xercessociety

Xerces Society

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. xerces.org
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The USFWS today made its final ruling to list the rusty patched bumble bee as a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, making it the first bee in the continental United States to receive such protection.With this listing, the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) will be protected from activities that could cause it to go extinct. The Fish and Wildlife Service has the authority to develop and implement a recovery plan. The ruling is a result of a petition filed by the Xerces Society and can be celebrated as a victory for the hard work of our conservation staff and the many partners who have assisted with promoting awareness of this rare, and now officially endangered species. (Photo: @claybolt) #USFWS #protected #victory #endangeredspecies #conservation
A graceful glimpse of a great spangled fritillary to send you off to a winter weekend. #lepidoptera #whenissummercoming? #bringbackthepollinators
Rich Hatfield – Protecting the Most At-Risk Bumble Bees This September, in a response to a 2013 petition filed by the Xerces Society, the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) was proposed for listing as an endangered species. We began working on this species in 2008 as we gathered historic records and wrote a status review of this species - as well as the western bumble bee, Franklin's bumble bee, and the yellow banded bumble bee. As part of the effort to understand the range of the rusty patched and other rare bumble bees, the citizen science project Bumble Bee Watch was launched. Since January 2014, citizen scientists have used BBW to provide observations of more than 15,000 bumble bees throughout North America. This data has helped confirm the vastly reduced range of the rusty patched bumble bee, and also identified the spread of the common eastern bumble bee, a bee used in commercial growing operations and potential disease vector, far outside of its natural range. Our work also helped to get bumble bees listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need in 26 State Wildlife Action Plans - which will further conservation efforts not just for bumble bees, but for many other pollinators as well.
Emilie Blevins – Freshwater Mussels, Rescuing our Most At-Risk Animals Freshwater mussels are amongst the most at-risk animals in North America. The loss of these invertebrates, which clean our water and improve habitat for many other freshwater species, damages fragile freshwater ecosystems that are already impacted by pollution and degraded habitat. In 2016 we completed a project to evaluate the extinction risk of western species of freshwater mussels and found reason for concern: three of the four species we evaluated are declining. We are continuing our work with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, agencies, researchers, and citizen scientists to improve our picture of freshwater mussel occurrences in the West and to protect vulnerable populations. As part of an in-the-stream relocation effort, this summer we worked with volunteers and the Crystal Springs Partnership to move over 3,000 mussels from a construction project site to a safe place upstream. You can support this work at xerces.org/donate
Stephanie McKnight – Tracking Monarchs and Milkweed in the West In 2016 we completed monarch and milkweed surveys to fill in information gaps regarding monarch breeding locations in the Great Basin. While monarch breeding locations in the eastern states have been well researched, more information is needed to inform conservation efforts for monarch populations west of the Rockies. Travelling to locations across Nevada and western Utah, 120 new milkweed populations and 56 new monarch breeding sites were documented and included six different milkweed species. Prior to this field work only a handful of breeding sites had been documented in these states. You can help support this work at xerces.org/donate
Photo: Silvery Blue, by Laura Drizd
Jennifer Hopwood – Reimagining Roadsides to Protect Pollinators In areas where little or no alternatives exist for creating habitat for pollinators, roadsides may be the best option for providing essential resources, but roadsides everywhere can be managed to create miles and miles of high-quality habitat. This year we produced Roadside Best Management Practices that Benefit Pollinators. These best management practices identify key steps that State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) can take to improve the quality of roadside habitat for pollinators. In addition to this resource we also contributed to Roadside Revegetation: An Integrated Approach to Establishing Native Plants and Pollinator Habitat. This manual guides readers through a comprehensive process of initiating, planning, implementing, and monitoring a roadside revegetation project with native plants and pollinator habitat. We also had the opportunity to present on best management practices for pollinators to DOT practitioners and planners from across the country. It is our hope that our efforts will help to inform the management of the 17 million+ acres of roadsides to benefit pollinators. To help us continue this important work visit http://xerces.org/donate
Jessa Kay Cruz – Planting for Pollinators in California In 2016 I worked with almond growers to plant approximately 180 acres of pollinator habitat on 3 farms­­ in California. These projects included a native grassland restoration adjacent to an orchard, a mile-long wildflower field, and several very large cover crop plantings that will provide weed suppression and improve soil quality within the orchards while also providing forage for bees and other pollinators. These projects demonstrate a variety of strategies for including high-quality pollinator habitat in and around orchards, and serve as models for expanding pollinator habitat across California’s 1.1 million acres of almond groves. In addition to these habitat restoration projects I conducted 14 outreach events and technical trainings reaching approximately 450 farmers and agricultural professionals, in three states (CA, NV and ID). To help us continue this important work visit http://xerces.org/donate
In my region (NJ, PA, MD, NY, RI, CT) I provided technical assistance for approximately 220 acres of pollinator habitat in 2016. Most of this assistance was for new acreage to be planted this fall, or prepped for fall 2017 seeding. Additional support was provided for non-ag land plantings including roadside revegetation, pollinator-friendly gardens, and more. An exciting addition to my work in 2016 was providing technical assistant on the incorporation of pollinator habitat into forestry plans – an area of growing interest, and yet another avenue for getting high-quality habitat on the ground. To help us continue this important work visit http://xerces.org/donate
Candace Fallon – Surveying Rare Species on Public Lands in the West 2016 was a busy year for surveying small, rare, and sometimes poorly understood species on public lands in the West. Some highlights include ongoing mardon skipper monitoring at 4 key sites in Oregon and Washington, discovery of a new rare caddisfly population on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, hiking over 50 trail miles and climbing over 10,500 feet in elevation to conduct alpine surveys for two rare stonefly species in Washington, participation in a genetic study to map out the taxonomy of some of Oregon's largest land snails, and surveying for rare snails on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, which led to the discovery of a new population of a snail that has been documented only one other time since the 1930s (also by Xerces staff!). To help us continue this important work visit http://xerces.org/donate
Please consider making a donation today. #xercessociety #donate #conservation
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