[PCA] Grab Your Camera.Bumble Bee Watch is Here!

Matthew Shepherd mdshepherd at xerces.org
Wed Jan 22 11:10:54 CST 2014


Bees and plants go together like.well, bees and plants. We're excited to
announce a new website dedicated to better understanding and protecting
North America's bumble bees.

 

*************************************

 

For Immediate Release

 

January 22, 2014

 

Contacts:             

Rich Hatfield, Conservation Biologist, Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation; (503) 468-8405,  <mailto:rich at xerces.org> rich at xerces.org 

Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director, Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation; (503) 449-3792,
<file:///C:\Users\Matthew\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary%20Intern
et%20Files\Content.Outlook\8QLV12SX\sblack at xerces.htm> sblack at xerces.org

 

 

Grab Your Camera.Bumble Bee Watch is Here!

New web site is launched to help identify and protect bumble bees

 

PORTLAND, Ore---A new web site launched today allows people to be directly
involved in protecting bumble bees throughout North America.
BumbleBeeWatch.org enables people to connect with experts and other
enthusiasts, and help build a comprehensive picture of where bumble bees are
thriving and where they need help. 

 

Furry, hardworking bumble bees are essential to wildlands, gardens, and
farms, helping to deliver food security for both people and wildlife alike.
Alarmingly, many recent reports suggest that we may be losing their familiar
buzz from our summer landscapes due to habitat loss, insecticide use,
disease, and climate change. More information is needed to determine their
conservation status, and that process demands a continent-wide collaborative
effort. 

 

"We have an amazing community of citizen scientists who have helped us
follow a handful of bee species," said Rich Hatfield, the Xerces Society
conservation biologist who coordinated creation of Bumble Bee Watch.
"Hopefully this new web site will generate greater awareness and allow us to
draw more people into this community." 

 

A smartphone or simple digital camera (and a computer) is all that's needed
to start exploring BumbleBeeWatch.org. In addition to uploading photos of
bumble bees, individuals can identify the bumble bees, learn about their
ecology, and connect with bumble bee experts and other citizen scientists
engaged in pollinator conservation. 

 

The information gathered will help locate rare or endangered populations, as
well as track species whose status is less well known. "Bumble Bee Watch
will greatly benefit our at-risk pollinator conservation program," said
Sheila Colla, project leader for Wildlife Preservation Canada's At-Risk
Pollinator Project, a partner in Bumble Bee Watch. "By locating rare bumble
bee populations and collecting information on their ecological requirements,
citizen scientists can help conserve these important insects."

 

Bumble Bee Watch is a partnership between the Xerces Society, Wildlife
Preservation Canada, the University of Ottawa, the Montreal Insectarium, the
Natural History Museum in London, and BeeSpotter. 

 

"Bumble Bee Watch unites scientists and conservation organizations in Canada
and the United States in the study and protection of North America's bumble
bees," said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society. "We are
grateful for the hard work and commitment that our partners have made. This
web site will transform the way bumble bees are viewed and protected."

 

 

###

 

 

For More Information

 

Learn more about BumbleBeeWatch.org:

.         Watch this video to learn how to contribute your photos,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Kp3Awf2MQ 

.         Learn how to take helpful photos of bumble bees,
www.bumblebeewatch.org/contents/photo-tips/  

.         Meet the Bumble Bee Watch partners,
http://bumblebeewatch.org/contents/about/
<http://bumblebee.huasambo.com/contents/about/>   

 

Watch the Bumble Bee Watch trailer video on YouTube,
<http://youtu.be/vTLKMAtXGnA> http://youtu.be/vTLKMAtXGnA

 

Read more about bumble bees at risk on Xerces' Project Bumble Bee web page,
<http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/> http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/ 

 

 

About the Xerces Society

Protecting the Life that Sustains Us

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife
through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Since 1971, the
Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate protection, harnessing the
knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement
conservation programs worldwide. To learn more about our work or to donate
to the Society, please visit
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001nJnaKMBwYCAguwWGA_qLheYSzpJ_6ZDsrjtw2v1kXAu1
WHcprshLwht2WNgNT1ZoAT7n6H5bgP5B5RYqpz2hq5doAUxKkJFj-6hkaZj9G1U=>
www.xerces.org.

 

 

 

 

________

 

Matthew Shepherd

Communications Director

 

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Protecting the Life that Sustains Us

 

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

 <mailto:mdshepherd at xerces.org> mdshepherd at xerces.org 

Tel: (503) 232-6639 ext. 110

Toll free: 1-855-232 6639 ext. 110

Cell: (503) 807-1577

Fax: (503) 233-6794

 

Stay in touch:

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

 

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international
nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their habitat.

 

To join the Society, make a donation, or read about our work, please visit
<http://www.xerces.org/> www.xerces.org.

 

 

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