Sarah Johnson is the lead biologist for Wildlife Preservation Canada’s Native Pollinator Initiative. WPC is a nation-wide organization focusing on hands-on recovery initiatives for critically endangered species, and the pollinator initiative supports Canadian bumble bee recovery through a diverse set of programs. As WPC’s lead pollinator biologist, Sarah has overseen a variety of citizen science training programs, runs multiple field-based research and monitoring projects, and leads the development of a captive breeding program for the at-risk yellow-banded bumble bee. Prior to her current position with WPC, Sarah received a BSc in Natural Sciences from the University of Calgary – during which she published on a project investigating how wing wear affects bumble bee’s weight lifting ability – as well as an MSc in Ecology, examining how clearcut logging impacts bee-pollinated wildflower reproduction in the foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Sarah was also involved in the initiation of a long-term research program exploring how the agricultural landscape in southern Alberta affects pollinator diversity. As evidenced through her work, Sarah’s passion lies in the furriest (and most charming) of the pollinators: the bumble bee. However, she is also interested in conservation education, public engagement, and answering broader questions on what factors shape ecological communities.

Listen in as we talk about the bee population of Canada, her new captive breeding project, and how citizen science positively impacts her research.

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“We’re seeing sightings in areas where we didn’t know species extended to, and this is because of submissions by citizen scientists.” – Sarah Johnson

Show Notes:

• What is happening in the bumblebee populations of Canada
• How the Bumblebee Recovery Initiative is helping pollinators
• What their new captive breeding project is hoping to accomplish
• What qualities Sarah is looking for in the queen bumblebees they are breeding
• How Wildlife Preservation Canada uses citizen science
• Why Bumblebee Watch is such an invaluable resource to conservation researchers
• How one citizen scientist made a breakthrough discovery
• How Sarah’s organization trains citizen scientists
• What makes a good bumblebee picture for submission
• What Sarah recommends to help raise public awareness of pollinators and their involvement

“[Wilson et al.] surveyed a wide variety of people, and the vast majority of them think bees are important but nobody really knows what a bee is versus what a fly is.“ – Sarah Johnson

Links Mentioned:

• Learn more about the app for citizen scientists, Bumble Bee Watch
• Check out Sarah’s favorite book, “Bumblebees of North America: An Identification Guide”
• Read about Bombus cryptarum, Sarah’s favorite bee
• Connect with Sarah Johnson at Wildlife Preservation Canada