Speaker Information
We will continue to update this page until all the entries are filled for the NACOGDOCHES POWWOW speakers and field trip leaders on May 5-7, 2017. Please check back.
Dr. Dan Bennett, Assistant Professor of Biology at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA); co-leader and organizer of the POWWOW Moth Night and Cat Walk; host, POWWOW/SFA Insect Collection Open House
How to Attract Solitary Wasps to your Garden (Yes, Attract!): Wasps are nearly universally maligned, and many of us never get past our first shocking encounter with one of the many varieties that aggressively defend their turf. Yet, to characterize them all as bad actors that should to be extinguished from our homes and gardens overlooks many benefits they potentially provide. Indeed, the vast majority of wasps are solitary hunters of what are often pestiferous insects and are either reluctant or entirely incapable of stinging humans. Furthermore, many regularly visit flowers and may be undervalued for the pollination services they offer. In his presentation, Dr. Bennett will provide an overview of the commonly encountered solitary, aculeate wasps and suggest methods for attracting and observing harmless, beneficial species. In addition, a recent endeavor to survey urban and rural stem-nesting bees and wasps in Nacogdoches County will be described.
Dan Bennett, Assistant Professor of Biology at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA), is a hymenopterist with expertise in Crabronidae and Hawaiian Ichneumonidae. He obtained doctoral and master's degrees in entomology from the University of Kansas. At SFA he teaches introductory biology for non-majors, principles of zoology, economic entomology, and invertebrate natural history.
How to Attract Solitary Wasps to your Garden (Yes, Attract!): Wasps are nearly universally maligned, and many of us never get past our first shocking encounter with one of the many varieties that aggressively defend their turf. Yet, to characterize them all as bad actors that should to be extinguished from our homes and gardens overlooks many benefits they potentially provide. Indeed, the vast majority of wasps are solitary hunters of what are often pestiferous insects and are either reluctant or entirely incapable of stinging humans. Furthermore, many regularly visit flowers and may be undervalued for the pollination services they offer. In his presentation, Dr. Bennett will provide an overview of the commonly encountered solitary, aculeate wasps and suggest methods for attracting and observing harmless, beneficial species. In addition, a recent endeavor to survey urban and rural stem-nesting bees and wasps in Nacogdoches County will be described.
Dan Bennett, Assistant Professor of Biology at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA), is a hymenopterist with expertise in Crabronidae and Hawaiian Ichneumonidae. He obtained doctoral and master's degrees in entomology from the University of Kansas. At SFA he teaches introductory biology for non-majors, principles of zoology, economic entomology, and invertebrate natural history.
Clay Bolt, Natural History and Conservation Photographer; Communications Officer, World Wildlife Fund
(photo credit: © Neil Losin / Day's Edge Productions)
Hope is the Thing With Little Clear Wings: Over
the past 10 years, we've heard a lot about the shocking disappearance of honey bees. However, many people don't realize that North America is also home to approximately 4,000 species of native bees that are irreplaceable pollinators with an extraordinary beauty all their own. In 2013, natural history photographer Clay Bolt set out on an adventure to meet, photograph and tell the stories of many of these beautiful, beneficial insects. Soon he came across a specimen of a rusty-patched bumble bee in a scientific collection and learned about its tragic decline. Determined to use his photography to create more awareness about the insect's demise, he worked with partners to create a film, which he then shared across the country on behalf of the bee, from small venues to a rare opportunity to present it on Capitol Hill. In January, 2017 these efforts paid off, and the rusty-patched bumble bee became the first species of a native North American bee to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act (finalized by USFWS on March 20, 2017!). During this engaging presentation, Clay will share some of his favorite images and stories about our beautiful native bees and what we can all do to make a difference in their lives. One thing is for certain: you'll never look at bees the same way again!
During Clay's presentation, he will show all three of the bumble bee short films that he co-created with Day's Edge Productions, including "Ghost in the Making: The Rusty-patched Bumble Bee".
Clay Bolt is a Natural History and Conservation Photographer specializing in the world’s smaller creatures. He regularly partners with organizations such as the National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He is an Associate Fellow in the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), and co-founder (2009) of the international nature and biodiversity photography project “Meet Your Neighbours.” His current major focus is on North America’s native bees and the important roles that they play in our lives (Beautiful Bees). Clay lives in Bozeman, Montana where he is the communications lead for WWF’s Northern Great Plains Program. He was a leading voice in the fight to protect the rusty-patched bumble bee as a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act, which became continental North America's first federally protected native bee in 2017. Visit www.claybolt.com to learn more.
