NAPPC 2005

NAPPC Celebrates 5 years of Meeting, Planning and Promoting Pollinators!

October 20-21, 2005 marked the 5th Tri-national Meeting of NAPPC, which was celebrated at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.  This year we enjoyed record attendance, with over 100 partners from Canada, Mexico and the United States actively participating in six Committees and 10 Task Forces, representatives came from the World Bank, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Wild Farm Alliance, the European Pollinator Initiative, and many other organizations.

One participant remarked, “ sharing in the positive energy in that room was truly memorable.” The evaluations of the conference gave it an average of 9.64 out a possible 10 in meeting their expectations. But the true value of the conference is the work that participants engage in based on plans that are developed during the two-day meeting.

New Task Forces will tackle such topics as Laws Affecting Pollinators, Food Consumer Outreach, Public Land Managers, Research Data Collection, 4-H Projects, and Farm Bill Interface. Many participants remarked that this meeting was the "best ever," a positive reflection of the evolving nature of our growing collaboration and its emphasis on positive results.

This year's NAPPC group has high expectations bolstered by favorable responses on several incoming project grants.  In 2006, the NAPPC Task Forces hope to complete a white paper on Bee Importation Issues, develop an online integrated NAPPC website and bibliographic database , provide pollinator-friendly messages to grocery store chains, refine and distribute our environmental education curriculum, and many other ambitious endeavors.  Our collaboration is stronger than ever, and the energy created by our partners' activities is gaining momentum for pollinator conservation in North America and beyond.

For more information, please contact the NAPPC Coordinator, Dr. Kimberly Winter.