Explore: Community Science

If you are able to get outdoors during this time (your neighborhood or yard will work just fine), keep an eye out for invertebrates. There can be an amazing diversity of species in a small space! Support ongoing research by taking a photo and sending your observation to a community science project. We'll be offering a few descriptions of specific projects during Earth Week, or you can click here to view a list of community science projects you can contribute to.

Commit: Pollinator Protection Pledge

Join over 10,000 people in making this commitment to protect pollinators. Xerces' Pollinator Protection Pledge is based on four simple principles: Grow pollinator-friendly flowers, provide nest sites, avoid pesticides, and spread the word. These core values apply equally to urban community gardens, suburban yards, city parks, and farms.

Learn: Check out Our Publications

Our Publications Library offers a wide array of resources based on the latest science. You can find regional plant lists; learn how to identify bees, butterflies, and other invertebrates; plan environmentally sound restoration or land management; and more. Reading these resources will build a strong foundation for your future conservation endeavors. And don't forget to share this treasure trove of information with your friends, family, and colleagues!

Commit: 12 Climate Actions for Earth Week

Angela Laws, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist and Climate Change Lead for the Xerces Society, writes, "Earth Week is a great time to remind our communities and our elected leaders of how much we have to gain by addressing the climate crisis head-on. By acting now, we can stave off the worst effects of climate change, including the many negative effects on human health, such as illness related to heatwaves, air pollution, and increased risk of some infectious and vector-borne diseases."

Connect: Stay in Touch with Our Enewsletter

Every week is Earth Week at the Xerces Society! Keep up-to-date on the latest conservation news and opportunities to support our work by signing up for our twice-monthly enewsletter.

We look forward to staying in touch with you! Thank you for standing with us.

Connect & Commit: Bee City USA & Bee Campus USA

Bee City USA Coordinator Molly Martin provides an overview of how to mobilize your community to protect pollinators through the Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA programs. Molly writes on our blog, "Thinking globally and acting locally, Bee City USA provides a framework for communities to work together to conserve native pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants, and free to nearly free of pesticides."

Explore: Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas

The 2020 survey season for this Nebraska-specific community science opportunity begins this June, and we hope you'll join us then. In the meantime, as Katie Lamke, Bumble Bee Conservation Specialist and coordinator of the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas, writes on our blog: "This Earth Week, remember that we are all scientists. Science is about curiosity and setting out to explore, question and observe the world around us. Whether you join the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas or a project closer to home, go forth with the words of Ted Kyster: 'Find your way of doing a little to impact the whole.' The Earth will thank you for it."

Learn: Check Out Our YouTube Channel

This channel is meant to educate and inspire people to take action for invertebrates and their habitats. We offer a variety of resources, including past talks and webinars by Xerces Society staff, educational videos for adults and children, and more! We also encourage you to learn more about our social media channels and share with your networks!

Commit: Bee Better Certified

A collaboration between the Xerces Society and Oregon Tilth, Bee Better Certified partners with innovative farmers and food companies to protect bees and other pollinators in agricultural lands. The Bee Better Certified seal gives consumers confidence that their purchasing decisions benefit pollinators, reward conservation-minded farmers, and incentivize the incorporation of pollinator conservation into product supply chains. Together we can make the world better for bees.

Explore: How to Maximize Benefits to Pollinators in Cities and Towns

Pollinators are one of the easiest groups of declining animals to support in a residential landscape, since even small spaces have the potential to meet the most basic needs of the entire insect life cycle—and even simple changes to our landscaping can make a huge difference to these animals. We recently created an Urban Habitat Assessment tool, designed to help you see your yard through the eyes of a pollinator, identify areas for improvement, and prioritize actions you can take to promote these insects in your yard and community.

Explore: Find a Community Science Opportunity Near You!

Community science (sometimes referred to as "participatory science" or "citizen science") is a form of research that provides everyone—regardless of their background—an opportunity to contribute meaningful data to further our scientific understanding of key issues. Many of these projects can be engaged with while still maintaining physical distancing.

Learn & Commit: Start Now To Prevent Mosquito-Borne Disease and Keep Our Pollinators Safe

Did you know that the first line of defense isn’t spraying pesticides throughout our communities, over homes, schools, wetlands, and other sensitive sites? Not only are such aerial spray efforts not the most effective strategies for protecting people, they also put pollinators at risk. Learn more important tips on our blog and from our new fact sheet, Smarter Pest Management: Responding to Mosquito-Borne Disease and Protecting Pollinators.