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Press & Media

Press & Media

Xerces Society staff are respected as reliable sources of science-based advice at the forefront of invertebrate protection, and can provide information and perspective on all aspects of invertebrate conservation.

Our team includes nationally recognized experts on a range of issues, including insect declines, protecting endangered species, climate change impacts, pollinator conservation, pesticide risk, habitat creation, and wildlife gardening. We work to understand and protect insects and other invertebrates in all landscapes, from wildlands to backyards.

In each of the last three years, Xerces staff were quoted or our work was mentioned in thousands of media articles that reached over one billion people worldwide.

We’re happy to give media interviews. Please direct all inquiries to Matthew Shepherd, (503) 232-6639 or [email protected]. 

For general information about our work, please see our blog, publications, and other information on our website. Follow us on social media for the latest updates, as well.

Recent Press Releases

Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA Reach 300 Affiliate Programs

Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA reached a new milestone this June, surpassing more than 300 communities across the nation dedicated to improving their neighborhoods for pollinators. The program’s primary focus on creating habitat will support native bees like bumble bees, sweat bees, and mason bees, while also benefiting honey bees, monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and a host of other wildlife.

Lawsuit Challenges Federal Pesticide-Spraying Program Affecting Millions of Acres of Western Rangelands

The Xerces Society and Center for Biological Diversity sued the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today over its program allowing insecticide spraying on millions of acres in 17 western states. Federal regulators have failed to properly assess the broad environmental impacts of the spraying, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, according to the conservation groups.

California Court Paves the Way for Protection of Imperiled Bumble Bees and Other Insects

Today, California's Third District Court of Appeal ruled that the California Endangered Species Act can protect invertebrates, including four species of imperiled native bumble bees that the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the Center for Food Safety, and Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the State of California to protect in 2018.

Monarch Numbers Up in Mexico, but Butterfly Still at Risk of Extinction

The World Wildlife Fund Mexico has just released results of the annual survey of monarch butterflies overwintering in central Mexico. The butterflies occupied an estimated 2.835 hectares of forest during the winter of 2021–22. This represents an increase of approximately 35% compared to the previous winter (2020-21), when monarchs occupied 2.1 hectares. While this year’s numbers from Mexico and the western U.S. are steps in the right direction, they still indicate a severe population decline in both the eastern and western population over recent decades, and with a long way to go to recover this species.

Lawsuit Launched Challenging USDA’s Failure to Protect Endangered Species From Insecticide Sprays Over Millions of Acres in U.S. West

The Xerces Society and Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent today to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s secretive Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for failing to properly consider harms to endangered species caused by insecticide spraying across millions of acres of western grasslands. “Xerces doesn’t enter into lawsuits lightly, but in this case the risks are too great,” said Scott Black, executive director at the Xerces Society. “Over 80% of animals in grasslands are insects. When these are harmed by insecticide sprays, it could cause a cascade effect to the many endangered grassland species that rely on insects to survive."

For General Media Inquiries

Contact Matthew Shepherd

Phone: (503) 232-6639

Email: [email protected]

Xerces in the News

Check out our reach and view a listing of articles from around the world featuring the Xerces Society.