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How Everyone Can Contribute to Pollinator Conservation with the Xerces Society

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats through scientific research. They focus on pollinator conservation, endangered species conservation, and reducing pesticide use and impacts.

For this talk, Maddy Kangas, Monarch Butterfly Conservation Planner with the Xerces Society, will share:

The status of pollinators, including monarch butterflies, and need for conservation action
Monarch biology and habitat requirements
Land management practices to protect pollinators
Examples of pollinator habitat projects
How you can get involved (community science programs and more)
Additional resources and Q&A 

Resources

About the Speaker

Maddy Kangas serves as a Monarch Butterfly Conservation Planner and NRCS Partner Biologist for the Central Coast of California as part of the Xerces Society, providing technical assistance on monarch conservation and habitat creation for producers, landowners, and land managers. Her previous work has included integrated pest and pollinator management, habitat restoration, and community outreach and education. Maddy completed her master’s degree in natural resources and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she researched both native bee community composition and pest insect presence within agriculturally based pollinator habitat restorations.

This program is in support of our new exhibit, Pollinators: Keeping Company With Flowers, on view January 15-March 6. Sponsored by 90.3 KAZU, Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History, and UCSC’s Center for Agroecology.

Rockin’ Pop-Up: The Giants of our Solar System

Join the Geology Gents, Gavin and Graham, for the second installment of a three-part trilogy exploring the planets of our solar system. March will examine the icy and gaseous planets known as “the giants” — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Watch part one about the terrestrial planets.

About the Series: Join the Geology Gents, Gavin Piccione and Graham Edwards, for monthly conversations about rocks live on Facebook. Each month we’ll explore a different geologic topic, from Santa Cruz formations to tips for being a more effective rockhound. Submit your questions ahead of time by emailing events@santacruzmuseum.org and feel free to include pictures of rocks you’d like identified! Note: you do not need to have a Facebook account to be able to watch the program live.

Watch Past Pop-Ups
Read our blog Rock Record

Short-billed Dowitcher

Scientific: Limnodromus grieus
Spanish: Becasina piquicorta

Diet: Worms, mollusks, crustaceans
Habitat: Wetlands, sloughs, estuaries, beaches
Status: Least Concern

Short-billed dowitchers use their long beaks to probe the soft mud in search of aquatic invertebrates.

American Coot

Scientific: Fulica Americana
Spanish: Focha americana
Mutsun: Yuran

Diet: Aquatic plants, insects, snails, worms, tadpoles
Habitat: Wetlands, freshwater ponds
Status: Least Concern

Coots have specialized lobed feet that allow them to walk on soft mud without sinking while foraging for bits of vegetation.

Western Pond Turtle

Scientific: Actinemys marmorata
Spanish: Tortuga occidental de estanque
Mutsun: Awnicmin

Diet: Algae, aquatic plant roots, insects, tadpoles, frog eggs
Habitat: Water with muddy bottoms in forests, woodlands and grasslands
Status: Threatened

These turtles are out-competed by invasive red-eared slider turtles, leading to their threatened status.

Marine

The Coast and Ocean

The ocean supports life around the globe – it influences climate, weather and water cycles, and provides food and livelihoods for people worldwide. Although the ocean is vast, humans can play a major role in its health, no matter where they live.

The Monterey Bay is a marine sanctuary that hosts a diversity of life in a variety of interconnected habitats, from tidepools to kelp forests to underwater canyons. At least 36 different species of marine mammals pass through or reside in Monterey Bay. Just like mammals that live on land, they breathe air and must have adaptations to survive the cold ocean habitat.

Learn More


Visit Local Tide Pools


Redwood Forest

Enormous Trees, With Few Neighbors

Redwood forests have existed all over the world for millions of years, but as the global climate has changed, so has their range. In the U.S. these forests now only occupy a coastal belt from Central California into Oregon. Redwood trees have adaptations for capturing moisture directly from the air, and occur in wet canyons and other wind-protected locations cooled by summer fog. The large redwood trees create a cool, densely shaded environment and deep organic litter on the forest floor. Plants and animals that live in these forests are adapted to a dark, damp environment.

The nearby Big Basin Redwoods State Park was California’s first state park, created in 1902. Why might the redwoods and redwood forests have needed protection at that time?

Learn More


Visit Local Redwoods


Chaparral

Resilient and Diverse 

Derived from chaparro, given by Spanish colonists describing its shrubby nature, chaparral ecosystems are composed of a variety of evergreen shrubs. Chaparral plants are often adapted to drought and fire, and respond well to periodic disturbance. 

Do you know of ways that plants are adapted to wildfire?

Locally, chaparral can be found on sunny slopes all across the Santa Cruz mountains. There are maritime chaparral and mixed chaparral, distinguished by dominant plants, elevation, and exposure to fog. 

Sandhills
A unique chaparral habitat found only in Santa Cruz County, the sandhills are home to several rare and endangered plants and animals. Found only on soil formed by ancient sea beds, close to half of their range has been lost to mining and development. 

Learn More


Visit Local Chaparral Habitats


Grasslands

Open and Useful Land

A wide plain of grass and flowers provide critical space for grazing animals, and an open area for hunting predators, such as hawks and coyotes. In grasslands, fast-growing grasses thrive where frequent natural fire and little water keep shrubs and trees from taking over. 

California grasslands are a threatened habitat, and over the last two hundred years have been converted into agriculture, and fragmented with roads and other development. 

Learn More


Visit Local Grassland Habitats


Urban Wildland Interface

Our Animal Neighbors

Whether our homes are in woodlands, farms, or cities, other animals live all around us! Some animals are very adaptable, and are able to survive or even thrive near humans. What kinds of wild animals do you see everyday? How do they make a living as a neighbor to humans?

Learn More


Visit Local Urban Wildland Interfaces