RiverCal – Events in the Siuslaw Region

The City of Florence EMAC Speaker Spotlight Series
2026-05-13 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Lane Community College Florence Center, 3149 Oak Street, Florence, OR, 97439, United States
Come and learn about how you can help save the insects with David Kollen from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation!
“Insect Apocalypse: “Insect Apocalypse?: What is really happening, why it matters, and how you can be part of the solution” summary:
Introduction to the Xerces Society
The Importance of Invertebrates
The Evidence of Invertebrate Decline
Threats to Invertebrates
Nature-based Climate Solutions
“Insect Apocalypse” starts with an overview of invertebrates including their diversity and biomass, and goes on to describe how this enables their tremendous contribution to our food webs. Other ecosystem services such as decomposition and pollination are also covered. The talk then goes on to look at various studies and data trends that provide evidence of invertebrate declines.
With invertebrate declines setting the stage, the topic progresses to the many threats thought to underpin these declines. Finally, we will look at nature-based climate solutions. These are solutions that support invertebrate biodiversity and at the same time serve to mitigate some of the harmful impacts of climate change.
Dave Kollen is a Xerces Society Ambassador and in that role is involved in educational and outreach work. In addition, he is an OSU Extension certified Master Melittoligist, Bee Steward, and Oregon Naturalist. His involvement in community science includes the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas, the California Bumble Bee Atlas, and the Oregon Bee Atlas. Dave also writes pollinator-focused articles for the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs newsletter, Mahonia.