(photo credit: © Neil Losin / Day's Edge Productions)
Hope is the Thing With Little Clear Wings: Over
the past 10 years, we've heard a lot about the shocking disappearance of honey bees. However, many people don't realize that North America is also home to approximately 4,000 species of native bees that are irreplaceable pollinators with an extraordinary beauty all their own. In 2013, natural history photographer Clay Bolt set out on an adventure to meet, photograph and tell the stories of many of these beautiful, beneficial insects. Soon he came across a specimen of a rusty-patched bumble bee in a scientific collection and learned about its tragic decline. Determined to use his photography to create more awareness about the insect's demise, he worked with partners to create a film, which he then shared across the country on behalf of the bee, from small venues to a rare opportunity to present it on Capitol Hill. In January, 2017 these efforts paid off, and the rusty-patched bumble bee became the first species of a native North American bee to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act (finalized by USFWS on March 20, 2017!). During this engaging presentation, Clay will share some of his favorite images and stories about our beautiful native bees and what we can all do to make a difference in their lives. One thing is for certain: you'll never look at bees the same way again!
During Clay's presentation, he will show all three of the bumble bee short films that he co-created with Day's Edge Productions, including "Ghost in the Making: The Rusty-patched Bumble Bee".
Clay Bolt is a Natural History and Conservation Photographer specializing in the world’s smaller creatures. He regularly partners with organizations such as the National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He is an Associate Fellow in the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), and co-founder (2009) of the international nature and biodiversity photography project “Meet Your Neighbours.” His current major focus is on North America’s native bees and the important roles that they play in our lives (Beautiful Bees). Clay lives in Bozeman, Montana where he is the communications lead for WWF’s Northern Great Plains Program. He was a leading voice in the fight to protect the rusty-patched bumble bee as a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act, which became continental North America's first federally protected native bee in 2017. Visit www.claybolt.com to learn more.
Dr. Chris Comer, SFASU, Wildlife Biologist, co-producer/PowWow BAT NIGHT; Boggy Slough trip leader
Black Bears and Pollinators in East Texas: As indicated by Joe Truett and Dan Lay’s classic Land of Bears and Honey, both black bears and pollinators have been integral parts of the natural and cultural history of east Texas for many years. However, black bears were extirpated from our region in the early 1900s. Recent decades have seen a slow increase in bear activity in east Texas as populations in neighboring states have expanded. I will discuss bear ecology and the history and status of bears in east Texas as well as the ecological relationships between bears and pollinators here and elsewhere (yes they exist!).
Chris Comer is a Professor of Forest Wildlife Management in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University. He started conducting research on black bears shortly after his arrival in 2005, and has been active with the East Texas Black Bear Task Force (now Texas Black Bear Alliance) and the Black Bear Conservation Coalition most of that time. He has also worked extensively with bats, particularly rare species associated with bottomland forests like the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat and the southeastern bat. He is interested in the relationships between forest and range structural characteristics and wildlife populations, especially in actively managed forests.
Black Bears and Pollinators in East Texas: As indicated by Joe Truett and Dan Lay’s classic Land of Bears and Honey, both black bears and pollinators have been integral parts of the natural and cultural history of east Texas for many years. However, black bears were extirpated from our region in the early 1900s. Recent decades have seen a slow increase in bear activity in east Texas as populations in neighboring states have expanded. I will discuss bear ecology and the history and status of bears in east Texas as well as the ecological relationships between bears and pollinators here and elsewhere (yes they exist!).
Chris Comer is a Professor of Forest Wildlife Management in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University. He started conducting research on black bears shortly after his arrival in 2005, and has been active with the East Texas Black Bear Task Force (now Texas Black Bear Alliance) and the Black Bear Conservation Coalition most of that time. He has also worked extensively with bats, particularly rare species associated with bottomland forests like the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat and the southeastern bat. He is interested in the relationships between forest and range structural characteristics and wildlife populations, especially in actively managed forests.
Dr. Pablo Jaramillo-Lopez, Research Scientist and Professor at the Research Institute for Ecosystems and sustainability at the National Autonomous University of Mexico - Morelia campus; Monarch Butterfly Fund, board member
The HOPE for the Monarch Butterflies in North America: abstract pending
I have been interested in developing soil amendments made from byproducts from human activities since I started working with Canadian scientists after finishing my undergraduate degree. Since 2002, I have been working with such amendments and researching how they can improve soil fertility in forestry and agricultural applications. During my doctoral program I developed amendments using stabilized biosolids mixed with fly ash and carried out experiments to see how they can improve plant growth while managing populations of plant-feeding soil roundworms.
