'Pollinator in Peril' events slated in Sandpoint

July 24, 2017

A noted bee expert will headline a “Pollinators in Peril” series of events in Sandpoint Tuesday and Wednesday, August 1-2, focusing on the importance of pollinators and how to help them. Events will include a community seminar, a booth at the Sandpoint Farmers Market for children, and a film showing with a panel discussion at the Panida Theater. All are free and open to the public and sponsored by the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). More information is online at www.uidaho.edu/cals/news-and-events/sandpoint. Robbin Thorp, a retired University of California Davis bee expert and UI adjunct professor, will visit the Sandpoint Orchard at N10881 Boyer Road near Sandpoint. Thorp will study the area’s bees at the invitation of CALS Dean Michael Parrella, the incoming president of the Entomological Society of America. The community events are: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 1, Little Panida Theater: Seminar will feature Thorp, Parrella, UI William F. Barr Entomology Museum curator Luc Leblanc and native bee expert Paul Rhoades. They will talk about the importance of pollinators, their recent population trends and bee management. 3 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 2, Sandpoint Farmers Market: The college will offer elementary-age children a free science kit as part of its Summer of Science program. Children will learn about insects and native bees. 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 2, Panida Theater: Two videos will focus on Thorp and an imperiled bumblebee. A panel discussion will follow. The video “The Old Man and the Bee” is a CNN report about Thorp’s search for the Franklin’s bumblebee. The other video, “A Ghost in the Making: Rusty-patched Bumble Bee,” is a documentary about the first bee in the continental U.S. added to the Endangered Species List. The Sandpoint Orchard features 68 varieties of heirloom and modern apples. Operated by the nonprofit Center for Organic Studies, the orchard also grows pears, cherries, apricots and other fruits. The center and university are working together to help people appreciate organic farming methods and the importance of local food systems. The UI agricultural college launched its Summer of Science program in Moscow in June with the Moscow Farmers Market. More about the program is online at www.uidaho.edu/cals/news-and-events/farmers-market. The Moscow program runs through August and features weekly programs at the market focusing on topics ranging from native pollinators to dairy science, nutrition and plant science, among others.