We know about dwindling snowpack, polar ice caps, and increasing wildfire risk, but these aren’t the only climate change consequences we are experiencing. Among the creatures that are most seriously compromised by the climate trends we are witnessing and will suffer into the future are our insect friends. While many of us think of insects as mere bugs to be swatted, there is more to this class of animals than just being our enemies. Indeed, without insects pollinating our crops, we’d all be going hungrier. And without butterflies gracing our flowerbeds, especially monarchs – an important indicator species for changes in our ecosystem – we’d be aesthetically much the poorer.
Kristina Lefever from The Pollinator Project Rogue Valley will outline disturbing trends in insect populations worldwide. Recovering entomologist Alan Journet will discuss why insects are especially susceptible to current climate trends. Robert Coffan from Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates will provide an update on the recent 99.4% plummet in the western monarch population, along with an interesting climate-related prediction on their overwintering sites.
Please join us in the Large Meeting Room of the Medford Public Library, 205 South Central in Medford on Tuesday, February 26 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
All SOCAN programs are free and open to the public.
