Rebugging our Community

by Katelyn Rinicker | Nov 22, 2024

Insect populations have dropped drastically over the last few decades. Bugs are the building blocks of our environment and provide many benefits such as beautiful flowers, food sources, soil aeration, and more. We can help these little creatures flourish by rebugging our community. I could spout science facts all day long about how insect populations have dwindled, you have likely already noticed.

When I was younger, we would visit my grandparents who lived 2 hours away. We would have to stop at least once to clean our windshield. Now I can drive over 6 hours to visit my parents and never have to clean my windshield. Or maybe, you have noticed that there aren’t as many Monarch butterflies as you used to see. We used to take walks and have a hard time not stepping on grasshoppers and we used to see fireflies every night. Now there seems to be a fraction of insects around as there used to be. According to Hallmann et al, insect biomass has declined by 74% – 83%. Many insects are beneficial and are not considered pests. They decompose plants, animals, and fecal matter. They aerate our soil, provide a food source for other animals, and pollinate our plants.

Why are they declining?

This is a tricky question as their decline is not caused by just one thing. They are dying a death by a thousand cuts. Habitat fragmentation and degradation, pollution, pesticide use (especially Neonictonoids), loss of native plants, light pollution, climate change, and many other reasons. Some species of insects need specific food sources or plants to lay their eggs on. Iowa has lost over 99% of its native landscapes, meaning it has become increasingly difficult for insects to find their host plants and habitats.

Insect Decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a Thousand cuts by Wagner et al assesses the metadata surrounding insect decline.

What can we do to help?

While this decline is very alarming, we can all help “rebug” our world.

If you have a minute:

Don’t kill the bugs that have found their way into your home; instead, relocate them outside. If you don’t want to touch them, you can safely handle them with a piece of paper and a cup.
Reduce pesticide use, or better yet, stop using it altogether – pesticides harm all insects, not just the small percentage that are considered pests

Or use alternative methods such as putting food in containers so it is not available to insects
Or put soapy water, cinnamon, lemon juice, or mint around the holes that they seem to be coming in at
If you MUST kill them, use boiling water or cornstarch instead of chemicals
Be untidy in your garden! Insects use weeds, old plant stems, wood, and leaves
Reduce outdoor lighting – you can do this by incorporating motion sensors. Insects and a variety of other animals use the stars as navigation. Constant outdoor lighting disrupts and confuses their natural systems.
Keep lawn grass longer – this provides shelter and a food source

If you have more time:

Plant native gardens – this provides food sources and habitat, it also helps to connect habitats as insects can only travel so far before needing a break and a snack
You can do this in containers, your yard, window boxes, or anywhere there is a little bit of space!

Plant host plants – such as milkweed for monarch butterflies
Grow your own produce – the flowers are great sources of nutrients for insects
Compost – an open compost pile provides warmth, habitat, and food for invertebrates

You can also use compost systems to build up soil health!

If you have a lot of time:

Advocate for policies that promote re-wilding the state. This helps protect and create more natural areas. Write to your local, state, and federal governments to explain the importance of policies protecting insects and wildlife.
Talk to your boss and landlords about creating native gardens
Join community groups that support insects!

“The loss of even a small percent of insects might also be disproportionately consequential. They sit at the base of the food web; if they go down, so will many birds, bats, spiders, and other predators.”
– Ed Young

Decision Guide for Undecided Boaters

by Dan Haug | Nov 4, 2024

It should go without saying that there are decisions on the ballot that will affect the environment, but if you need a break from election news and commentary, read this Undecided Boater Guide for some low-stakes environmental education and take an opportunity to lower your stress levels by getting out into nature!

Left or Right?

Following the deepest, swiftest part of the river can be a good way to avoid obstructions, but you can’t do that by staying in the center. You have to go with the flow. When a river bends, the water has to travel faster on the outside of the bend, and that water can carry more sediment, producing a cut bank on the outside and a sandbar on the inside. My canoeing partner on Project A.W.A.R.E. gave me a good tip for following the thalweg, or deepest line of the river–look for a line of bubbles and fast moving debris. What, you thought I was making a political allegory? Nah, I just like canoeing!

Cyanobacteria bloom in Lake Darling, July 2024

In or Out?

