We are excited to invite Mikl Brawner, founder and co-owner of Harlequin’s Gardens in Boulder Colorado, to this webinar. Mikl will discuss Harlequin’s philosophy about plant health and their non-toxic pest management practices. Sharon Selvaggio, Pesticide Program Specialist at Xerces, will start off the webinar with an overview of why pollinator-safe nursery practices are important, and what plant buyers can do to identify and patronize pollinator-safe nurseries. Participants in this webinar will come away with an enhanced appreciation of the qualities to look for when sleuthing out pollinator-safe nurseries.

Click here to learn more and register. This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed captions will be available during this webinar.


Sharron Selvaggio
Pesticide Program Specialist, Parks, Nurseries & Natural Areas Lead - The Xerces Society 
Sharon assists Xerces staff, partners, and the public to reduce reliance on pesticides and understand pesticide risk to invertebrates. Sharon previously worked at Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, and integrates her focus on pesticides with her experience managing natural areas and agricultural lands. Sharon earned a Master of Science in energy and resources and a Bachelor of Arts in biology, both from the University of California, Berkeley. Sharon spends a lot of time in her vegetable garden, which has an always-buzzing insectary/pollinator patch, and she is a frequent visitor to the Pacific northwest's wildlands for recreation.



Mikl Brawner
Founder and Co-owner - Harlequin's Gardens
Mikl Brawner got his initial training along the creeks and woods of eastern Iowa. He studied biology at the University of Iowa, then went to India with the Peace Corps. Back in America, he managed a small organic apple orchard, and operated a tree care business. Studying plants, researching alternatives to pesticides, and developing a xeriscape garden led him from the treetops to a plant nursery. Now the evolving Harlequin’s Gardens is his lifework, helping the gardening community to bring nature into their personal lives and homes using sustainable plants, materials and methods. His current passion is soil health and energy-efficient greenhouses. He was honored with the 2009 PaceSetter Award for the Environment.

Beetles are one of the most diverse groups of insects on the planet and are endlessly fascinating. Join Jennifer Hopwood, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to learn more about how beetles are helping us in myriad ways: contributing to soil health, controlling crop and garden pests, pollinating plants, and more. This event is co-hosted by Jessica Harold of the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District, j[email protected]. This event is open to the general public. 

Register here today! 


Jennifer Hopwood - Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Midwest - The Xerces Society 
Jennifer provides resources and training for pollinator and beneficial insect habitat management and restoration in a variety of landscapes. She oversees a team of four USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service partner biologists and works closely with the NRCS. Jennifer has authored a number of publications and articles, and is co-author of several books, including Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, and a roadside revegetation manual. Jennifer has a master's degree in entomology from the University of Kansas. Along with work as a research specialist conducting invertebrate field research and identification, Jennifer was an instructor in biology and environmental science at Iowa State University and Des Moines Area Community College prior to joining Xerces in 2009.

Grasslands in Colorado, and elsewhere, are rapidly disappearing. Grasslands provide critical habitat for a variety of wildlife, including pollinators and other invertebrates. Join Xerces Biologists Ray Moranz and Rae Powers to learn about the ecological and social value of rangelands, management practices to support pollinators, and critical actions to maintain native plant diversity on rangelands.

No registration required. Click here to join the webinar! This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed captions will be available during this webinar.



Ray Moranz - Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist, Partner Biologist for the NRCS Central National Technology Support Center - The Xerces Society 
Ray works to conserve pollinators on rangelands in the central U.S., and he also serves as a Partner Biologist to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Central National Technology Support Center in Fort Worth, TX. He is based at the NRCS Field Office in Stillwater, Oklahoma. One focus of his work is to assist in the planning and implementation of monarch butterfly conservation efforts in the south central U.S.. Ray began studying the effects of fire and grazing on prairie plant and butterfly communities in 2004, and earned his Ph.D. in natural resource ecology and management from Oklahoma State University in 2010. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, he worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California, Iowa State University, and Oklahoma State University.

