POLLINATOR SURVEYS

Over the course of our ten-week project, our team conducted two pollinator surveys on the highbush blueberries of Whitewater Ranch to examine the abundance of various pollinator groups during different bloom periods. We followed a blueberry pollination protocol developed by ELP students in 2015 that was adapted from the Xerces Society’s Citizen Scientist Pollinator Monitoring Guide by Ullman et al. We will analyze this data in relation to the free to grow, riparian plantings along Goose Creek to determine trends in pollinator diversity and abundance. Additionally, we will consider the impact of the 2020 Holiday Farm fire that burned much of the surrounding land on White Water Ranch.