x

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

New Report Provides Guidance on Mosquito Management that Protects People and Wetlands

A new report released today by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation shows that public education and targeted mosquito management efforts are the best way to both protect communities from mosquito-borne diseases and protect wetland health.

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Threatened with Extinction

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation filed a petition today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the rusty patched bumble bee. This animal was once very common from the Upper Midwest to the East Coast and was an important pollinator of crops and wildflowers. Recently it has undergone a precipitous decline.

New Study: Bark beetle outbreak not the culprit in recent rash of western fires

A new paper published today in the Natural Areas Journal indicates that bark beetle outbreaks that have turned millions of acres of forests in the Inter-mountain West a noticeable red coloration (from tree death) do not substantially increase the risk of active crown fire in lodgepole pine and spruce forests as commonly assumed. Instead, “Do Bark Beetle Outbreaks Increase Wildfire Risks in the Central U.S. Rocky Mountains? Implications from Recent Research” documents evidence that active crown fires in these forest types are primarily triggered by dry conditions exacerbated by climate change.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Federal Protection for the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly and its Habitat

On October 11, 2012, in response to a petition from the Xerces Society and partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori) as an endangered species and designate critical habitat. This butterfly’s native prairie habitat is one of the rarest ecosystems in the U.S., with 90 to 95 percent of it lost over the past 150 years.

Conservation groups and scientists ask the USDA to protect wild bumble bees from disease

In comments to the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, ten other conservation groups, and several bee scientists have formally asked for protection of wild bumble bees from the threat of disease.

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.