Identify Bee Species

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The agreement has three objectives: •Evaluate bee communities in critical ecosystems (alpine areas and dune systems) to better understand pollinator distributions across five regions of the NPS system, and how climate change will affect these distributions. .Inform natural resource managers at each participating park about the native bee fauna associated with their park. Where habitats support vulnerable bee species, parks will receive suggestions on maintaining and/or restoring these habitats in a manner to promote bee habitat. •Increase awareness of native bee species biodiversity, explain the role of bee populations in a healthy ecosystem, and discuss the threats, including climate change that might negatively affect this role to a wide audience, including: project participants (NPS staff and volunteers), NPS management, and park visitors. .What are the deliverables expected? •Cooperatively implemented native bee surveys throughout the National Park System. •Sample tracking: from arrival; through processing, identification, and labeling; to final destination in a NPS or outside repository.Over the three year study, this will involve tracking up to 90,000 specimens. •Database development, data entry, database quality control •Provide a project coordinator who can contact parks, maintain communications databases, provide feedback to individual parks, field questions, and track and report on the projects status and progress throughout the year. •Recruit technicians assigned to the project. Ensure that at least one member has solid bee identification skills. •Provide necessary equipment for the above •Participate with NPS in overall project management providing training in species identification, data collection, and storage methods. •Cooperatively develop reports, websites, and other information products to inform park staff and park visitors about the biodiversity of native bees and the importance of these protected areas in protecting these populations.

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