Forest Service, Partners, Go Live for Pollinators from The National Zoo Interactive Event on May 12th WASHINGTON D.C., May 11, 2010--The USDA Forest Service and the Prince William County School District will host a live webcast from The National Zoo on May 12, to introduce school children and communities across the nation to the important role that pollinators play in our natural world, officials have announced. The USDA Forest Service serves as the lead federal agency for "PollinatorLIVE". The agency's Conservation Education program helps people of all ages understand and appreciate our country's natural resources, and how to conserve those resources for future generations. The production will be webcast live in English and simultaneously translated in Spanish. This distance learning interactive event is designed to showcase the scientific importance that pollinators of all sizes and varieties play in agriculture and vegetation across the country and around the world. Students across the country can be personally involved by emailing their questions directly to the moderators and scientists at The National Zoo during the production. An all-star cast of scientists will explain pollination, plant-insect interactions, the insect collection at the Smithsonian Institution, how students can "bee" scientists and contribute their data to science, and what can be done to help pollinators. In addition, Dr. Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch, will provide an update on the monarch butterfly population. To watch the programs live on May 12, go to http://pollinatorlive.pwnet.org and follow the webcast link. Agenda (all times are Eastern): Overview of Pollination, 11 ? 11:30 a.m. One out of every three bites of food arrives on our tables as the result of a pollinator. Donna Stockton-Eng and Alan Peters from the National Zoo will explain pollination and how it works. Pollinator Partners , 11:45 a.m. ? 12: 15 p.m. Join Sean Brady and Nate Erwin from the Smithsonian?s Natural History Museum and Insect Zoo, as they take a closer look at local and exotic pollinators. "Bee" a Scientist , 12:30 ? 1 p.m. This "Bee Hunt" takes you on an exciting backyard safari using digital cameras for real science. Monarch Update, 1:15 ? 1:45 p.m. Dr. Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch, will go over the latest Monarch butterfly research. Attracting Pollinators to Your Schoolyard Garden, 2 ? 2:30 p.m. All of the scientists will explain what you can do to help pollinators in your schoolyard or community garden and why it's important. You can follow us on Twitter for information on this event and other USDA Forest Service programs (account name forestservice), and get more agency details from our home page, www.fs.fed.us The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation?s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages the 193 million acres of National Forest System land, provides stewardship assistance to non-federal forest landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. # - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To receive official Forest Service information by e-mail, please subscribe by visiting http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription/ To unsubscribe from this mailing list, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription If you wish to make changes to an existing account, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/changes.shtml
