The Xerces Society's Invertebrate Conservation Projects

Xerces Invertebrate Conservation Projects

Current Conservation Programs

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Biomonitoring. Monitoring invertebrates in a stream is a valuable method of assessing the health of a watershed, bringing biological monitoring to the grass-roots level. The program has provided training and technical assistance to hundreds of volunteers and professionals across the Pacific Northwest. We will use this program to expand our conservation and education efforts in other freshwater and marine habitats.

Pollinator Insect Conservation. Increasingly, human activity disrupts the vital ecological service that pollinators provide. We collaborate with land managers to implement habitat improvements, and work with local communities, agencies, and scientists to promote habitat restoration, training workshops, and education activities.

Protecting Endangered Invertebrates. We are working to protect rare, threatened, and endangered invertebrates and their habitat across the United States. We work with land managers, scientists, and other conservationists to ensure that these "at-risk" species will continue to grace our world in the years to come.

The DeWind Award. Each year we provide two students with an award of $3,750 (each) for Lepidoptera research/conservation projects. This award was made possible by the generosity of Bill DeWind, husband of longtime Xerces supporter and staff member Joan Mosenthal DeWind.

Some other current issues of interest

Portland Area Invertebrates
How many spineless species are in your backyard? (partial list for Portland, Oregon)

Bt Insecticides

Past Projects
In the past, Xerces has protected monarch butterfly winter habitat in California, added nesting habitat for rare bees to Costa Rica’s Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, worked on butterfly farming in Costa Rica, and developed a sustainable resource management program in Madagascar that led to the designation of the Masosla Peninsula as a protected area.

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