Training Workshops (required)
Participants in the California Bumble Bee Atlas will need to take part in a training session to learn about bumble bees and the project. This is a necessary step towards getting yourself named on the project's Scientific Collecting Permit. We have completed these trainings for 2024, but you can always watch a recording of a previous training workshop instead.
Webinars (optional)
As a complement to the training workshop, on April 13, 9:00-11:00am, we hosted an optional webinar on the Ecology and Conservation of Bumble Bees. This presentation was for bumble bee atlas volunteers across the 20 states in which the program is active in 2024. To see a recoding of this presentation, visit our training video page!
Are you looking for more guidance on identifying bumble bees on the West Coast? We have you covered! Last year, we conducted webinars on female and male bumble bee identification in Western North America, which you can find on our Training Videos page.
Field Events (optional)
Field events are opportunities to join project staff in the field to learn project methods and to catch and handle bumble bees. These events are optional for Atlas volunteers, but they are fun and informative, so please consider joining us! Click here to register for field events.
April 13 (Sat.): Pinole Library meeting room, 2935 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564. 10am-12pm. Hosted by FOPCW and Pinole Creek Allies, parking at the library. We will spend 30-min inside talking about bumble bee basics, then tour the native plant gardens looking for bees. Watching the training video beforehand is helpful but not required.
April 14 (Sun.): Round Portrero, Portrero, San Diego County, 10:00-12:00pm. Meet on Round Portrero Road at this location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/t8gYYRWeLQVaVxTPA.
April 20 (Sat.): Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, in collaboration with the Tamalpais Bee Lab. Registration and details available here. Please note, this page announces multiple events, and you'll need to specify this date when registering!
April 26 (Fri.): Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, Winters, CA. 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at the reserve's main parking area along Route 128 (38.512, -122.097).
April 27 (Sat.): Galbreath Wildlands Preserve, Yorkville (Mendocino Co.). 10:00-1:00pm. Meet at Yorkville post office (25400 Highway 128) at 10am, and we'll carpool in 4-wheel drive vehicles to the site. Register at this link: https://cei.sonoma.edu/bumble-bee-atlas
April 27 (Sat.): Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park | East Bay Parks (ebparks.org), 9:00am-Noon. This is an event sponsored by East Bay Regional Parks in association with the California Bumble Bee Atlas. Meet at the parking area of the Trudeau Center at 11500 Skyline Blvd, in Oakland. Registration and details available here:
https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search/detail/51256?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true
April 28 (Sun.): Cosumnes River Preserve (Sacramento Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at the Visitor Center. Coordinates: 38.265713, -121.439227.
May 18: Santa Ana River BLM parcels, North Redlands (Riverside Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. We'll meet at this location on Orange Street, then search for bees in shrubby floodplain habitats near the river.
May 25 (Sat.): Viewland area, Lassen Co. 10:00am-1:00pm. Join multiple Xerces biologists for a fun day of catching bees and learning about the California Bumble Bee Atlas. Meet in Viewland within the town of Litchfield at intersection of Route 395 and Smoke Creek Ranch Rd (40.432, -120.281).
June 8 (Sat.): Kwaamii Point (San Diego Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at end of Kwaamii Point Road, off Sunrise Highway.
June 9 (Sun.): Otay Mountain Wilderness (San Diego Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at terminus of Otay Mountain Truck Trail: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UdhiuGVFCkmhYDRq9.
June 22 (Sat.): Williams Hill (Monterey Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at Williams Hill Campground. Directions: from Lockwood, CA, take Lockwood-San Ardo Rd 7 miles to campground.
June 23 (Sun.) Piedras Blancas Light Station and Outstanding Natural Area, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet in the parking lot at the light station. We'll search for bumble bees in coastal grasslands and learn about conducting surveys for the Atlas.
