MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -(Ammoland.com)- Hosted by Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever and featuring eight of the nation’s top pollinator experts, the “Bees, Butterflies, Birds & You” Pollinator Symposium at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2017 will highlight new programs, strategies and research being used to provide quality habitat for a host of grassland and wildflower-dependent species, including pollinators, upland birds and other wildlife.
The Pollinator Symposium convenes on February 17th at 12:30 p.m. in room 211 (2nd level) of the Minneapolis Convention Center.
“Great pollinator habitat is also great habitat for pheasants, quail, grassland songbirds and a whole host of wildlife. That’s why Pheasants Forever is focused on building and supporting partnerships aimed at providing high quality, high diversity pollinator habitat,” stated Pete Berthelsen, director of habitat partnerships for Pheasants Forever. “This symposium will bring together leaders in the pollinator world to identify innovative ways we can benefit pollinators, pheasants and quail. If we try to solve the critical problems for pollinators using the same tools and methods we’ve been using for the last decade, we won’t be successful.”
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has been actively engaged in habitat conservation benefitting pollinators as a contributing member to the Honey Bee Health Coalition, Save Our Monarchs, Monarch Collaboration and several partnership programs with an overarching goal to plant pollinator-friendly habitat for the health of honey bees, monarch butterflies and upland game birds.
Most recently, however, the organization has forged ahead as a national leader for habitat conservation efforts of pollinators and other wildlife with the recent introduction of The Bee & Butterfly Fund.
This innovative partnership as well as other in-depth topics will be discussed as part of the 2017 Pollinator Symposium.
2017 Pollinator Symposium Agenda
- 12:30 p.m. – Why pollinators are important to the Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever mission Howard Vincent, President and CEO, Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever
- 12:45 – Pollinators as the glue that binds birds, habitat, precision agriculture, water quality and a broader audience Peter Berthelsen, Director of Habitat Partnerships, Pheasants Forever, Inc
- 1:15 – Monarchs as a flagship: Building partnerships to save an iconic species. Wendy Caldwell, Coordinator, Monarch Joint Venture
- 1:35 – Enhancing pollinator health in the agricultural landscape Caydee Savinelli, Pollinator and IPM Stewardship Lead, Syngenta
- 1:55 to 2:10 – Break
- 2:10 – Bee integrated: Integrating habitat and best management practices into one effort to improve bee health Keri Carstens, Senior Manager, Integrated Product Research & Stewardship, DuPont/Pioneer
- 2:25 – Improving forage for honey bees and native pollinators in the Northern Great Plains Clint Otto, Research Ecologist, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
- 2:45 – Monarchs and pollinators: The need for habitat restoration Chip Taylor, Director, Monarch Watch, University of Kansas
- 3:15 – Helping private landowners achieve success. Matt Filsinger, National Team Lead, USFWS-PFW Program
- 3:35 – What do the bees need now: A 21st Century approach to beekeeping and habitat development. Zac Browning, Co-Owner & Operator, Browning Honey Co, Inc.
- 4:05 – Panel Discussion: All of the day’s presenters answering your questions about pollinator health and habitat Public attendance – The Pollinator Symposium is open to the public and free of charge.
About Pheasants Forever:
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 149,000 members and 720 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $708 million on 517,000 habitat projects benefiting 15.8 million acres nationwide.