Currently I have been researching how soil amendments from various waste materials can improve the fertility of soils that will be reforested. In most reforestation practices, tree seedlings are planted in impoverished soils that fail to provide the appropriate nutrients to these young seedlings. Improving soil fertility by using waste materials serves as an alternative for local communities to reconvert areas that were previously used for agricultural purposes into forests. Additionally, the preparation of these soil amendments can be done by using locally available byproducts which can be easily carried out by local landowners.
Most of my current research is being carried out within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and it is especially aimed at reducing human pressure from the forests where monarch butterflies overwinter. Because the Reserve is also home to hundreds of thousands of people that rely on forest products for their livelihood, pressure on old growth forests is higher than ever. We have devised a way to promote re-conversion of non-productive agricultural land into new forests by improving soil fertility with the use of locally made organic amendments. In addition, engaging local landowners with the project in all of its phases increases success because people have invested interest in protecting the newly planted seedlings. During this process, I have learned that it is extremely important to consider the opinion and interests of local stakeholders in order to determine the right policies that can be applied for each location. This is especially true in a naturally protected area, which serves as the winter refuge of millions of monarch butterflies. In time, people that inhabit the MBBR will have sources of forest products much closer to their home, which in turn reduces the pressure from forests in the core zone. By doing this, we will help conserve and protect the forests where monarch butterflies overwinter.
On top of reforesting areas closer to people’s homes, we have also devised a way to protect monarch butterfly forests. We are exploring this by starting a program called “Down Payments for Environmental Services”. This means that forests, which have been known to have monarch colonies in the past, will be protected and natural regeneration of sacred fir saplings will be promoted. We have realized that reforesting these areas is not a good idea because, by doing so, we might be introducing forest species that may modify the ideal local micro-climatic conditions that the butterflies seek, thus reducing the likelihood of butterflies establishing their colonies in such forests again. We think that these two alternatives might improve forest conservation and encourage local people to reconvert their fallow plots into new forests.
Ricky Linex, USDA/NRCS Wildlife Biologist and Author; POWWOW BOARD MEMBER; Boggy Slough Trip Leader
Pollinators and Native Plants, Forever Intertwined:
This presentation will briefly introduce the participants to habitat requirements for pollinators, especially native bumblebees, European honeybees and Monarch butterflies. Beneficial plants will be showcased that are important pollen and nectaring producers during spring, summer and fall. The importance of planting and managing for a diversity of flowering plants will be emphasized.
The understated goal of this presentation is to show the importance of pollinators to humans and to land managers, be they livestock producers or wildlife managers. We always talk about managing “habitat” by controlling grazing or wildlife numbers but it goes deeper, we must manage to have healthy pollinators to ensure that we have flowering forbs and woody species. Without the pollinators, the future of agriculture and wildlife is doomed.
Ricky Linex is a wildlife biologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) headquartered in Weatherford, Texas. Linex works 51 counties in north central Texas covering the Rolling Plains, Cross Timbers, Blackland Prairie and Post Oak Savannah vegetational regions. He has worked 34 years with NRCS in Goldthwaite, Snyder and Abilene with the past 13 of those years in Weatherford.
Ricky serves as an instructor with the Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade and the North Texas Buckskin Brigade. In 2009 he was selected as Educator of the Year by the Texas Chapter, The Wildlife Society. He is the author of the brand new Range Plants of North Central Texas: A Land Users Guide to Their Identification, Value and Management, a plant identification book for north central Texas. This book has 324 grasses, forbs and woody plants of the area, and is full of photos. A valuable addition within this book is the detailed browsing, grazing and seed value of each plant for cattle, sheep, goats, deer, dove, quail and turkey. Nearly all the plant species listed in this book can be found throughout the state of Texas and beyond. Ricky is also the co-founder and editor of the very popular Texas quarterly e-publication, The Reverchon Naturalist.
Pollinators and Native Plants, Forever Intertwined:
This presentation will briefly introduce the participants to habitat requirements for pollinators, especially native bumblebees, European honeybees and Monarch butterflies. Beneficial plants will be showcased that are important pollen and nectaring producers during spring, summer and fall. The importance of planting and managing for a diversity of flowering plants will be emphasized.
The understated goal of this presentation is to show the importance of pollinators to humans and to land managers, be they livestock producers or wildlife managers. We always talk about managing “habitat” by controlling grazing or wildlife numbers but it goes deeper, we must manage to have healthy pollinators to ensure that we have flowering forbs and woody species. Without the pollinators, the future of agriculture and wildlife is doomed.