The first question for the undecided boater is whether to get in the water! After hearing enough stories about brain-eating amoebas and toxic algae blooms, some people are afraid to go in any Iowa lake or river, any time, while others start to tune it alll out and proceed with their plans regardless of how the water looks, smells, or tests. I think we can enjoy Iowa’s lakes and rivers while taking some reasonable precautions. As our data analysis shows, some water bodies in Iowa are cleaner than others. Subscribe to Iowa Environmental Council’s Water Watch newsletter to get updates on beach advisories, and as a rule of thumb, stay out of water that looks like green paint. Minimize your exposure to pathogens by keeping your head out of water, and washing your hands (or applying sanitizer) before eating.

The Lesser of Two Weevils

“Living under a rock for the past few years” is a figure of speech sometimes applied to undecided voters, but for stoneflies, it’s literally true! By coincidence, I organized a group of volunteers to do a biological monitoring session in Ioway Creek during the weeks leading up the both the 2020 and 2024 elections, and we caught stoneflies in our net both times. The stoneflies we caught in 2024 were almost too big to fit in the ice cube tray we use for sorting and counting insects, and had finely branched gills that look like hairy armpits. The stoneflies we caught in 2020 were a fraction of the size and had no visible gills. After looking at specimens under a microscope and consulting a guidebook, I determined they are different species with different policies. The giant stonefly (Pteronarcys sp.) escapes predators by squirting blood out of pores on its leg joints. The small winter stonefly (Allocapnia sp.) escapes predators by producing a sort of natural anti-freeze and emerging from the water to mate when there is snow on the ground! However, both families of stonefly are shredders (eating dead leaves) and both are sensitive to poor water quality. I think that’s not a real choice and am writing in “dragonflies” as a protest.

Turtles offer a clearer contrast. The spiny softshell is aggressive and has a painful bite. The smooth softshell, less so. During a nature program at project AWARE, Denny Weiss demonstrated how to hold a softshell turtle to tell the difference while staying out of range!

Denny Weiss handles a softshell turtle for a Project AWARE nature program.

Closing thoughts

This election year included several first time water experiences for me: digging up mussels in the Wapsipinicon River for Scott Gritter’s Mussel Blitz, paddling and cleaning up trash as part of Iowa Project A.W.A.R.E., and going stand-up-paddling in Clear Lake with my family. Even a familiar location can hold surprises; I did not realize there were smallmouth bass in Ioway Creek until just a few weeks ago, when I saw a teenager catch one at Brookside Park on a fly rod. Undecided boaters should be aware that even in a state with many environmental challenges, there is a lot to enjoy and explore!

2024 Mussel Blitz, photo credit Aaron McFarlane

Biological monitoring in Ioway Creek, fall 2024

Iowa’s Native Milkweed Species

by Katelyn Rinicker | Sep 5, 2024

Milkweed is important! Not only do they provide beautiful flowers, but they are the host plant of Monarch Butterflies. Monarch caterpillars feed on the milky sap and leaves as they grow. Iowa has 18 native species of Milkweed, but I am going to cover the 4 most common. They are perennial plants and can grow in a wide variety of habitats. Milkweed make up the Asclepiadaceae family. This scientific name comes from the Greek God of healing and medicine; Asclepius.

IMG_6864.jpg-Common Milkweed Red Feather Prairie Polk Co by MK

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is probably what you think of when you hear the name milkweed. They have beautiful large blooms of pink flowers, typically from June until August. When under the right conditions, they can grow up to 6 feet tall! You can find common milkweed almost anywhere including fields, prairies, ditches, and disturbed areas.

Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) have vibrant orange flowers. These beautiful plants only grow up to 3 feet tall and stay tidy. They are a perfect option for your gardens! They bloom from June until August and their leaves are rough and narrow. They establish in dry open habitats like old fields and prairies. Unlike the rest of the milkweed on this list, butterfly milkweed does not have milky white sap.

MonarchOn SwampMIlkweedBuMKtedescoIMG_6020

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is one of the Monarch Butterfly’s favorite types of milkweed. You might also hear it referred to as rose milkweed. They have narrow leaves and bright pink flowers. Swamp milkweed blooms from July to August. They also smell just like bubblegum, so if you see one in the wild make sure to give it a sniff. Just make sure you don’t accidentally startle any stinging insects! These plants like to grow in wet soils on the edges of prairie potholes and marshes. They can grow to over 5 feet tall.

Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) spreads via seeds and rhizomes. Their leaves are thin and narrow and can look like needles. A monarch caterpillar can eat several plants. They can grow up to 3 feet tall, but most of the time they are much shorter. They bloom from July to September and have little white flowers. Whorled milkweed are one of the last blooming milkweed, which makes it a particularly important source of food for monarchs.

Milkweed have seed pods. You may have seen these pods cracked open in the fall or individual seeds floating gracefully in the air. If you plan on harvesting your own and planting them, the time to plant is now! Planting in the fall is exactly what milkweed needs to germinate. They require a cold period of weather followed by a warm period of weather; this is called cold stratification.

So now that you know all about milkweed, it is time to go grow some! Plant them everywhere! Plant them in your front yard, in your back yard, in all of your gardens, in your parent’s gardens. I love milkweed and so will you.

The Legacy of the IOWATER Program

by Dan Haug | Sep 3, 2024

For 18 years, staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources trained and equipped volunteers to test water quality in rivers and streams across the state, building a network of citizen scientists and conservation leaders in the process. The IOWATER program died in 2016 after a long battle with budget cuts, declining participation, and IT challenges. It is survived by the state’s largest river cleanup event (Iowa Project A.W.A.R.E.) and many volunteers who resumed or started monitoring with the support of the Izaak Walton League, county conservation departments, watershed coalitions, and local non-profits.

Laura Merrick tests nitrate in the green waters of Lake Darling

The first Iowa Water Summit in 2019 was a sort of a funeral for the IOWATER program and a passing of the torch to the Izaak Walton League’s Save Our Streams program. Several groups in Iowa are making good use of the Ikes’ online database, trainers and training materials, and extra supplies. However, stream monitoring in the post-IOWATER era is decentralized and locally-led. Prairie Rivers of Iowa thought we could all benefit from more collaboration, so we wrote a grant proposal that was funded by the Water Foundation. Over the past year, I’ve been meeting regularly with colleagues from the Iowa Environmental Council, Northeast Iowa RC&D, Pathfinders RC&D, Partners of Scott County Watersheds, Polk County Conservation, and Drake University to talk about water monitoring, lay the groundwork for some new tools, and help the Izaak Walton League plan a second Water Summit.

The second Iowa Water Summit (scheduled for Oct 8 in Des Moines) is an opportunity for anyone involved in a local monitoring program (or looking to start one) to come together and learn from the experience of others around the state. We’ll have time and space for displays and networking. We’ll have a panel about recruiting and retaining volunteers. We’ll have a talk about making sense of the data once you have it, and another about new methods like microbial source tracking. We’ll have a panel about communicating with the public and turning data into action. If you’re at all interested in water quality and water monitoring in Iowa, don’t be shy! Register before September 20!

A Project AWARE volunteer balances on a log jam to retrieve trash.

The other legacy of IOWATER is less trash in our rivers. Iowa Project A.W.A.R.E. was started in 2003 by IOWATER coordinator Brian Soenen, who now serves on the board of a non-profit that continues the tradition. This year, 269 volunteers in canoes removed and recycled 3.8 tons of trash from 60.2 miles of the Skunk River.

This was my first year participating in the cleanup and I highly recommend it! In addition to the fun of being on the water and the satisfaction of leaving the river cleaner than you found it, I enjoyed good food, friendly people, and interesting evening nature programs, including live turtles and a dugout canoe!

A.W.A.R.E. stands for A Watershed Awareness River Experience, and I tried to raise some watershed awareness in my Monday afternoon talk about the hydrology and water quality of the Skunk River. For example:

The Skunk River starts near Blairsburg and joins the Mississippi River near Burlington after a journey of 274 miles. By that point, it drains more than 4000 square miles of central and southeastern Iowa.
Thunderstorms in the Ames area lead to a rise in water levels at Augusta eight days later.
Rain that falls in the watershed can reach streams quickly if it runs off the surface or travels through storm sewers or drainage tiles, but moves more slowly if it’s caught by ponds and wetlands or soaks into the ground. Some of the water entering Ada Hayden Lake in Ames showed chemical signatures of having been underground for more than 50 years!

