Northeast Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Course

Northeast Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Course

Summary

Pollinators are essential to our environment. The ecological service they provide is necessary for more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species. Despite this, the essential service of pollination is at risk. Habitat loss, as well as pesticide use, has contributed to recent pollinator declines.

Extensive research now demonstrates, however, that protecting or restoring natural habitat on farms is the best way to conserve native pollinators and, at the same time, provide resources that support local honey bees.

In response, the current Farm Bill offers specific support for the creation and protection of wildflower plantings and pollinator nest sites through USDA conservation programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and others.

At the national level, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has developed guidelines on how to provide pollinator habitat on working farms, but the knowledge to implement these habitat enhancements has not been cultivated at the field office level or among partner agencies and farm educators. This lack of knowledge represents a key constraint to the wider adoption of pollinator conservation.

To overcome that barrier, this project is making in-depth pollinator conservation training available to NRCS conservationists, Soil and Water Conservation District farm planners, Cooperative Extension personnel, state departments of agriculture and natural resources, crop consultants, non-governmental conservation organizations, and the growers of bee-pollinated crops.

This training consists of a full day Short Course on basic pollinator biology, native bee identification, bee-friendly farm management practices, designing and implementing habitat enhancements, and how to use NRCS programs for pollinator conservation. The Short Course is being offered in all twelve Northeastern SARE states, with collaboration by multiple partner organizations including academic institutions, Cooperative Extension, the NRCS and others.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Courses will enable 240 farm educators and conservation agency staff to directly support at least 484 farmers in adapting farm practices for pollinator conservation on 24,000 acres of land and to assist at least 60 of those farmers with enrollment in NRCS administered conservation programs.

Accomplishments/Milestones

During the reporting period, we conducted 5 Short Courses in 4 states, which were attended by more than 215 participants. The primary audiences at these events were staff from the NRCS, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and Extension, as well as a number of individual farmers, researchers, master gardeners, naturalists, and beekeepers.

Specific accomplishments include:

1. May 4th (and 5th) at Powisset Farm in Dover, Massachusetts: Enrollment interest was so great that we added a second session the following day to accommodate additional participants (this second Short Course was supported by non-SARE funds leveraged from other sources). In total, more than 50 people participated, and supplementary lectures were provided by state NRCS staff and University of Massachusetts pollination biologists.

2. On June 15th more than 20 people participated in the Short Course at the University of New Hampshire Extension office in Boscawen. Attendees included numerous Extension staff and personnel from the state and county NRCS offices.

3. On July 29th, more than 80 people attended the Short Course in Pennsylvania held at the Penn State campus in University Park as a special full day session of the 2010 International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy. Guest lectures included state NRCS staff, Penn State pollination biologists, and tree fruit researchers, and participants included NRCS, Extension, and Master Gardeners from across the state, as well as pesticide researchers from the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC.

4. On September 23rd, we conducted a Short Course at the NRCS Big Flats Plant Materials Center in Corning, New York. More than 80 people attended the event, which included guest lecturers from Cornell University’s Department of Entomology and plant materials specialists from the NRCS, as well as a field tour of native wildflower demonstration plantings for pollinator conservation at the facility.

• More wildflower habitat developed by PA Short Course participant
• New York Short Course participants discuss wildflower demonstration plantings
• New York Short Course participants during field session
• Wildflower habitat developed by PA Short Course participant

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Based upon initial evaluations, we are on track to exceed our performance target. To date, more than 215 people have participated in the Short Course (our overall performance target was 240), and we have documented at least 15 new farmer enrollments in NRCS-funded pollinator conservation projects that have been initiated by Short Course participants. This includes 150 acres of new wildflower-rich pollinator habitat that is being created on apple farms in Pennsylvania through the Conservation Stewardship Program under the local guidance of a Penn State tree fruit researcher who attended the Short Course.

In addition, we continue to raise awareness among farm educators about pollinators in a way that is directly affecting their work. Specifically, based upon post event questionnaires, 94% of participants said that the Short Course changed how they would advise farmers on management practices to support pollinators, and 98% of participants said they planned to incorporate pollinator conservation into their own outreach efforts.

While the Short Course specifically targets farm educators and farm agency staff, a number of farmers attended each event. Among them, 94% said that attending the Short Course changed how they would support pollinators on their farms.

Finally, specific feedback from Short Course participants is consistently and overwhelming positive. Examples of specific comments included:

“[I was hoping] To learn about basic pollinator ecology and identification. My expectations were exceeded!”
-NRCS Conservation Planner, New York

“I can’t believe how greatly my knowledge increased, attributable to good PowerPoint and speaker. Very engaging, comprehensive and inspired. THANK YOU!”
-Extension Educator, Massachusetts

“Eric’s (the instructor) presentations were stellar! A ++++. Plant tour was excellent and [a great way of] sharing productivity/successes. Thought this would be too content specific and over my head. Eric’s presentations were exceptional and easy to assimilate. Wealth of excellent information.”
-Agricultural Agency Staff, New York

“The workshop was a great introduction to pollinator conservation. I felt it really helped broaden my own general understanding of the issue. I look forward to reviewing some of the materials and Xerces website in more depth to learn more.”
-Non-profit Conservation Organization Professional, Massachusetts

No negative unplanned challenges have arisen during the reporting period. Our ability to organize and deliver Short Courses continues to be strong. The single unanticipated challenge we have faced is a larger than expected interest in Short Course enrollment. In our project proposal, we budgeted for a maximum of 30 participants at each event (based upon previous experience outside the Northeast region). The actual number of registrants in most cases has far exceeded that anticipated target. Only in New Hampshire, where we had conducted earlier outreach efforts, was enrollment roughly on target. To date, we have been able to accommodate many more participants with funds leveraged from additional sources. We will continue to seek out additional non-SARE funds and work to ensure that adequately sized facilities are available wherever possible. Through these efforts, we hope to maximize the investment of Northeastern SARE and to ensure that all interested participants are able to attend.

Collaborators: