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Press & Media

Press & Media

Xerces Society staff are respected as reliable sources of science-based advice at the forefront of invertebrate protection, and can provide information and perspective on all aspects of invertebrate conservation.

Our team includes nationally recognized experts on a range of issues, including insect declines, protecting endangered species, climate change impacts, pollinator conservation, pesticide risk, habitat creation, and wildlife gardening. We work to understand and protect insects and other invertebrates in all landscapes, from wildlands to backyards.

In each of the last three years, Xerces staff were quoted or our work was mentioned in thousands of media articles that reached over one billion people worldwide.

We’re happy to give media interviews. Please direct all inquiries to Deborah Seiler, Director of Communications: (503) 212-0550, [email protected]. 

For general information about our work, please see our blog, publications, and other information on our website. Follow us on social media for the latest updates, as well.

Recent Press Releases

Monarch Numbers Up in Mexico, but Butterfly Still at Risk of Extinction

The World Wildlife Fund Mexico has just released results of the annual survey of monarch butterflies overwintering in central Mexico. The butterflies occupied an estimated 2.835 hectares of forest during the winter of 2021–22. This represents an increase of approximately 35% compared to the previous winter (2020-21), when monarchs occupied 2.1 hectares. While this year’s numbers from Mexico and the western U.S. are steps in the right direction, they still indicate a severe population decline in both the eastern and western population over recent decades, and with a long way to go to recover this species.

Lawsuit Launched Challenging USDA’s Failure to Protect Endangered Species From Insecticide Sprays Over Millions of Acres in U.S. West

The Xerces Society and Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent today to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s secretive Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for failing to properly consider harms to endangered species caused by insecticide spraying across millions of acres of western grasslands. “Xerces doesn’t enter into lawsuits lightly, but in this case the risks are too great,” said Scott Black, executive director at the Xerces Society. “Over 80% of animals in grasslands are insects. When these are harmed by insecticide sprays, it could cause a cascade effect to the many endangered grassland species that rely on insects to survive."

Public Oral Argument in Environmentalists’ Appeal Seeking to Ensure Legal Protections for Imperiled California Bumble Bees

On Monday, May 23, California's Third District Court of Appeal will hear arguments from conservation groups seeking to ensure California Endangered Species Act (CESA) protections for four imperiled native bumble bee species, and insects more generally. The appellants include the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and Defenders of Wildlife, represented by the Stanford Environmental Law Clinic. At stake in this case are critical protections needed for four imperiled bumble bee species that occur in California, as well as whether the California Fish and Game Commission (the Commission) has the legal authority to protect insects under CESA

New Great Plains Bumble Bee Atlas Engages Community Scientists to Track Bumble Bees

With pollinator declines accelerating, a new project has launched that provides an opportunity for people in Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota to take action to conserve bumble bees. A partnership between the Xerces Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Great Plains Bumble Bee Atlas will improve scientists’ understanding of the bumble bees of the upper Great Plains and provide land managers with the information they need to conserve them. 

California seeks volunteers to track imperiled bumble bees

With pollinator populations declining and facing increasing threats, a new initiative launched today to better understand and protect California’s imperiled bumble bees. Spearheaded by a partnership between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the new California Bumble Bee Atlas will enlist the assistance of trained volunteers to collect information around the state on bumble bee species diversity and habitat use. 

For General Media Inquiries

Contact Deborah Seiler,

Director of Communications

Phone: (503) 212-0550

Email: [email protected]

Xerces in the News

Check out our reach and view a listing of articles from around the world featuring the Xerces Society.