Volunteers help track Minnesota’s native bees
Kathy Sidles had just finished high school when the Endangered Species Act was passed. “People had ‘Save the whales’ bumper stickers,” she said. “Well, we have endangered species right here in Minnesota, too.”
The Minnesota Bumble Bee Atlas is a research project that engages volunteers to learn more about the distribution and diversity of native bees. Sidles is in her fourth year as a trained Atlas volunteer in Minnesota, Iowa and along the border. She took this photo of the American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), which is in decline, at Lena Larson Wildlife Management Area.
“If we can increase the number of native plants in our yards and natural areas, we can prevent the American bumble bee from being put on the endangered species list,” said Sidles.
“We are grateful for all the effort Kathy has put in,” said Extension Entomologist Elaine Evans. “Volunteers have documented over 25,000 bees in Minnesota.”
Highlights
- A Junior Master Gardener program for youth in grades 3-6 teaches gardening and nutrition. Youth do hands-on activities with the goal of growing their own produce to make a healthy snack.
- Joel Reiman, a product development leader for Hormel Foods, is in Class 13 of the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership (MARL) program.
- 4-H in Mower County delivered a Cloverbud Day Camp at the Mower County Fairgrounds.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Oudekirk family (2026)
- RSDP impact: With support from a CERTs Seed Grant, LifeGate will create energy educational materials to distribute within the African immigrant communities in Austin.
- CERTs staff spent a day with Austin Utility employees, visiting local businesses to learn and share information about the Energy Hero program, an effort that helped double the number of businesses enrolled in the program.
Mower County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Mower County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.