Bumble bees, native to our region, can be a bit hard to find. One species in particular, Franklin's bumble bee, may already be extinct.
There's room for non-scientists to get involved in tracking and assisting bumble bees: the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas. Citizen scientists get training before being turned loose to look for bees and record their sightings. Rich Hatfield of the Xerces Society and Rogue Valley biologist Pepper Trail join us for a discussion of the Bumble Bee Atlas and some of the benefits it has already provided.