Ricky Linex is a wildlife biologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) headquartered in Weatherford, Texas. Linex works 51 counties in north central Texas covering the Rolling Plains, Cross Timbers, Blackland Prairie and Post Oak Savannah vegetational regions. He has worked 34 years with NRCS in Goldthwaite, Snyder and Abilene with the past 13 of those years in Weatherford.
Ricky serves as an instructor with the Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade and the North Texas Buckskin Brigade. In 2009 he was selected as Educator of the Year by the Texas Chapter, The Wildlife Society. He is the author of the brand new Range Plants of North Central Texas: A Land Users Guide to Their Identification, Value and Management, a plant identification book for north central Texas. This book has 324 grasses, forbs and woody plants of the area, and is full of photos. A valuable addition within this book is the detailed browsing, grazing and seed value of each plant for cattle, sheep, goats, deer, dove, quail and turkey. Nearly all the plant species listed in this book can be found throughout the state of Texas and beyond. Ricky is also the co-founder and editor of the very popular Texas quarterly e-publication, The Reverchon Naturalist.
Scott Longing, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Entomology, Texas Tech University Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; POWWOW BOARD MEMBER; Boggy Slough Trip Leader; co-leader, Moth Night
Scott Longing is an assistant professor of entomology in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University, where he teaches Introductory Entomology, Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management. His research focuses on determining environmental drivers of aquatic and terrestrial insect communities across unique habitats of the southern United States, from headwater stream networks of the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains to the sandhills of western Texas. A major focus of research includes determining habitat associations and threats to endemic species of concern from these systems. Scott is directing current graduate and undergraduate students on multiple projects addressing pollinator communities across urban, agricultural and rangeland systems on the Southern High Plains.
Recent international collaboration on pollinator decline includes Scott's contributions to a new book titled The Business of Bees: An Integrated Approach to Bee Decline and Corporate Responsibility.
Carrie McLaughlin, TEXAS POLLINATOR POWWOW, President of the Board, Conference Coordinator and Moderator
Carrie is a conservationist and naturalist of long standing, with a strong, abiding interest in ecological systems. She has planned and coordinated several successful, well-attended training seminars for naturalists, botanists, field researchers and others in the North Central Texas area in the past few years.
She has also labored intermittently at plant nurseries and growers' farms for the last decade and has gardened since her earliest childhood, when she stubbornly persisted in transplanting Alleghany Highland woodland wildflowers to the Shenandoah Valley year after year, in spite of overwhelming and continual defeat. Carrie is a certified Texas Master Naturalist, an Audubon Society Master Birder, a Botanical Research Institute of TX herbarium volunteer, a Texas Bluebird Society member and a volunteer park ranger at Dinosaur Valley State Park.
Carrie is a born-bred-and-raised Virginian, who has visited in Texas for an awfully long time now. She is deeply committed to being a good steward of the precious gifts of nature that God has given us, and is a passionate lover of same.
Carrie is a conservationist and naturalist of long standing, with a strong, abiding interest in ecological systems. She has planned and coordinated several successful, well-attended training seminars for naturalists, botanists, field researchers and others in the North Central Texas area in the past few years.
She has also labored intermittently at plant nurseries and growers' farms for the last decade and has gardened since her earliest childhood, when she stubbornly persisted in transplanting Alleghany Highland woodland wildflowers to the Shenandoah Valley year after year, in spite of overwhelming and continual defeat. Carrie is a certified Texas Master Naturalist, an Audubon Society Master Birder, a Botanical Research Institute of TX herbarium volunteer, a Texas Bluebird Society member and a volunteer park ranger at Dinosaur Valley State Park.
Carrie is a born-bred-and-raised Virginian, who has visited in Texas for an awfully long time now. She is deeply committed to being a good steward of the precious gifts of nature that God has given us, and is a passionate lover of same.
Dr. John Pascarella, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering Technology and Professor of Biological Sciences at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
Pollination Biology of Blueberries and Interactions with Native Bees in Eastern U.S.: Vaccinium species are a diverse group of native plants that occur across a wide range of habitats in Eastern North America. In the southeastern United States, blueberries are an important small fruit crop. The pollination biology of Vaccinium flowers and their interaction with native and introduced bee species will be reviewed from the literature and research projects conducted by the author.
John received his BS in Ecology and Systematics and BA in Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas and his PhD in Biology from the University of Miami. He has also worked for the University of Puerto Rico, University of Miami, Valdosta State University, Georgia Southern University, Kansas State University and was a Science Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation focusing on broadening participation by underrepresented groups in federally funded research. His research expertise is in plant ecology, focusing on tropical forest ecology and restoration, rare and endangered plant demography, plant-pollinator interactions, and native bee conservation.
