Thank you!

What is Happening to the Rusty Patched Bumblebee? was written as a collaboration between NGSS expert Jesse Semeyn and SkyDay Director Ben Whitehouse.

We would like to thank Dr. Danielle Lawson (Penn State), Dr. Kathryn Stevenson and Dr. Nils Peterson (NC State) for their work in the field of Intergenerational Learning and in particular for their Nature Climate Change study  “Children can foster climate change concern among their parents”. This study inspired us to bring their approach to Illinois and Midwest schools and we are grateful for their guidance and advice on how to do that!

Thank you to Day’s Edge Productions and bioGraphic magazine for their awesome video “Forgotten But Not Gone: The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee.” In our unit we show only the first 2 minutes and then send students to the latest data, asking them to draw their own conclusions about what is harming the species. But we recommend that after completing that process students watch the video in its entirety here.

Some of the extraordinary scientists and experts who so kindly gave us their time and guidance along the way:

  • Dr. Anna Nesbitt, Professor in the Environmental Studies department at University Of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

  • Dr. Sydney Cameron Department of Entomology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (PEEC), University of Illinois.

  • Rich Hatfield, Senior Conservation Biologist, Endangered Species Program, Xerces Society

  • Dr. Louis R. Iverson

  • Dr. Ting Liu, Assistant Professor & GIS Coordinator, Northeastern Illinois University

  • Dr. Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist 

  • Dr. Kristen Voorhies, Fish and Wildlife Biologist at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Here are the talented educators who gave us their time and guidance in our Teacher Focus Group. Thank you everyone!

  • Peter Ower, Wilmette Junior High

  • Cole Lanham, New Trier High SChool

  • Sean Kerwin, Washington Community High School

  • Colleen McVeigh, Urban Conservation Educator, The Field Museum

  • Doug Rees, Marshall High School

  • Yolanda Pender-Bey, Chicago Public Schools

    Contributing USFWS Photographers:

  • Mike Redmer (as a private photographer)

  • Jill Utrup

  • Georgia Parham

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