July 12 (Fri.): King Range National Conservation Area, Petrolia, Humboldt Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at Mattole Campground, 3750 Lighthouse Road (40.289, -124.356). We'll spend our time searching for bees in the dunes and shrublands near the ocean.
July 13 (Sat.): Mal'el Dunes (Humboldt Co.). 10:00-12:00pm. Meet at trailhead parking area off of North Mal'el Dunes Road.
July 14 (Sun.): Sacramento River Bend Area (Tehama Co.). 9:00am-12:00pm. Meet at Bass Pond Parking Area. Please note, we have changed the start time of this event from 10am to 9am, in order to avoid the heat.
August 22 (Thurs.): Slinkard Valley, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. We'll meet at a parking area along Route 89 on the north end of the valley (38.6608, -119.5872), then take a walk to search for bumble bees on BLM land.
August 23 (Fri.): Bodie, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at parking lot for Bodie State Historic Park (38.214, -119.015). We'll walk on nearby BLM lands and learn about bumble bees and the California Bumble Bee Atlas.
August 24 (Sat.): Granite Mountain Wilderness, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at the Granite Mountain Loop Trailhead (37.909, -118.759) off of Route 120. We'll take a walk, catch bumble bees, and learn about the Atlas project.
August 25 (Sun.): Bree's Lookout, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at the location on Hot Creek Hatchery Road. We'll take a walk, catch bumble bees, and learn about the California Bumble Bee Atlas.
August 31 (Sat.): Sand to Snow National Monument BLM parcels, San Bernardino Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Tentatively, we will meet in the San Bernardino National Forest at Coon Creek Cabin Group Campground; we'll follow up to confirm this meeting location. We'll hike about 2.5 miles round trip, talking about the California Bumble Bee Atlas and catching bees.
Participants in the California Bumble Bee Atlas will need to take part in a training session to learn about bumble bees and the project. This is a necessary step towards getting yourself named on the project's Scientific Collecting Permit. We have completed these trainings for 2024, but you can always watch a recording of a previous training workshop instead.
Webinars (optional)
As a complement to the training workshop, on April 13, 9:00-11:00am, we hosted an optional webinar on the Ecology and Conservation of Bumble Bees. This presentation was for bumble bee atlas volunteers across the 20 states in which the program is active in 2024. To see a recoding of this presentation, visit our training video page!
Are you looking for more guidance on identifying bumble bees on the West Coast? We have you covered! Last year, we conducted webinars on female and male bumble bee identification in Western North America, which you can find on our Training Videos page.
Field Events (optional)
Field events are opportunities to join project staff in the field to learn project methods and to catch and handle bumble bees. These events are optional for Atlas volunteers, but they are fun and informative, so please consider joining us! Click here to register for field events.
April 13 (Sat.): Pinole Library meeting room, 2935 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564. 10am-12pm. Hosted by FOPCW and Pinole Creek Allies, parking at the library. We will spend 30-min inside talking about bumble bee basics, then tour the native plant gardens looking for bees. Watching the training video beforehand is helpful but not required.
April 14 (Sun.): Round Portrero, Portrero, San Diego County, 10:00-12:00pm. Meet on Round Portrero Road at this location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/t8gYYRWeLQVaVxTPA.
April 20 (Sat.): Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, in collaboration with the Tamalpais Bee Lab. Registration and details available here. Please note, this page announces multiple events, and you'll need to specify this date when registering!
April 26 (Fri.): Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, Winters, CA. 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at the reserve's main parking area along Route 128 (38.512, -122.097).
April 27 (Sat.): Galbreath Wildlands Preserve, Yorkville (Mendocino Co.). 10:00-1:00pm. Meet at Yorkville post office (25400 Highway 128) at 10am, and we'll carpool in 4-wheel drive vehicles to the site. Register at this link: https://cei.sonoma.edu/bumble-bee-atlas
April 27 (Sat.): Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park | East Bay Parks (ebparks.org), 9:00am-Noon. This is an event sponsored by East Bay Regional Parks in association with the California Bumble Bee Atlas. Meet at the parking area of the Trudeau Center at 11500 Skyline Blvd, in Oakland. Registration and details available here:
https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search/detail/51256?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true
April 28 (Sun.): Cosumnes River Preserve (Sacramento Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at the Visitor Center. Coordinates: 38.265713, -121.439227.
