Xerces Events

Monitoring is essential to our understanding of insects in the modern era, the Anthropocene, and monitoring comes in many different forms and serves different purposes. Join Matt Forister, professor in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, as he discusses working with North America's longest-running butterfly monitoring project across Northern California, and presents major findings with respect to the impacts of climate change and pesticides on butterfly populations. He will also talk about data from projects supported by community scientists, which are going to be of increasing importance in the coming years. Finally, Matt will discuss new efforts to organize information on species that appear to be lost, but, with effort from scientists and the public, might be found again.

This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Learn more and register today!


Matt Forister is a professor of biology and insect ecology in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has studied butterflies and other insects in the western US for the last 20 years, and has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on issues that include insects adapting to exotic plants and butterflies responding to a changing climate. One of the main concerns for Forister and his graduate students is the collection of data at sites in the Sierra Nevada that have been studied for almost 50 years, a project originally started by Art Shapiro of UC Davis.

To request a reasonable accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact [email protected].

Most people are familiar with certified organic foods. But what about ornamental plants in our built environments, and so-called "native" or "pollinator friendly" plants meant to provide wildlife benefit? The ornamental plant industry includes both floriculture (cut-flowers) and horticulture (nursery plants). In both industries, most plants are produced using high levels of synthetic pesticides and herbicides, with little regulatory oversight. Some growers promise "spray free," "neonic free," or "pesticide free" stems or plants, but these are informal promises that have no process for verifiability.

In this webinar, Matthew Dell, owner and general manager of Treadlight Farm, discusses why organic certification makes sense for ornamental plant production, especially for native plants, and the opportunities and challenges organic certification presents.

The project is a collaboration between Xerces Society and Treadlight Farm and is supported by the Carroll Petrie Foundation. This event is intended for ornamental plant, native plant, and retail nurseries but anyone with an interest in the topic is welcome!

This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Learn more and register today!


Matthew Dell is the owner and general manager of Treadlight Farm, a certified organic cut-flower farm and nursery in Kerhonkson, NY. At Treadlight Farm, Matt has synthesized a passion for organic farming practices and growing native plants. He sits on his town's environmental conservation and agriculture committees, and enjoys hiking, traveling, and visiting gardens.


Sharon Selvaggio - Pesticide Program Specialist Parks, Nurseries & Natural Areas Lead - Xerces Society
Sharon Selvaggio is a pesticide reduction specialist with The Xerces Society. She regularly interviews nursery growers to better understand their pest management practices and has helped shape Xerces’ plant procurement program. Prior to Xerces, Sharon collaborated with Oregon State University extension to offer grower trainings in nursery biocontrol, and produced the video "Harnessing Nature in the Nursery Industry." She has presented at nursery trade shows multiple times and led a study exploring the economic value of green “ecolabels.” Sharon is the co-author of “Offering Bee-Safe Plants: A Guide for Nurseries.”

To request a reasonable accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact [email protected].

Join Xerces Society Endangered Species Conservation Biologist and Monarch Overwintering Specialist, Ashley Fisher, to learn about radio-tracking monarchs. Radio-tracking is a new technology that answers long-held questions about the western monarch movement and habitat use. See this technology in action and how it will help conserve our precious western monarchs.

This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

Learn more and register here today!


Ashley Fisher - Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Monarch Overwintering Specialist - Xerces Society

To request a reasonable accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact [email protected].