Our first program for 2012 is the evening of Wednesday, Jan 25th. Please see our chapter page for further details on this field trip and our other upcoming events.

    Jan 25, 2012 (Wed)    

Xerces Society’s Jennifer Hopwood Opens 2012 for Wild Ones with Program on How Pollinator Conservation Provides Key to Conserving Ecosystems & Biodiversity

Join Jennifer Hopwood, Midwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Wednesday, Jan. 25, to learn more about the fascinating lives of pollinators. Jennifer will focus on how to manage your land and restore habitat to benefit and protect pollinators in a time when conventional landscaping and agricultural practices are threatening their diversity and the health of the ecosystems that depend on them.

Plant pollination by insects is one of the most widespread and important ecosystem services; it’s essential in natural, agricultural, and urban landscapes. Native pollinators, especially native bees, provide this service, and pollinator conservation provides a unique and powerful framework for preserving and restoring healthy ecosystems.

Whether you’re a land manager, an urban gardener, a suburban park manager, a working farmer, or a teacher, Jennifer will show us steps we can all take to help conserve these charismatic and important animals.

Jennifer Hopwood, the Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Xerces Society, moved herself and the Midwest office to the Kalamazoo area from St. Louis last summer. Her husband Tim is now a post-doctoral research fellow at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station. Jennifer holds a Master’s degree in Entomology from the University of Kansas, where her research focused on bee communities in roadside prairie plants and prairie remnants. She travels throughout the Midwest providing programs to raise awareness and provide resources for pollinator conservation. Prior to her work with Xerces, she taught biology and environmental science and assisted with research on the effects of grassland management on insects.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which celebrated its fortieth anniversary last year, is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. The society has a wonderful new book, Attracting Native Pollinators. Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies. To join the Society and learn about its work, visit www.xerces.org/

PLEASE NOTE: The January program, and all 2012 indoor programs, will be at the First United Methodist Church, 212 So. Park St., Kalamazoo (directions on our new web site: www.kalamazoowildones.org). Socializing at 6:30; Program begins promptly at 7:00 p.m