Eric Venturini to speak at annual Roque Island Lecture on Environmental Conservation

Pollinator biologist Eric Venturini will present the seventh annual Roque Island Lecture on Environmental Conservation on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the University of Maine at Machias. 

The free public lecture, “Bees and Blueberries: Where Does It Go From Here?” will be held at 11 a.m. in the UMM Science Building, Room 102. It is sponsored by the Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative and UMM.

First managed by the Wabanaki people, wild blueberries are important to Maine’s culture and economy, Venturini says. He will discuss the future of blueberry cultivation in Maine amid growing concerns over declining native bee populations and a recent drop in market prices.

Venturini is a partner biologist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Xerces Society, where he works to increase awareness of, and capacity for, pollinator conservation in New England. He studied wild blueberries and pollinators under entomologist Frank Drummond at the University of Maine, where he earned a master’s degree in ecology and environmental sciences. 

For more information about the Roque Island Lecture or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 255.1200.