Watershed characteristics can help explain water quality patterns in the Skunk River and its tributaries, as shown in this table. For example:

The North Skunk River watershed has steeper hills, so has higher turbidity levels. The South Skunk River watershed is flatter with more tile-drained cropland, so has higher nitrate.
The Skunk River receives effluent from 9 major wastewater treatment plants (Ames, Newton, Nevada, Mt. Pleasant, Grinnell, Fairfield, Oskaloosa, Washington and Montezuma) and 85 smaller systems, which contribute to higher phosphorus levels.

However, the most memorable and sobering lesson about watersheds was taught by Lake Darling. We camped three nights at the state park, and I had an opportunity to explore it on Monday when high water levels kept us off the river. Lake Darling State Park has a lot going for it: a large lake in a beautiful setting, with an active Friends group that has improved trails and facilities. But the water quality is appalling. During my visit, the beach had a warning sign posted due to high levels of microcystin (a toxin produced by blue-green algae). I have never seen water this green. It looked like a kale smoothie and smelled like manure.

What happened? In 2007, Iowa DNR was celebrating Lake Darling as a success story, after most farmers in the watershed participated in a program to control erosion and intercept runoff. A $12 million project to drain and restore the lake was completed in 2014. By every indication, these efforts were successful at reducing the amount of sediment entering the lake. However, other water quality metrics (orthophosphate, E. coli, and microcystin) have gotten worse. The most likely explanation is the manure from 30,000 hogs. Nine animal feeding operations have been built in this watershed since the park reopened. I calculated the density of livestock in Lake Darling’s watershed (598 animal units per square mile) and found that it’s highest of any lake in Iowa, and higher than all but a handful of rivers.

This is why it’s not enough to measure success by dollars of cost share spent or the number of practices installed. We need to be aware of both positive and negative influences on the water bodies that we care about, and we need to test whether water quality is actually improving. At the Iowa Water Summit, I’ll share some tools and tips for doing just that. Hope to see you there!

Say No to Neonics: What They Are and Why We Should Care

by Katelyn Rinicker | Aug 5, 2024

Neonicotinoid pesticides are detrimental to not only monarch health, but all pollinator health. If you have never heard of Neonicotinoids, or Neonics for short, and aren’t sure why you should care, I urge you to keep reading.

What are Neonicotinoids?

Neonics are a type of pesticide that attacks insects on a neurological level. This means “the way they work is by permanently binding to the nerve cells of insects, overstimulating and destroying them. Exposed insects often exhibit uncontrollable shaking and twitching followed by paralysis before eventually dying” (Lindwall, 2022). These pesticides are used in a variety of ways including on agricultural land, golf courses, lawns, gardens, and even in tick and flea repellents for our pets, making Neonics the most used pesticide in the USA since its development in the 1990s (Lindwall, 2022). I know how they affect insects and I’m not sure I’d want my little furballs anywhere near it.

Why should we care?

Neonics are applied to soil around a plant’s roots or, even worse, as a coating on a plant seed (Lindwall, 2022). If it is applied as a coating to a seed, the plant absorbs it as it grows. This means that the whole plant is now toxic to any insect that tries to have lunch (Lindwall, 2022). The sweet nectar, pollen, leaves, stems, and even fruit are not safe for insects to pollinate or munch on. “In large-scale studies in the UK, agricultural applications of seed-coated neonicotinoids were found to be associated with decreased abundances of bees and butterflies” (Van Deynze et al., 2024). Even when neonics are applied at nonlethal doses, they can weaken critical functions, such as an insect’s immune system, navigation, stamina, memory, and fertility (Lindwall, 2022). So if the chemical doesn’t outright kill the insect, it prevents it from reproducing and significantly decreases its quality of life.

