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Susan Carpenter

Expert on native plant gardening, sustainable gardening practices, bumble bee conservation, rusty-patched bumble bee, southern Wisconsin bumble bees, and citizen-based monitoring.

Wisconsin Native Plant Garden Curator, Arboretum Graduate School Work: 608-262-2445 — Home and cell phones available upon request susan.carpenter@wisc.edu Home page

Topics

  • Wisconsin’s native plants—identification, ecology and gardening
  • Restoration and maintenance of healthy pollinator habitat
  • Bumble bee conservation, especially Wisconsin species of greatest conservation need, especially the rusty-patched bumble bee
  • Citizen-based monitoring of bumble bees; public participation in documenting rare and common species

Achievements

  • Established and maintains 4-acre Wisconsin Native Plant Garden at UW–Madison Arboretum
  • Trains and mentors volunteers in sustainable gardening practices and bumble bee monitoring
  • Presents extensively on native plant gardening and pollinator conservation to garden clubs, conservation groups, professional, youth, and public audiences
  • Collaborates with Dane County (including Henry Vilas Zoo), WiDNR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to promote pollinator conservation

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