Additional information on the role native pollinators play in enhancing agricultural productivity and profitability can be accessed at the following websites:
NPIA in the News!
Native Pollinators in Agriculture was recently highlighted in a segment of an America’s Heartland episode entitled “Native Pollinators”. Ernie Shea, our project coordinator, and two of our steering committee members, Mace Vaughn and AG Kawamura, were featured in the piece. It was shot on location at our annual field day in Orange County, CA at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s native seed nursery and the Orange County Great Park’s Farm and Food Lab. You can view the segment here.
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. For forty years, the Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.
Carl Hayden ARS Research Center
The mission of the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center (CHBRC) is to conduct research to optimize the health of honey bee colonies, through improved nutrition and control of Varroa mites, in order to maximize production of honey bee pollinated crops.
Ecological Sciences of America (ESA)
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of scientists founded in 1915 to: (1) promote ecological science by improving communication among ecologists; (2) raise the public’s level of awareness of the importance of ecological science; (3) increase the resources available for the conduct of ecological science; and (4) ensure the appropriate use of ecological science in environmental decision making by enhancing communication between the ecological community and policy-makers.
Educational Materials Appendix
https://agpollinators.org/educational_materials_appendix.pdf
A table providing links to numerous pollinator-related educational materials
Forest Service “Celebrating Wildflowers” Website
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtml
The USDA Forest Service started the Celebrating Wildflowers program in 1991. The program responds to public desire for information about native plants and their conservation. It is a way to promote and enjoy wildflowers on the 191 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The management of pollinators on the national forests and grasslands is an important aspect of the botany program, which provides leadership in the conservation and management of ethnobotanical resources.
National Agroforestry Center’s Agroforestry Notes
http://www.unl.edu/nac/agroforestrynotes.htm
The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) had its origins in the 1990 Farm Bill. It began as a Forest Service Research and State & Private Forestry effort in 1992 and expanded into a partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 1995. NAC’s technical note series provides agroforestry information in a useful “how to” format, including a number of articles on pollinators.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Originally established by Congress in 1935 as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), NRCS has expanded to become a conservation leader for all natural resources, ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges, like climate change. NRCS works with landowners through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.
North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC)
NAPPC is a growing, collaborative body of more than 120 diverse partners. Respected scientists, researchers, conservationists, government officials and dedicated volunteers are succeeding with major programs to protect pollinators, to raise pollinator-related issues, and to benefit the health of all species, particularly those most threatened.
The Pollinator Partnership
The Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.
Videos
Additionally, the following videos provide useful information on native pollinators:
Wild Vs. Domesticated Bees, Fox News
Pollinators: Putting Food on the Table, The Nature Conservancy
Native Pollinators, Penn State Ag Sciences
Additional Useful Documents
Wild Pollinator Habitat Benefits Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy
Pollinators and Roadsides: Managing Roadsides for Bees and Butterflies, Xerces Society
Improving Forage For Native Bee Crop Pollinator, USDA National Agroforestry Center
Enhancing Nest Sites For Native Bee Crop Pollinators, USDA National Agroforestry Center