Ben Pfeiffer, founder of www.fireflies.org
Fireflies of Texas: Glowing, Glowing, Gone...: A highly educational and fun talk on the types of fireflies (Lampyridae) in Texas. Ben will be presenting his research on Texas firefly taxa with an emphasis on East Texas fireflies and also detail his ongoing field research during both firefly seasons in Texas. He will show attendees how to identify Texas firefly taxa and discuss their distribution across the state. Ben will discuss why fireflies flash and how they use light to communicate to potential mates. He will also talk on how to create a good habitat for fireflies on your land and specific threats to why fireflies are disappearing in many areas of Texas.
Ben Pfeiffer is founder of Firefly.org, a firefly conservation and educational non-profit. He got his start with fireflies in 2009 after hearing about firefly disappearance in parts of the US. The website was created to educate others on how to help keep fireflies from disappearing. Since then, Firefly.org has grown in popularity and is currently the internet’s most visited website about fireflies. Ben’s research work focuses on Texas firefly species. He is working on understanding Lampyridae (firefly) distribution across the state by developing a species guide. He is also working to identify threats to firefly habitat and educating people on how to protect fireflies in their area. Ben studied Biology at Texas State University and is a certified Master Naturalist. He is a lifelong 6th generation Texan and has spent most of his life working to understand Texas ecology and unique diversity.
Fireflies of Texas: Glowing, Glowing, Gone...: A highly educational and fun talk on the types of fireflies (Lampyridae) in Texas. Ben will be presenting his research on Texas firefly taxa with an emphasis on East Texas fireflies and also detail his ongoing field research during both firefly seasons in Texas. He will show attendees how to identify Texas firefly taxa and discuss their distribution across the state. Ben will discuss why fireflies flash and how they use light to communicate to potential mates. He will also talk on how to create a good habitat for fireflies on your land and specific threats to why fireflies are disappearing in many areas of Texas.
Ben Pfeiffer is founder of Firefly.org, a firefly conservation and educational non-profit. He got his start with fireflies in 2009 after hearing about firefly disappearance in parts of the US. The website was created to educate others on how to help keep fireflies from disappearing. Since then, Firefly.org has grown in popularity and is currently the internet’s most visited website about fireflies. Ben’s research work focuses on Texas firefly species. He is working on understanding Lampyridae (firefly) distribution across the state by developing a species guide. He is also working to identify threats to firefly habitat and educating people on how to protect fireflies in their area. Ben studied Biology at Texas State University and is a certified Master Naturalist. He is a lifelong 6th generation Texan and has spent most of his life working to understand Texas ecology and unique diversity.
|
Dr. Rebeca Quinonez, Forests For Monarchs, Executive Director; PowWow Monarch Q&A panelist member
Dr. Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón earned her Doctorate in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Calgary Geomatics Department, in Alberta, Canada, where she majored in Environmental Engineering and minored in Forest Hydrology. Her scientific contributions are related to the topics of estimating hydrologic data error propagation, scaling actual evaporation and transpiration to large scales, and improving techniques to accurately measure actual transpiration. Boreal, Tropical and Temperate Forests have been part of her areas of study. In 2010 and 2011, Dr. Quiñonez-Piñón led a project funded by the Ecosystems Network (ECORed) of CONACYT, whose main topic was to initiate the creation of a National Environmental Monitoring System in Mexico. By 2011, CONACYT decided to support a larger effort to consolidate this project, and she is part of the evaluating Committee of such effort. Along her career, she has either led or participated in 14 research projects. Dr. Quiñonez-Piñón supervised two MSc Dissertations, up to six Bachelor’s Treatises, and served as a member of the CONACYT physics and mathematics scientific evaluation committee for two years. She has fifteen years of experience as a University Professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, and about three years of consulting experience, primarily for Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). She resides now in Austin, Texas and is writing several journal papers and serving as a reviewer for the International Journal of Remote Sensing. In 2013, she became the Executive Director of La Cruz Habitat Protection Project where she focuses most of her efforts on increasing the forest restoration rates in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve through the Forests for Monarchs program. |
|
Cliff Shackelford, nongame ornithologist, TPWD; author; PowWow field trip leader
