Scientific Collecting Permits
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) requires permits for handling of species that are candidates for California Endangered Species Act (CESA) listing or on their list of Terrestrial Invertebrates of Conservation Priority (TICP). This includes 4 CESA candidates (Franklin’s bumble bee, Crotch’s bumble bee, Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee, and Western bumble bee) and 2 TICP species (Morrison’s bumble bee and the Obscure bumble bee). These permits help ensure that research activities are conducted in a manner that reduces impacts to these bumble bee species, as well as other sensitive natural resources, including eagle nest sites and rare natural community types. CDFW has issued a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Scientific Collecting Permit to the Xerces Society to conduct the California Bumble Bee Atlas, and these permits cover trained project participants who have passed a quiz demonstrating their comprehension of training materials and permit conditions. Getting your name added to the permits is a requirement of this project!
To be added to our permits, please attend a training workshop (listed on our events page) or watch a prerecorded version of the training online. Following this, you'll need to pass a short quiz demonstrating that you are familiar with our survey methods and understand the environmental compliance requirements of the permits. Once you pass the quiz, Xerces will send your information to CDFW with a request to add you. Once approved, Xerces will notify you and provide a copy of the permits. Please read through the permits upon receipt. While conducting surveys, you need to keep a digital or hardcopy of the permits on you at all times.
To be added to our permits, please attend a training workshop (listed on our events page) or watch a prerecorded version of the training online. Following this, you'll need to pass a short quiz demonstrating that you are familiar with our survey methods and understand the environmental compliance requirements of the permits. Once you pass the quiz, Xerces will send your information to CDFW with a request to add you. Once approved, Xerces will notify you and provide a copy of the permits. Please read through the permits upon receipt. While conducting surveys, you need to keep a digital or hardcopy of the permits on you at all times.