Bring Back the Pollinators
by Dave Kollen
Dave Kollen, photographed by Wally Olson
Dave Kollen is an education and outreach Ambassador for the Portland, Oregon-based Xerces Society, the world’s largest team of conservationists dedicated to protecting pollinators.
Dave is also an Oregon Master Naturalist and Master Melittologist (a person specializing in the study of bees) Apprentice. His involvement in community science includes the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas, the California Bumble Bee Atlas, and the Oregon Bee Atlas.
Dave’s presentation will show us how pollinators are essential to our environment. The ecological service they provide is necessary for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species.
The United States alone grows more than 100 crops that either need or benefit from pollinators. The economic value of these native pollinators is estimated at $3 billion per year in the U.S.
Beyond agriculture, pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems. Fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25% of all birds, and of mammals ranging from red-backed voles to grizzly bears..
Unfortunately, in many places, the essential service of pollination is at risk from habitat loss, pesticide use, and introduced diseases.