May 18: Santa Ana River BLM parcels, North Redlands (Riverside Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. We'll meet at this location on Orange Street, then search for bees in shrubby floodplain habitats near the river.
May 25 (Sat.): Viewland area, Lassen Co. 10:00am-1:00pm. Join multiple Xerces biologists for a fun day of catching bees and learning about the California Bumble Bee Atlas. Meet in Viewland within the town of Litchfield at intersection of Route 395 and Smoke Creek Ranch Rd (40.432, -120.281).
June 8 (Sat.): Kwaamii Point (San Diego Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at end of Kwaamii Point Road, off Sunrise Highway.
June 9 (Sun.): Otay Mountain Wilderness (San Diego Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at terminus of Otay Mountain Truck Trail: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UdhiuGVFCkmhYDRq9.
June 22 (Sat.): Williams Hill (Monterey Co.). 10:00am-12:00pm. Meet at Williams Hill Campground. Directions: from Lockwood, CA, take Lockwood-San Ardo Rd 7 miles to campground.
June 23 (Sun.) Piedras Blancas Light Station and Outstanding Natural Area, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet in the parking lot at the light station. We'll search for bumble bees in coastal grasslands and learn about conducting surveys for the Atlas.
July 12 (Fri.): King Range National Conservation Area, Petrolia, Humboldt Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at Mattole Campground, 3750 Lighthouse Road (40.289, -124.356). We'll spend our time searching for bees in the dunes and shrublands near the ocean.
July 13 (Sat.): Mal'el Dunes (Humboldt Co.). 10:00-12:00pm. Meet at trailhead parking area off of North Mal'el Dunes Road.
July 14 (Sun.): Sacramento River Bend Area (Tehama Co.). 9:00am-12:00pm. Meet at Bass Pond Parking Area. Please note, we have changed the start time of this event from 10am to 9am, in order to avoid the heat.
August 22 (Thurs.): Slinkard Valley, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. We'll meet at a parking area along Route 89 on the north end of the valley (38.6608, -119.5872), then take a walk to search for bumble bees on BLM land.
August 23 (Fri.): Bodie, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at parking lot for Bodie State Historic Park (38.214, -119.015). We'll walk on nearby BLM lands and learn about bumble bees and the California Bumble Bee Atlas.
August 24 (Sat.): Granite Mountain Wilderness, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at the Granite Mountain Loop Trailhead (37.909, -118.759) off of Route 120. We'll take a walk, catch bumble bees, and learn about the Atlas project.
August 25 (Sun.): Bree's Lookout, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Meet at the location on Hot Creek Hatchery Road. We'll take a walk, catch bumble bees, and learn about the California Bumble Bee Atlas.
August 31 (Sat.): Sand to Snow National Monument BLM parcels, San Bernardino Co., 10:00am-1:00pm. Tentatively, we will meet in the San Bernardino National Forest at Coon Creek Cabin Group Campground; we'll follow up to confirm this meeting location. We'll hike about 2.5 miles round trip, talking about the California Bumble Bee Atlas and catching bees.
COVID-19 UPDATE: We understand that the current situation with the coronavirus is constantly evolving and differs by community. We have undertaken the California Bumble Bee Atlas with the understanding that the situation with Covid could change quickly -- and differ by location. The most important consideration during this sensitive time is personal and community health. Please follow all relevant regulations and the advice of health care professionals when developing your survey plans for the Atlas. Don't hesitate to stay closer to home if that is the right thing for you and/or your community; the health of our volunteers is of paramount importance. Thank you!