 
RaeAnn Powers - Farm Bill Pollinator Conservation Planner - The Xerces Society
Rae is a Nebraska native with a bachelor's of science in environmental studies and a master's of science in ecology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her previous environmental work has focused on the function and diversity of the prairie ecosystem; researching the impacts of restoration, management, and soils; and experiencing the joys and trials of native plant production. Currently, Rae works with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff and landowners in Nebraska and South Dakota to create and protect pollinator habitat using farm bill programs. Her environmental work has taken her to the shores of Alaska with the National Wildlife Refuge system, the lakes of northern Minnesota as a canoe guide, and, most recently, to the wide prairies of Midwest. Her time with the Nebraska Natural Heritage program exposed her to the array of rare and endangered species found in grassland ecosystems, and her work with The Nature Conservancy and the native seed farm Prairie Legacy, Inc. focused on the function and diversity of the mixed-grass prairie. When she’s not out in the field, Rae can often be found reading library books, at the dog park, or planting wildflowers in the front yard.

One of the best ways to help declining pollinators and other wildlife is to restore safe habitat for them. Although the concept of restoring habitat may not be complicated, there are plenty of barriers to successful, high-quality pollinator habitat restoration. One of the ways Xerces has tried to reduce these barriers is through our Habitat Kit program, which provides both plant materials and technical assistance to folks with the interest, experience, and land to make it happen. Through this program, we offer carefully selected, native and regionally appropriate plant material directly to our partners for shovel-ready projects. Please join us for this informative webinar to learn more about the program and how you can get involved.

Click here to learn more and register today! This webinar will be recorded and available on the Xerces Youtube Channel. Closed Captioning will be available during the webinar.


Jessa Kay Cruz  - Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, California and the Intermountain West - The Xerces Society 
Jessa is the Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist for The Xerces Society in California, and a partner biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She manages and coordinates many aspects of the pollinator program in California and throughout the western United States. Since joining Xerces in 2008, she has worked in agricultural and natural lands throughout the western U.S. to create habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, and to promote practices that support them. She provides education and technical support to a range of individuals and agencies, including farmers and ranchers, agricultural professionals, and land managers. Jessa holds a master's of science in environmental entomology and integrated pest management from California State University, Chico, and a bachelor's degree in sustainable farming from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.


Kaitlin Haase - Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist - The Xerces Society 
As the Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Kaitlin works to create climate-resilient, connected pollinator habitat in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. She collaborates with and educates public and private urban land managers in New Mexico and the desert Southwest on pollinator-friendly practices for landscaping, gardening, and open space restoration. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Northern Arizona University, where she studied impacts of drying on aquatic invertebrate diversity in natural and human-made ponds. Before graduate school, she worked as an ecological science technician in a variety of systems across the US, including predator-prey ecology in Michigan, riparian restoration in Virginia, and rare species monitoring in Massachusetts.

Since first using a drip torch to start a prescribed burn back in 1991, Dr. Ray Moranz has been fascinated with prescribed fire and its effects on plants and wildlife. Ray will summarize some of the most important evidence of the negative effects of fire on pollinators, but follow that with examples of the benefits of fire. He will present examples from throughout the lower 48 U.S. states, with a slight bias toward his region, the Central Grasslands. He will recommend best management practices for fire and suggest sources of technical and financial assistance for prescribed burning.

Click here to learn more and register today! This webinar will be recorded and available on the Xerces Youtube Channel. Closed Captions will be available during the webinar.


Ray Moranz - Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist, Partner Biologist for the NRCS Central National Technology Support Center - The Xerces Society 
Ray works to conserve pollinators on rangelands in the central U.S., and he also serves as a Partner Biologist to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Central National Technology Support Center in Fort Worth, TX. He is based at the NRCS Field Office in Stillwater, Oklahoma. One focus of his work is to assist in the planning and implementation of monarch butterfly conservation efforts in the south central U.S.. Ray began studying the effects of fire and grazing on prairie plant and butterfly communities in 2004, and earned his Ph.D. in natural resource ecology and management from Oklahoma State University in 2010. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, he worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California, Iowa State University, and Oklahoma State University.