1. GROUP OUTINGS
June 12-14 Green Ridge Lookout, Deschutes National Forest (N of Black Butte, by Metolius R.) - contact Martha Richards: Martha@easystreet.net /503-481-6023. Martha writes: "I’ll arrive late afternoon on 12 and leave by noon on 15. I'm schedule my forays around others’ plans. I'll have phone reception, but won’t be checking often, so call me now!"
2. OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
June is the busiest time for pollinator outreach. This means there are a number of fabulous events coming up to fulfill your volunteer requirement. Please contact the organizer directly and let them know if you are planning to attend and they will send details on where to park etc.
18 June (5pm-8pm) Oregon Zoo - Pollinator Twilight Tuesday, Portland, OR (contact, Andony Melathopoulos)
22 June (9am-1pm) Corvallis Farmers Market, Corvallis, OR (contact, Andony Melathopoulos)
22 June (11am-4pm) Pollinator Day at Blue Lake Regional Park, Fairview, OR (contact, Bonnie Shoffner)
22 June (10am-4pm) Dancing Oaks Pollinator Festival, Monmouth, OR (contact, Andony Melathopoulos)
22 June (11am-3pm) Pollinator Palooza, Hillsboro, OR (contact, Mark Gorman)
26 July (11am-3pm) Washington County Fair (contact, Andony Melathopoulos)
28 July (1-3pm) Beeverton Bee Festival, Beaverton City Library, Beaverton, OR (contact, Andony Melathopoulos)
NOTE: The event at High Desert Museum in Bend is still in the air. We originally hoped it would be June 22, but it sounds like they are interested in us doing it 17 June.
3. LABELS
We are just did a print run of labels and these will be sent out over the next few days. This will include mailings to team leaders of any small batch labels that have not been verified as of Friday. Just a reminder, Atlas Member Jerry Paul produced a short video explaining how he cuts labels.
4. BEE SCHOOL - SPACES STILL AVAILABLE
Session 1 is starting to get full, but there is still room in Session 2. We wanted to make sure that we made sure to give first dibs to people who needed the course most. Registration is now open to everybody. Register here (To register, you will be asked to create a user account. If you are associated with OSU, this won’t be necessary).
5. NEW KILLING JARS - FINICKY
Making killing jars at OSU has been a pain, because the Plaster of Paris sets so quickly. We recently made a batch with slower setting Plaster of Paris only to discover that they don’t absorb the ethyl acetate as well. We will be changing the formula for the next batch, but in the meantime, if you have jars with this slow absorbing plaster, make sure to charge them a few hours before collecting and to wipe away any residual liquid before using them.
6. THIS WEEK ON FACEBOOK
Elaine Rybak, Pam Arion and Martha Richards (from the Portland team) catching some great bees on vetch on June 1 at Four Sisters Columbia Land Trust site outside the Dalles. Elaine was able to get access to this site by reaching out to the Columbia Land Trust.
On May 27, Briana Lindh was collecting by kayak along the Willamette. Fun bees (and flies and wasps) she’d never seen before. Andrena with red abdomen? Anthophora boy? Eucera girl? And gravel bar willows very much in bloom!
Some of the Portland and Yamhill OBA members teamed up to work with OSU faculty Amy Grotta at Matteson Forest. Michaelo O’Loughlin writes “It was cool and cloudy but found bees and this Lepturobosca chrysocoma on Dichelostemma congestum”.