Pre-registration required.

Cost: FREE

Would you like to help with pollinator conservation by surveying for bumble bees? Bumble bees are an important indicator of overall pollinator health. This class will provide an overview of the Southeast Bumble Bee Atlas program, present the insightful data gathered by volunteers over its first two years, and train participants on the survey techniques used so you can volunteer to gather bumble bee diversity and abundance data in 2025. There will be a 30 minute overview; 1 hour for indoor survey training and data collection/organization; 20 minute break for BYO picnic; and 1 hour for hands-on outdoor survey training and data collection on the grounds of the Botanical Garden. Participants are encouraged to bring water, picnic lunch/snacks, outdoor walking/trail shoes, smart phone with the Bumble Bee Watch app downloaded and an account created (https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/)..

Instructors

Bryan Tompkins grew up in rural middle Georgia and spent much of his youth playing in the forests and swamps around his home which instilled in him a great appreciation and love of nature. Bryan started his career with the National Park Service on the Blue Ridge Parkway but has spent the past nineteen years as a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Asheville, North Carolina. He currently serves as the USFWS – Southeast Region recovery lead biologist for the federally endangered rusty-patched bumble bee and the lead USFWS biologist for the monarch butterfly in North Carolina. He is a founding member of the North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance and currently serves on the Bee City Asheville – Leadership Board. His recent efforts have focused on developing partnerships and soliciting funds to preserve and restore native meadow and grassland habitats in North Carolina to benefit native pollinator species conservation. He is passionate about conservation outreach and dedicates much of his time towards creating and conducting student educational programs focused on the importance of pollinators and native meadow/grassland habitat restoration. In his free time, Bryan enjoys backcountry camping, fishing on the many beautiful rivers of western North Carolina, gardening, and spending time in the outdoors with his family.

Photo of common eastern bumble bee by Phyllis Stiles