Xerces Society Past Projects

Xerces Society

Past Successes of the Xerces Society

Projects
Pioneering Work on Conservation of the Karner Blue Butterfly
http://www.edutrek.net/features1.htm#xerces - contains information compiled by Kurt Johnson on some of the earliest activities of The Xerces Society as they related to the Karner Blue Butterfly.

African Arthropod Biodiversity Project.
A collaboration with the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya as it developed a plan for assessing arthropod biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa. Xerces Society staff helped prepare a document outlining a five-year arthropod biodiversity program that included arthropod monitoring, taxonomic information management systems, training and scientific exchange programs, and sustainable development projects using arthropods (such as butterfly farming, silk production, honey production, etc.).

Conservation of Native Pollinators in Kenya.
In collaboration with the African Conservation Centre, University of Nariobi, and International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, this project is documenting the role of pollinators in the Nguruman Forest, an area that is currently being cleared and developed for cultivation of vegetable crops. The project is pursuing three complementary strategies. First, it is developing protocols for inventorying and identifying key pollinators and for training local personnel in such techniques. Second, it is increasing public awareness of the issues through production of a videotape and illustrated brochures, and presentations to communities showcasing native pollinators and their role in the ecosystem. Third, small gardens are being developed to enhance native pollinators and protect their nesting sites and food plants.

Biodiversity Research and Training in Madagascar.
Working in collaboration with the New York Zoological Society's Wildlife Conservation Society and other international conservation groups, a Xerces Society scientist promoted the protection of threatened natural areas and environmental resources on the Masoala Peninsula. The project provided invertebrate biodiversity data for conservation planning; increased public awareness of conservation and land use issues, and trained young Malagasies in the science and profession of conservation. The Malagasy government conferred park status on the area in November 1997.

Joint Projects with Young Scientists.
This collaborative program in which the Xerces Society developed invertebrate conservation projects with outstanding young scientists, providing project direction and a stipend.

Invertebrate Indicator Workshops on Conservation Survey and Monitoring.
The Society held a workshop in 1991 that brought together leading ecologists and invertebrate biologists to develop new ecosystem-based conservation tools using invertebrates as indicator species. A Xerces scientist and other workshop participants published the results. (Kremen, C., Colwell, R.K., Erwin, T.L., Murphy, D.D., Noss, R.F., Sanjayan, M.A. "Terrestrial Arthropod Assemblages: Their Use in Conservation Planning." Conservation Biology, [December 1993]).

Solitary Bee Nesting Habitat.
Xerces provided for the acquisition of a 210-acre addition to the 6,000-acre Lomas Barbudal dry tropical forest biological reserve in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The alluvial-soil mesa protected is critical to the long-term ecological viability of this Reserve because the large, solitary bees that nest there are major pollinators of many tree and vine species in the adjacent forest.

Pacific Northwest Old Forests Project.
The Society contracted with Dr. David M. Olson (UC Davis) to provide the invertebrate information for The Northern Spotted Owl Conservation Strategy. In his article, Dr. Olsen reviews current research information on invertebrates in the Pacific Northwest, conservation and management plans and their potential impacts on invertebrate communities, and a research agenda for invertebrate and ecosystem conservation in the Pacific Northwest. Much of the material was incorporated into Forest Ecosystem Management: An Ecological, Economic, and Social Assessment published by the US Government's Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team.

The Monarch Project.
This program worked successfully to protect remaining overwintering habitats of the monarch butterfly in California, produced detailed habitat management guidelines for state and county agencies, and published the Monarch Habitat Handbook for California Landowners.

A Database of Oregon Butterfly Populations.
A compilation of several thousand Oregon butterfly census records for the Oregon Gap Analysis Project, a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping project comprised of butterfly, vegetation, bird and mammal data overlays. The maps aid conservation planning by reflecting the protection needs of the entire spectrum of biodiversity.

The International Register of Invertebrate Specialists.
This database is a networking and referral database designed to encourage biodiversity conservation planning in the Western Hemisphere. It makes relevant invertebrate expertise available to land-use agencies, conservation bodies, planners, developers, scientists, and corporations. It is presently being incorporated into global databases of a similar nature.

Fourth of July Butterfly Count.
Beginning in 1974, the Society coordinated butterfly counts in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that took place on or around the Fourth of July. The published results furnish important information about changes in the geographic distribution and population size of the species counted. Because of the rapidly increasing number of butterfly counters, coordination of the Counts was turned over to the North American Butterfly Association in 1994.

Publications
Butterfly Gardening. Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden (Sierra Club Books, 1990; revised edition, 1998).
This book, now in its second edition, was a joint collaboration of the Xerces Society and the Smithsonian Institution and has sold more than 30,000 copies. A full-color book for popular readership, its aim is to teach gardeners and other householders about insect-plant interactions and conservation in their own gardens, thus building widespread awareness of insects and invertebrate conservation.

The Common Names of North American Butterflies (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991).
A compendium of the common and scientific names of North American butterflies edited by Jacqueline Y. Miller. The first serious effort at an "official" standardized common names list for butterflies.

Streamkeepers. Aquatic Insects as Biomonitors (The Xerces Society, 1997).
This book gives an introduction to the science and practices of biomonitoring as a method for gauging stream health. Currently out of print.

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