Come Help Us Count Eugene’s Bees

Join us for our annual bee surveys at Rasor Park on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 12 pm – 2 pm and at Westmoreland Park, Wednesday, May 10, 12 pm – 2 pm. Nets and collecting jars will be provided as well as people to help identify our native bees. Lane Audubon is proud to be a member of the Pollinator Protection Committee to support the City of Eugene as a Bee City USA member. Eugene has been part of this effort since 2018.

Excerpted from Bee City Website:

When people hear the word “bee” they often think of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). However, the United States is also home to just over 3,600 native (wild) bee species such as bumble bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, mason bees, longhorn bees, and mining bees. Native pollinators are particularly important because they evolved alongside native plants and in many cases are the most effective pollinators — and in a few cases, the only pollinators.

Pollinators are keystone species in essentially every terrestrial ecosystem on earth, assisting in plant reproduction and supporting other species of wildlife. Pollinators touch our lives in numerous ways each day, including being responsible for approximately one third of the food and drink we consume. The value of crop pollination has been estimated between $18 and $27 billion annually in the U.S.

Research has shown significant declines in native pollinator population sizes and ranges globally. In fact, up to 40% of pollinator species on earth may be at risk of extinction in the coming years as a result of habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change.

FMI: contact Emily Steel, Eugene Parks and Open Space Ecologist, at esteel@eugene-or.gov or 541.682.4874.