A bee conservation project with Oregon legislature backing has a new plan to engage farmers and landowners.
The Oregon Bee Project is a collaboration between more-than-20 wildlife organizations and Oregon State University. Its Strategic Plan 2 will train conservation groups and landowners around habitat construction.
With more than 600 wild species of bees in Oregon, it’s difficult to measure bee population health due to limited research and tracking. The plan will recruit qualified volunteers to gather data across the state.
Andony Melathopoulos is the Chair of the Project’s Steering Committee.
“Many states have these plans. You can find them squirreled away in their Department of Agriculture websites, but there's no programming. There's no boots on the ground. I think Oregon needs to be commended. They wanted a plan that was active.”
Strategic Plan 2 also employs beekeeper training programs at OSU, and seeks to consolidate existing educational material for the public.