Amazing hummingbirds, amazing pollinators: Hummingbirds are important pollinators. There are 328 species of hummingbirds found in the world yet they’re all restricted to the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. has recorded less than 25 species while Ecuador has recorded over 160. In Texas, there have been nearly 20 species of hummingbirds recorded with 7 of those having been found in the Pineywoods of East Texas. The richest diversity of hummingbirds in the world is the transition zone between the lower submontane forests and adjacent Andean forests of South America which is roughly between 1,800 and 2,500 m in elevation. This is where hummingbirds are the best pollen vectors in cloud forest conditions since insects cannot operate as well in the cool,moist air. Cliff Shackelford is a 7th generation Texan and started birdwatching at the age of nine. He’s the statewide Nongame Ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a position he’s held for over 20 years. Cliff has authored over 75 publications on birds with almost 20 of those appearing in peer-reviewed journals. He is first author of the book, Hummingbirds of Texas, published in 2005 by Texas A&M University Press. For the past 4 years, Cliff has co-produced and co-hosted a live call-in radio show, Bird Calls, which airs on National Public Radio’s Red River Radio station. Red River Radio has the second largest coverage area of any NPR station in the country and serves East Texas, much of Louisiana, and parts of two other states. At the age of 17, Cliff made his first tropical birding trip to Peru where hummingbird diversity is very high. His birding travels have taken him throughout the Western Hemisphere including nine Latin American countries, Canada, and the Caribbean. |
|
Dr. Ellen Sharp, cultural anthropologist; Butterflies and Their People, executive director; JM Butterfly B&B, co-owner
Who Gets To Be A Citizen-Scientist? A Brief Look at One of Many Challenges Facing Monarch Conservation in Mexico: Monarch butterfly studies are famous for their reliance upon the observations of volunteers called citizen-scientists. But with the notable exception of Michoacán native Catalina Aguado Trail, who encountered the monarchs’ winter roosts on Cerro Pelón in 1975, monarch citizen science has been an almost exclusively gringo pursuit. Last year I started a non-profit called Butterflies and their People along with my husband and brother-in-law, who hail from a peasant community at the entry of Cerro Pelón. Our main goal was to seek funding to hire local people to protect the butterfly forest and thus decrease its decimation by illegal logging. But a secondary goal of our project was to democratize monarch citizen science by training our workers to monitor colony and forest health. Interestingly, this piece of the proposal proved to be the most controversial. We quickly learned that institutional and political forces underlie the exclusion of ordinary Mexicans from citizen science. Dr. Ellen Sharp has a BA from Brown University and a PhD in sociocultural anthropology from UCLA. In between these degrees, she worked in immigrant services in New York City. Her dissertation research investigated grassroots development in rural Guatemala and was funded by the Inter-American Foundation and the Social Science Research Council. Dr. Sharp turned her attention to the plight of monarch butterflies after visiting the Cerro Pelón Sanctuary in 2011. She now lives in the village of Macheros at the entry of Cerro Pelón with her husband Joel Moreno Rojas and his extended family. Together they started an ecotourism company called JM Butterfly B&B. In 2016, they formed Butterflies and Their People, AC, a non-profit dedicated to increasing local involvement in the conservation of the monarch butterflies' winter forest. |
|
Lauren Jansen Simpson, JD, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Houston Law Center (photo by Elena Hawthorne)
How I Came to Love the Syrphid Fly─from the Journal of a Citizen Scientist: Syrphid flies (also called hover flies or flower flies) are important contributors to a wide variety of ecosystems. But most people know little about them. Through the story of her own wildlife-habitat gardens, Ms. Simpson shares what she’s learned about these amazing pollinators: how effectively they pollinate, how they contribute to garden health, and how beautiful they are.
Since early 2015, Lauren Simpson has spent her spare time transforming her home gardens into a pollinator-friendly habitat, currently a Certified Wildlife Habitat (National Wildlife Federation), a Monarch Waystation (Monarch Watch, Waystation No. 10925), and a Certified Butterfly Garden (North American Butterfly Association), which have hosted 39 species of butterfly, over 25 species each of bee and wasp, and around 20 species of syrphid fly. Ms. Simpson promotes pollinator conservation and wildscaping through presentations, events at her gardens, and an educational Facebook community entitled “St. Julian’s Crossing-wildlife habitat,” which discusses pollinators and the gardens that support them: https://www.facebook.com/St-Julians-Crossing-wildlife-habitat-1609337762653792/. Ms. Simpson identifies and catalogs the invertebrates that visit her family’s wildlife gardens on iNaturalist ("laurenjansensimpson").
Ms. Simpson is a member of North American Butterfly Associate (Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas chapter) and the Native Plant Society of Texas (Houston Chapter), and she actively volunteers in her neighborhood gardening group, the Oak Forest Community of Gardeners. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Law Center teaching Lawyering Skills and Strategies. She earned her B.A. (cum laude) in French and International Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1988. She obtained her J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Houston Law Center in 1994. She is a spring 2016 recipient of the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award (Instructor/Clinical category).
