From Plant Press, Vol. 7, No. 1 from January 2004.
By Gary Krupnick
On October 8 and 9, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) convened at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. NAPPC, a tri-national (United States, Canada, Mexico) public and private partnership of over 50 organizations and agencies, aims to promote pollinator awareness, policies, educational outreach, research and conservation. The conference brought together nearly 70 invited delegates from potential partner organizations and scientific authorities to develop itemized strategies and work plans to affect collaboratively positive change in the areas of pollinator research, education and awareness, conservation and restoration, policies and practices, and special partnership initiatives. Gary Krupnick attended the conference as a representative for the National Museum of Natural History.
The goal of the conference was to (1) evaluate NAPPC work and process to date, (2) revise an implementation plan for the various committees, and (3) deploy new task forces to undertake and complete short-term activities.
Discussion occurred in small groups and at plenary sessions. Five key working groups focused on issues pertinent to pollinator protection: Research, Outreach and Education, Conservation and Restoration, Policies and Practices, and Special Partnership Initiatives. The working groups focused on comprehensive long-range approaches to the pollinator issue from distinct categorical perspectives that continue over time. The groups worked for approximately three hours on 8 October, presenting their concepts at the end of the afternoon. The working groups reconvened the next day for two hours and prepared a final report of their deliberations. In the week following the conference, the reports of the working groups were transcribed and returned to each group chair for review by the committee members.