Celebrate Earth Day

Did you know the United States is home to over 4,000 species of native bees? Most people know relatively little about native bees considering how important they are to climate resilience through the pollination of native flowers and agricultural crops. To save the native bees we must first get to know them. Join National Geographic Explorer, TEDx speaker, and community scientist Krystle Hickman as she takes us on a journey to a deeper appreciation and understanding of these charismatic creatures. Through Krystle’s stunning macro photography, you will learn what makes them so special and recognize the signs of a healthy garden. The San Bernardino County Museum, in partnership with the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, is excited to welcome renowned photographer, speaker, and community scientist Krystle Hickman to speak on the topics of melittology, community science, and photography as a tool for scientific discovery and ecosystem resilience. Following her presentation, participants will get a chance to tour through the museum’s water-wise garden with Krystle to try their hand at scientific photography by helping add findings to this years’ City Nature Challenge project on iNaturalist. Krystle will share tips for photographing native bees for ID in your own backyard, city parks, or nature preserves with a camera or cell phone. Topics will include basic camera settings, how to use the histogram, and advice for choosing a lens. Attendees are encouraged to bring their cameras and cell phones! Those that participate will receive the chance to win one of seven Krystle Hickman’s Native Bees of The Western United States flashcard decks, featuring her photography.

10:30AM-11:15AM – Presentation by Krystle Hickman in the Fisk Gallery
11:15AM-12:00PM – Photography tour of Native Plant Gardens

The fun keeps going at the museum from 1PM-4PM, where you can learn how to make seed bombs with native plant seeds (while supplies last) and hang out with Curator of Integrated Biology, Mackenzie Kirchner-Smith, who will be outdoors in our courtyard talking about citizen science and teaching visitors on how to use the app iNaturalist to document the wildlife in our local area.