Join One Tam as we embark on a new phase of the Tamalpais Bee Lab and become a community scientist!
When: Friday, May 31, 2024, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Where: Lagunitas Meadow, Fairfax
The Tamalpais Bee Lab (TBL) is our effort to learn about local wild bees in Marin County, and we started with inventorying which species were present in the county's public lands. We're now focusing on better understanding local bee communities, gathering information to inform future targeted monitoring studies, and contributing local data to broader efforts seeking to study and protect native bees. To achieve these goals, this year we are taking part in the California Bumble Bee Atlas and nationwide Ground Nesting Bee surveys. Volunteers can participate! Learn more about each effort below:
The California Bumble Bee Atlas (CABBA) is a collaborative community science effort, coordinated by the Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, to track and conserve California’s native bumble bee species and contribute to the global understanding of bumble bee distributions.
Ground Nesting Bee surveys (GNBee) is a recent community science effort launched by the Danforth Lab at Cornell University to better understand and protect nests of ground-nesting bees. Approximately 75% of all native bee species nest in the ground and yet we still know relatively little about their requirements and preferences for nesting habitat. By participating in this project, community scientists can help fill critical knowledge gaps on where and when bees nest so researchers and land managers can better work to protect and promote them in our public lands.
Volunteers participate in these efforts by attending a regularly scheduled TBL event and conducting surveys at predetermined sites with One Tam staff and other volunteers. You must register in advance here >>
Please note that while you can register for this program on multiple dates, locations will vary, so please note where each date is taking place. Registrants will receive more information closer to the event. Each survey has a different protocol that is determined by the study design, but in general each survey involves:
If you would like to know the details of the CABBA and GNBee surveys, you can find more information on their websites:
Scheduling note: Based on our experience with the April surveys and the multiple cancellations we had due to unfavorable conditions, we have decided to post surveys to our calendar through June, but locations and registration will only be announced and opened two-weeks in advance of scheduled field days.
We recognize that a shorter registration period may make it more difficult to plan ahead but given how quickly conditions can change at each of our survey sites and how variable the weather has been, we believe this new process will result in the most sustainable field schedule. Please be sure to check our website and social media channels for updates on survey locations and registration. If you would like to receive an email reminder to register for upcoming surveys, please fill out this brief form.
