Learn about native bee conservation at Green Drinks meeting

Jean Foley will present "The Importance of Native Bee Conservation" at the next McHenry County Green Drinks meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Environmentally-minded people gather upstairs at Duke's Alehouse & Kitchen, at 110 N. Main St. in Crystal Lake, to network and talk about "greening" the future on the first Wednesday of each month.

Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem and a number of factors including pesticides, habitat loss and climate change are contributing to their decline worldwide. The decline of bees has both economic and environmental implications. Economically, bees contribute billions of dollars annually to the global economy by pollinating over two-thirds of the world's agricultural crops.

Ecologically, the role of bee pollination plays a key role in ecosystem conservation by providing food and habitat for other species and contributing to healthy and diverse plant communities. It is essential that individuals and organizations are active in bee conservation efforts.

Foley has a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University with an emphasis on biology. She presently works at College of Lake County and will be finishing up an associate degree in horticulture production this May. Through her studies, she became very interested in native plants and pollinators. She did native pollinator research last summer for her horticulture practicum.

From that research, she developed a PowerPoint and a poster that she presented at last November's Wild One conference. She is very interested in sharing what she learned about native bees and native plants.

Tentative future topics include nature photography on Sept. 7, Smart Grid on Oct. 5, rehabbing on Nov. 2, and wine on Dec. 7.

Additional parking is available at the train station. To be added to the Green Drinks email list, send a note to: GreenDrinksMC@gmail.com or "like" the group at www.facebook.com/GreenDrinksMcHenryCounty.

The Green Drinks network was founded in North London, England, in 1989 and now is active in more than 600 cities worldwide. Interested public is always welcome to attend the McHenry County Green Drinks monthly event. Each month there is a short presentation on a different eco-topic plus displays and demonstrations. Also, information about upcoming eco-events and green products and services is made available. Nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks are available plus a featured "green drink".

Green Drinks McHenry County is sponsored by the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County and Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen.