The February Conservation on Tap environmental presentation series will be a discussion of “Bumble Bees and Controlled Burns in Wisconsin Tallgrass Prairie.” We have nearly 500 species of bees in Wisconsin, approximately 20 of which are bumble bees. We are even lucky enough to be home to a Federally endangered species, the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis)! Join Jade Kochanski, pollinator ecologist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for a Conservation on Tap presentation to learn how prairie restoration and controlled burns are used for bumble bee conservation.

Jade is an insect ecologist and specializes in bumble bee conservation and tallgrass prairie restoration. She is fascinated by bumble bee life history, nesting habitat, and their responses to local and landscape factors and how these insects intersect with people’s lives. Jade is finishing a PhD with the UW-Madison Department of Integrative Biology, where she aims to answer scientific questions through interdisciplinary collaborations and to make research accessible and relevant to more than just the scientific community. Her favorite insect is Spring Treetop Flasher firefly.

Conservation on Tap is a FREE presentation series by experts on various aspects of Driftless area ecology and conservation. The goal of the series is to increase knowledge, connection to, and awareness of current conservation efforts and research.