when summer rolls around. The Lower Minam and Anatone grid cells are still priorities. We may push the timing back from solstice a couple weeks, since (at buckhorn, anyway) it was a bit chilly in June for the bumbles. I'd welcome your feedback on that.

Generally, if you love you some field time, stay tuned for those GHCC emails over the next several weeks; we're expanding our field offerings this year to include hikes, beaver surveys, and maybe even a full moon quiet dance party... If you're not on our general mailing list, please click here, scroll down to "stay connected" and get on our mailing list. Your info stays private and we don't spam!  This is even more important as the EPA is allowing Sulfoxaflor, the bee-killing pesticide back into the market. The pesticide has been linked to colony collapse and was banned in 2015. It will take all of us ensure that we have the data needed to protect our critical pollinators!