The rusty patched bumblebee was listed as federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2017. There have been many sightings of the bee since, with researchers and citizen scientists identifying new locations each year! The Quad Cities area had several new rusty patched bumblebee sightings since the species was listed, and it provides our local US Fish and Wildlife Service office with a unique opportunity to study how the species uses this area and how community support for pollinator conservation has grown. This program will cover what we know about the species, how the public can assist with recovery efforts, and how to report any sightings of this rare bee.

Lauren Larson is a Biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service stationed at the Illinois-Iowa Field Office in Moline. She has a B.A. in Biology from Wartburg College, and both an M.S. in Biology and post-baccalaureate certificate in GIS Analysis from Western Illinois University. Lauren works on Mississippi River restoration projects and has also been working on rusty patched bumblebee recovery since 2021.