Pollinator presentation open to public

Kral-O’Brien will explain how rangelands benefit pollinators, how pollinators benefit rangelands, and how different management strategies impact rangeland pollinators.

Alissa Sweley of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, president of Collegiate Farm Bureau, said the presentation will be an opportunity for attendees to learn about the importance of pollinators.

“We hope that her presentation will encourage the public and students to explore how different management strategies can affect these insects and ways to promote these essential insects on the landscape,” Sweley said.

Kral-O’Brien has been teaching an eight-week class, Special Topics in AGRI: Pollinator Ecology (AGRI 460), funded by the Bill and Virginia Coffee Family Foundation Grant, at CSC this semester.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife and conservation biology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Kral-O’Brien earned a master’s and a doctorate in range science from North Dakota State University.

While pursuing a Ph.D., Kral-O’Brien focused on researching pollinators.

“I was particularly interested in different methodologies used to study pollinators and how to improve conservation efforts for butterflies. This was a vital focus because so many researchers and agencies are starting to study pollinators due to their declines,” Kral-O’Brien said.