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Bee Stewards Program

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Do you want to build bee habitat or take your existing habitat to the next level?

The BEE STEWARDS program is an introductory course on bee biology and habitat enhancement. It includes:

  • 5 online self-paced training modules
  • Student resource manual
  • Quarterly zoom meetings with course instructors
  • A Bee Stewardship report (available in regions with Bee Atlases only)
  • An aluminum sign for your bee habitat, ball cap, and a certificate, following course completion

Our programs are based on the latest bee biology and ecology research from Oregon State University. This includes findings from the OREGON BEE ATLAS and other regional bee atlas programs.

The BEE STEWARDS program uses this data to help you select the best plants to support all types of bees in your habitat. This information is also distilled into high quality educational materials, which are available to students in the program for FREE.

This training can be completed within one year.

Bee Stewards Program logo - a hand is holding flowers that are attracting a bee
Photo: Bee Stewards
REGISTER NOW

Who should register?

  • Those seeking an introductory education in native bee biology and those looking for practical tools to enhance native bee health and biodiversity through habitat creation and stewardship
    or
  • Those interested in the Master Melittologist Program who aren’t willing or able to kill bees for collection and curation, or who aren't yet ready to begin surveying for bees. If your interest in wild bee surveying is piqued after completing the Bee Steward course, you are eligible to enter the Master Melittologist Apprentice Program for a reduced fee ($200).

While we are happy to welcome students from any location, please note that our course materials have a Pacific Northwest focus, and student packets and certificates can only be mailed to addresses within the United States and Canada.

Program fee

The program fee is $125.

If your interest in wild bee surveying is piqued after completing the Bee Steward course, you are eligible to enter the Master Melittologist Apprentice Program for a reduced fee ($200).

Participation criteria

May I purchase this program as a gift for someone else?

Purchasing our course as a gift for another person:

  • Visit the gift purchase site: https://beav.es/TeA
  • The form will prompt for an amount ($125), and then you will add the recipient’s information and the course name (Bee Steward Program).
  • You will enter your billing information on the payment page.
  • Then contact Jen Larsen ([email protected]) to let her know that you paid as we will not get a copy of the payment.
  • You will receive an automatic confirmation message from TouchNet for your purchase. PLEASE NOTE: If you enter the gift recipient’s email then they will get a message too, something to think about if it is a surprise.

How to redeem a gift:

  • You will notify the recipient of the gift by sending them the link to register for the course: https://apps.ideal-logic.com/osuextension
  • Then the recipient will register themselves for the program, as they will need to set up their own log in account (using Google, Microsoft, facebook, LinkedIn). When the recipient reaches the Payment tab in the registration, they can click “Save for later” and contact [email protected] to complete the process for them.

The Bee Steward Program is supported through a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Pollinator Health Fund and Western SARE.

Do you want to help educate people about bee biodiversity and creating bee habitat?

The BEE ADVOCATE program is designed for those interested in outreach and public education. This program is FREE and open to anyone who engages with the public, such as Master Gardeners or Master Beekeepers, anyone tabling at farmer's markets, delivering talks to school groups, and more.

Participants will learn to use bee educational resources available for FREE from Oregon State University, including infographic cards and seed packs.

Become a Bee Advocate
Photo: Bee Advocate (Cropped from original)

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