Neonics are also extremely harmful to pollinators. They are non-selective, which means that all insects are affected by them. “Since their introduction, neonics have made U.S. agriculture nearly 50 times more harmful to insect life” (Lindwall, 2022). “Almost 45% of the 3374 articles on neonicotinoids published to date … addressed the issue of negative interactions of neonicotinoids with bees and other pollinators” (Jactel et al., 2019). There are so many articles on the internet that address neonics and call for a change in pesticide use. During a 17 year study on butterflies and neonics, it was found that the diversity of butterflies and abundance were negatively affected and declined (Van Deynze et al., 2024). It is thought that these pesticides may have triggered the decline of butterflies in 2003, when treated soybeans became available in the Midwest (Van Deynze et al., 2024). Butterflies aren’t the only pollinator affected by this nasty pesticide. Beekeepers have reported that more than 45% of their honeybee colonies have been lost between 2020 and 2021; this is the second highest colony collapse rate on record (Lindwall, 2022). That’s not all, Iowa is the home of over 4,000 native bee species including the already endangered Rusty Patched bumblebee. This means that all pollinators are at risk due to these chemicals.

This graph from Van Deynze et al. shows the correlations between pesticide use and the decline in monarch butterfly (D. plexippus) populations throughout the years.

So maybe you don’t care about some bugs. Well, it’s affecting people too. When applied to the soil around a plant, only about 2% – 5% actually get on the target plant, with the rest becoming residue on the soil outside of the plant’s root system’s reach. This residual pesticide then gets washed away by irrigation or rain into our waterways. These are areas we let our children swim and play in. These are areas we are fishing in. These are areas we live by and see daily. A 2015 study by the U.S. Geological Survey found neonic pollution in more than half of the streams it sampled nationwide (Lindwall, 2022).

EasternTigerSwallowtailPapilioGlaucus_FB

Don’t worry, we can still do something to help!

In 96% of cases, neonics can be replaced by alternative pest control and even better, in 78% of cases, at least one non-chemical alternative method can be used (Jactel et al., 2019). You can buy organic seeds to plant or check that the seeds you are using haven’t been coated in this liquid death for our insect friends. Planting more safe gardens with plenty of blooming plants is a great way to support pollinators. Growing milkweed is not only essential to monarch survival, but will attract bees and other insects as well. Even if you are in an apartment, you can help out! Growing some beautiful native plants like Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) or Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) in a container garden on your balcony or patio are great options if you don’t have lawn space. Making sure that you have blooming plants in Spring, Summer, and Fall is essential to pollinators survival.

Citations

Jactel H, Verheggen F, Thiéry D, Escobar-Gutiérrez AJ, Gachet E, Desneux N,  (2019, August). Alternatives to neonicotinoids. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019302351?via%3Dihub

Lindwall, C. (2022, May). Neonicotinoids 101: The effects on humans and bees. NRCD. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/neonicotinoids-101-effects-humans-and-bees

Van Deynze B, Swinton SM, Hennessy DA, Haddad NM, Ries L (2024, June) Insecticides, more than herbicides, land use, and climate, are associated with declines in butterfly species richness and abundance in the American Midwest. PLoS ONE 19(6): e0304319. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304319

Birds from Erv

by Dan Haug | Jul 11, 2024

photo montage of Erv Klaas and a whooping crane

Erwin “Erv” Klaas died on Saturday July 6. His passing is a great loss for Prairie Rivers of Iowa. He served on the board since its founding in 2001, started an endowment for the organization in honor of his wife Janet, and was a reliable presence at our events.

I received the news of his death on Sunday while visiting the International Crane Foundation with my family. We were watching a whooping crane, and my mother immediately recalled a birding trip that Erv had led to Nebraska’s Platte River many years back, perhaps as a contribution for our church’s silent auction. Among the awe-inspiring flocks of thousands of grey-feathered sandhill cranes, Erv had his binoculars trained on a single white-feathered whooping crane and was trying to help the rest of the group spot it. Mom said it was like a page out of “Where’s Waldo!” It’s a fun image to recall a one-of-kind ornithologist who loved sharing his passion for nature with other people.

Let’s think of Erv whenever we raise our binoculars! Here are five other birds (plus one plant and two insects) that remind me of his life and legacy.

Horned lark. Photo by Kenneth Cole Schneider.

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)

Shortly after I was hired, Erv took me for a driving tour of the Ioway Creek watershed. As an assistant commissioner for the Story County Soil & Water Conservation District (and a representative for the group on the Watershed Management Authority), he was well-aware of how some farming practices could degrade soil, water, and wildlife habitat, while other farming practices could preserve them. He pointed out examples of both on our drive. At one point, he told me to pull over so he could take out his binoculars and get a better look at a flock of non-descript birds hopping and fluttering about on the open fields. Up close, they’re adorable! Horned larks are gregarious birds that form large, mixed-species flocks, which could describe Erv too!

Drawing of a passenger pigeon hunt. (Public domain)

Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)

Erv believed that care for the land and its creatures is an ethical imperative. Toward that end, he organized a regular event where residents of Ames and the surrounding area would gather to read passages from Sand County Almanac and other essays by Aldo Leopold. One that I find especially moving is “On a Monument to the Pigeon,” first delivered in 1947, which includes poetic lines like this:

There will always be pigeons in books and in museums, but these are effigies and images, dead to all hardships and to all delights. Book-pigeons cannot dive out of a cloud to make the deer run for cover, or clap their wings in thunderous applause of mast-laden woods. Book-pigeons cannot breakfast on new-mown wheat in Minnesota, and dine on blueberries in Canada. They know no urge of seasons; they feel no kiss of sun, no lash of wind and weather. They live forever by not living at all.

Trumpeter swan, spotted on Ioway Creek watershed tour with Erv (2017-09-15)

Trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator)

The trumpeter swan could have gone the way of the passenger pigeon (there were only 69 birds remaining in the continental US in the 1930s) but the population has made an impressive recovery (63,000 by 2015). Erv is part of that conservation success story: in 1971 he joined the US Fish and Wildlife Service and conducted research on the effects of DDT on birds that helped lead to a national ban in 1973. It’s been a great joy to see large flocks of trumpeter swans on the lake at Ada Hayden Heritage Park, another of Erv’s signature projects. They also like CREP wetlands constructed to improve water quality; that’s where we spotted this one!

Vallisneria americana - by Fredlyfish4 via Wikimedia commons

Tape grass (Vallisneria americana)

This aquatic plant is an important food source for waterfowl and nursery for fish. It has an amazing pollination strategy, with boat-like male flowers and corkscrew-stemmed female flowers! Anne Kimber (my stepmother) studied this plant for her PhD and remembers Erv’s kindness when she ran into difficulties with the field work. I have similar memories. After some setbacks with a data analysis project, I received a phone call from Erv offering encouragement. He told me that I was a scientist in practice if not in credentials, that my work was important, and encouraged me to seek out collaborators and look for ways to bring it to completion. I took his advice.

Eastern pondhawk dragonfly, by Erv Klaas

Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

This is one of many photos that Erv took of adult dragonflies and damselflies at Ada Hayden Heritage Park, continuing his dedication to science in retirement as a volunteer. The aquatic juveniles showed up in his nets when he surveyed benthic macroinvertebrates for the IOWATER program. He monitored water quality monthly at two sites on Ioway Creek from 2002 to 2015, at one point finding unusual bacteria results that were traced back to a cracked sanitary sewer. The IOWATER program is ended, but Prairie Rivers of Iowa continues to support volunteer water monitoring in Story County and is building tools and relationships to help groups across the state learn more from the data they are collecting.

Greater yellowlegs, by VJAnderson (CC-By SA).

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

I saw one of these unmistakable shorebirds while paddling on the Skunk River below Ames. It was on its spring migration from the Gulf Coast to the Hudson Bay. They are pretty common now, but could be in trouble as the planet warms. Erv was deeply concerned about the impact of climate change on wildlife, water and people here in Iowa and around the world, and founded the Ames Climate Action Team to nudge the City government toward more aggressive action. It’s a great example of “think globally, act locally.”

A monarch obstacle course, with osprey overhead

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) & Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

While families were tagging monarch butterflies and doing hands-on educational activities at Ada Hayden Heritage Park, I spotted this osprey soaring overhead. The “Monarch Magic” event in 2023 exemplifies what Prairie Rivers of Iowa does best: initiating conversations and building partnerships to do things together that no one organization would have attempted on their own, and educating the public to deepen our connections to the places where we live. Our new pollinator specialist (Katelyn Rinicker) is already working on planning the next one. It’s one way Erv’s legacy lives on, even among people who never met him.

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