How I Came to Love the Syrphid Fly─from the Journal of a Citizen Scientist: Syrphid flies (also called hover flies or flower flies) are important contributors to a wide variety of ecosystems. But most people know little about them. Through the story of her own wildlife-habitat gardens, Ms. Simpson shares what she’s learned about these amazing pollinators: how effectively they pollinate, how they contribute to garden health, and how beautiful they are.
Since early 2015, Lauren Simpson has spent her spare time transforming her home gardens into a pollinator-friendly habitat, currently a Certified Wildlife Habitat (National Wildlife Federation), a Monarch Waystation (Monarch Watch, Waystation No. 10925), and a Certified Butterfly Garden (North American Butterfly Association), which have hosted 39 species of butterfly, over 25 species each of bee and wasp, and around 20 species of syrphid fly. Ms. Simpson promotes pollinator conservation and wildscaping through presentations, events at her gardens, and an educational Facebook community entitled “St. Julian’s Crossing-wildlife habitat,” which discusses pollinators and the gardens that support them: https://www.facebook.com/St-Julians-Crossing-wildlife-habitat-1609337762653792/. Ms. Simpson identifies and catalogs the invertebrates that visit her family’s wildlife gardens on iNaturalist ("laurenjansensimpson").
Ms. Simpson is a member of North American Butterfly Associate (Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas chapter) and the Native Plant Society of Texas (Houston Chapter), and she actively volunteers in her neighborhood gardening group, the Oak Forest Community of Gardeners. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Law Center teaching Lawyering Skills and Strategies. She earned her B.A. (cum laude) in French and International Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1988. She obtained her J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Houston Law Center in 1994. She is a spring 2016 recipient of the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award (Instructor/Clinical category).
Dawn Stover, Arboretum Program Coordinator, Stephen F. Austin Gardens; Research Associate/SFA Mast Arboretum
[email protected]
Food Prairies: Revolution or Evolution?: (abstract pending)
Dawn has worked 20 years as a Research Associate with SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin Sate University in Nacogdoches, TX. Dawn earned a B.S. in Biology from West Texas A&M in 1996, and an M.S. in Agriculture with an emphasis in endangered plant conservation and reintroduction. She currently maintains the living plant collection and plant trials at SFA Gardens, is responsible for the horticultural nursery facilities and coordinates two successful fundraising plant sales each year. She guest lectures for horticultural classes and labs at SFA, as well as to a wide range of garden enthusiasts. Currently, Dawn specializes in evaluation of ornamental native plants that provide habitat and forage for pollinators. She is working to create designed plant communities for pollinators throughout Nacogdoches, and initializing efforts to restore tall grass prairie along sections of the Lanana Creek Trail there as well.
Dr. Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware, professor and entomologist; award-winning author; avid birder and co-admin of https://www.facebook.com/pg/WhatDoBirdsEat/; co-leader, PowWow Moth Night
Making Insects: A guide to restoring the little things that run the world Insect populations have declined 45% globally since 1974. The most alarming part of this statistic is that we don’t seem to care, despite the fact that a world without insects is a world without humans! So how do we build landscapes that support the pollinators, herbivores, detritivores, predators and parasitoids that run the ecosystems we depend on? Tallamy will remind us of the many essential roles insects play, and describe the simple changes we must make in our landscapes and our attitudes to keep insects on the ground, in the air and yes, on our plants. Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 85 research publications and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, Humans and Nature, Insect Ecology, and other courses for 36 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Doug is also a regular columnist for Garden Design magazine. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence. |
Dr. Merlin Tuttle International Bat Biologist/Researcher and Photographer; founder, Bat Conservation International; founder, Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation; Author; PowWow Bat Night co-leader
Amazing Bats and How Their Loss Threatens Pollinators:
This talk will begin with a broad introduction to bats, followed by a lengthy section on bat pollinators worldwide, in which Merlin will share with us his knowledge of photography of bats and their pollination. Merlin will show recent discoveries of amazing values in agricultural pest control, wrapping up with primary threats and how loss of even insect-eating bats directly threatens pollinators, as well as us, through increased dependence on toxic pesticides.
Merlin Tuttle, a resident of Austin, Texas, has studied and photographed bats worldwide for more than 50 years. He founded and led Bat Conservation International for 30 years. He has published five articles in National Geographic, most recently on sophisticated bat pollinators. His research has appeared in the world’s most prestigious journals, including an article in the current issue of Issues in Science and Technology. He recently founded a new organization for bats, Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation, and continues a busy schedule of lecturing and teaching workshops worldwide, from Trinidad to Taiwan in the past year. His most recent book, The Secret Lives of Bats, My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals, has received high praise from reviewers.
