UI’s Pollinator Summit Wednesday, Thursday
An online Pollinator Summit by University of Idaho Extension slated Wednesday and Thursday will focus on pollinators and their habitats on the Palouse and beyond.
The summit will begin 4-5 p.m. Wednesday with a youth summit followed by a series of short programs from experts about the current status of bees and other pollinators from 6-8 p.m. From 2-6 p.m. Thursday, experts will focus on current research and efforts to protect habitats in the future.
The summit is free and open to those who register online for individual sessions, including the youth summit. Registration is at palousepollinators.wixsite.com/savethebees.
The youth summit will feature storytelling with Merna Anne Hecht and bee house kit building. More information is available from Kelli Cooper at kcooper@ci.moscow.id.us.
The Wednesday evening session about the status of Palouse pollinators will feature experts on habitat improvements, bee research and preferred plants. Other participants will represent the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Palouse Prairie Foundation and U of I William F. Barr Entomological Museum.
The Thursday afternoon session will feature UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean Michael Parrella, Moscow Parks and Recreation Director Dwight Curtis and Pollinator Partnership Director Ron Bitner. Other presenters will represent the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Washington State University.
WSU beekeeper and queen bee breeder Melanie Kirby will deliver the 5:30 p.m. keynote presentation Thursday, “It Takes a Community: Place, Purpose, and Power in Landscape and Pollinator Conservation.”
More information is available by emailing latah@uidaho.edu or calling (208) 883-2267.
Forestry winter school will be free and online
Washington State University Extension Forestry and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources is hosting free classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 27.
The annual Forest Owners’ Winter School lineup, held virtually this year, will include workshops on how to grow your own mushrooms, preparing your trees for climate change and protecting your property from wildfire.
The event will feature experts from a variety of state and local natural resource agencies, and participants can choose as many as five sessions from a total of 30 seminars, expert panels and roundtable discussions.
Pre-registration is required by 5 p.m. Friday. To see a full list of workshop topics, register for the school or to learn more, visit forestry.wsu.edu/webinars/onlinews/ or contact WSU Extension Forestry at (425) 357-6023.
PRH gives education awards to employees
The Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation announced Thursday it has awarded two of its employees $2,500 each in education awards for the 2021 spring semester.
The money was awarded to Janine Lawrence and Tanya Shull. Lawrence has cared for PRH intensive-care unit patients as a registered nurse for eight years. She is pursuing a master’s degree in nursing and hopes to teach nursing students as a local clinical instructor.
Shull has served as a senior human resources generalist at PRH for two years. She will apply the award toward obtaining certification through the Society for Human Resources Management to enhance her knowledge of federal and state employment laws and best practices.
The Staff Education Award is available to any employee who has been employed at the hospital for at least one year and works a minimum of 20 hours per week.