Amazing Bats and How Their Loss Threatens Pollinators:
This talk will begin with a broad introduction to bats, followed by a lengthy section on bat pollinators worldwide, in which Merlin will share with us his knowledge of photography of bats and their pollination. Merlin will show recent discoveries of amazing values in agricultural pest control, wrapping up with primary threats and how loss of even insect-eating bats directly threatens pollinators, as well as us, through increased dependence on toxic pesticides.
Merlin Tuttle, a resident of Austin, Texas, has studied and photographed bats worldwide for more than 50 years. He founded and led Bat Conservation International for 30 years. He has published five articles in National Geographic, most recently on sophisticated bat pollinators. His research has appeared in the world’s most prestigious journals, including an article in the current issue of Issues in Science and Technology. He recently founded a new organization for bats, Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation, and continues a busy schedule of lecturing and teaching workshops worldwide, from Trinidad to Taiwan in the past year. His most recent book, The Secret Lives of Bats, My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals, has received high praise from reviewers.
David Wolfe, Director, Conservation Strategy and Habitat Markets with Environmental Defense Fund
Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange UPDATE: Habitat exchanges are emerging as a highly efficient and effective tool for achieving conservation goals across broad landscapes. Exchanges are essentially conservation marketplaces that enable private working landowners (farmers, ranchers and forestland owners) to receive a new source of income by generating and selling credits that represent beneficial outcomes for at-risk species and their habitats. Buyers include a variety of public and private sources and typically fall into one of three categories: voluntary mitigation, compensatory mitigation and philanthropic conservation investments. The market-based approach of exchanges ensures that the greatest conservation return is achieved for each dollar invested and the fact that credits are based on outcomes (not practices) ensures that buyers know exactly how much conservation they are getting for their investment. EDF has been working with stakeholders across the western U.S. to establish exchanges for a variety of at-risk species and we have recently initiated an effort for the monarch butterfly. In this presentation, I will describe how a habitat exchange works, as well as our vision for the development and implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange.
David Wolfe (B.S. and M.E. Agricultural Engineering, University of Florida and M.S. Ecology, University of Georgia) is Director, Conservation Strategy and Habitat Markets with Environmental Defense Fund. David began his conservation career as a field ecologist with The Nature Conservancy in 1992 and he has since held a variety of conservation science, stewardship and management positions. In 2000 he began working as a scientist with EDF to implement incentive-based programs for conservation of endangered species on private lands. This work involved the development and implementation of safe harbor and Farm Bill conservation programs to benefit endangered species, including the golden-cheeked warbler, black-capped vireo, Houston toad and ocelot. David has over a decade of experience in developing habitat markets for the conservation and recovery of at-risk species, including the golden-cheeked warbler, lesser prairie-chicken and greater sage grouse. He is currently taking a leadership role in the development of a monarch butterfly habitat exchange.
Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange UPDATE: Habitat exchanges are emerging as a highly efficient and effective tool for achieving conservation goals across broad landscapes. Exchanges are essentially conservation marketplaces that enable private working landowners (farmers, ranchers and forestland owners) to receive a new source of income by generating and selling credits that represent beneficial outcomes for at-risk species and their habitats. Buyers include a variety of public and private sources and typically fall into one of three categories: voluntary mitigation, compensatory mitigation and philanthropic conservation investments. The market-based approach of exchanges ensures that the greatest conservation return is achieved for each dollar invested and the fact that credits are based on outcomes (not practices) ensures that buyers know exactly how much conservation they are getting for their investment. EDF has been working with stakeholders across the western U.S. to establish exchanges for a variety of at-risk species and we have recently initiated an effort for the monarch butterfly. In this presentation, I will describe how a habitat exchange works, as well as our vision for the development and implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange.
David Wolfe (B.S. and M.E. Agricultural Engineering, University of Florida and M.S. Ecology, University of Georgia) is Director, Conservation Strategy and Habitat Markets with Environmental Defense Fund. David began his conservation career as a field ecologist with The Nature Conservancy in 1992 and he has since held a variety of conservation science, stewardship and management positions. In 2000 he began working as a scientist with EDF to implement incentive-based programs for conservation of endangered species on private lands. This work involved the development and implementation of safe harbor and Farm Bill conservation programs to benefit endangered species, including the golden-cheeked warbler, black-capped vireo, Houston toad and ocelot. David has over a decade of experience in developing habitat markets for the conservation and recovery of at-risk species, including the golden-cheeked warbler, lesser prairie-chicken and greater sage grouse. He is currently taking a leadership role in the development of a monarch butterfly habitat exchange.
